Athens
Day 1
Flight to Athens (Scoot)
Why Athens, you might ask? Most travellers plan with a destination in mind. But for us cheapskate Singaporeans, we grab the best flight tickets and explore wherever we land. That meant a 12 hour 3am flight on Singapore’s ‘national’ budget airline: ScootSome argue long-haul flights on a cramped budget airline are unbearable, though I find a little stretching, some aisle walking, and a lot of sleeping helpful. After all, when fast asleep, nobody can diffrenciate between Scoot and First Class.As always, onboard service was chaotic. But hey, we got what we paid for.
Our first taste of Greece was an excellent brunch at Gargaretta, situated at a corner beside an adorable coffee shop cum bookstore. Well worth the long wait. Kayana eggs were savory and rich. Spinach pie was a little polarizing. As with most Athenian eateries, it’s tourist friendly with English speaking staff and menu.
Literally a huge rock topped with a generous sprinkling of tourists. The real attraction of Areopagus is the unobstructed view: of the sprawling city below, and the towering Acropolis above. Even in winter, the best photo spots are swarmed by selfie takers. Be prepared to wait your turn.
Touristy Streets
Adjacent to the main attractions are ‘vibrant’ streets packed with businesses/fraudsters with various methods to part you with your money. Between the itinerant musicians and puppeteers are old women handing out ‘free’ roses and African men trying to force ‘free’ bracelets onto girls. Of course, there’s the old-fashioned tourist traps of souvenir shops hawking Greece-themed trinkets and row after row of overpriced restaurants. Oh, and this store with an actual wall of fondue. Would recommend venturing out of the core tourist area for shopping and food.
Quite a large compound, with much of it unfortunately in ruins. Not much background information available on-site so Wikipedia is the saviour here for history buffs. Highlights are the still-standing Temple of Hephaestus and the completely rebuilt Stoa of Attalos which houses a museum on Greek History. Don’t miss the understated museum entrance on the first floor. About an hour for exploring the ruins and 2-3 hours for the museum should be adequate.
Roman Agora
Significantly smaller than the Athenian Agora, the Roman Agora features the world’s first weather station. A few panels provide context for the ruins. A quick half-hour stop on our Athens exploration.
Extremely filling set meal for EUR16.5- comes with appetizer, main, dessert, drink, water and bread. One set is sufficient for both lunch and dinner. Service staff was curt but that's compensated for with efficiency. Food was excellent too- fresh Greek salad, fluffy moukassa and fragrant orange pie. The place gives off an old-school vibe with all the wooden panelling and slow music.
The historical core of Athens is far from the most drivable- with narrow roads and scarce parking. Considering that, and the proximity of most attractions, we opted for a city-centre apartment that enabled us to forgo transportation altogether.
Greek Sweets
Like a kid in a candy store. That’s me. Literally. If I’m still considered a kid. Ended up walking back with EUR30 of baklavas, chocolates, and other unidentifiable sweets. Had a diabetes-inducing breakfast of Greek confections the next morning.
Many of these stores are operated by elderly proprietors, so pointing and faux sign language are inevitable. The goodies are delightful at first, but after wolfing down two or three, the cloyingly sweet cream/syrup hits home and became our little
Day 2
Acropolis Tour
Paid EUR60/pax for a guided tour. Though the guide was professional and extremely knowledgeable, the Acropolis is sufficiently well-documented to just Wikipedia it and save the money for 20 more Greek gelatos
Acropolis Museum
Could probably spend all day here. Packed with artefacts and conspicuous plaster replicas of ‘looted’ treasures. There’s an archaeological dig in the basement too. A pity we had to rush off for lunch.
A humble streetside restaurant with humble streetside prices. Don’t be greedy cause the portions are gigantic. My brother got a strange look from the waiter after ordering EUR12 of pork, which turned out to be sufficient for three whole meals. Baked Feta (with tomatoes and capsicums) is a good appetizer option.
In Athens, nothing is taller than the Parthenon. Nowhere is this clearer than atop Mount Lycabettus. Unlike much of Athens, there are no legendary archaeological sites here – just a paranomic view stretching from the Acropolis to the Aegean Sea. Nothing compares to this sunset view, not even Santorini.
It’s a half-hour walk from the Acropolis to Mount Lycabettus’ base, and another 20 minutes to the top. The residential estate adjacent to the hill was teeming with plainclothes and uniformed police, though we didn’t notice any signs of criminality (in fact the estate seems rather upmarket) Drag racing perhaps?
Built atop (another) archaeological dig, the square really comes to life at night. Approaching it on foot, you’ll notice points of lights arcing above nearby buildings. Turns out to be an LED-covered toy hawked by African men. Speaking of Africans, the percussion band drumming away is the real highlight. Didn’t even see any receptacles for donations- so I guess these guys are just having fun. Nearby are souvenir stores selling basically everything- from sandals to shirts, olive wood carvings to olive oil.
A quiet little eatery with a geriatric and wholesome owner. Prices were very reasonable for authentic fare. Fried cheese best consumed hot when it’s endlessly stretchy. Not a huge fan of the dolmades (stuffed wine leaves)
Day 3
A bright bistro with excellent fusion cuisine. I had the rich and savoury “daily special” pasta with syglino (salted pork) and feta cheese. The pinsa (variation of pizza) was also amazing.
Day 2.1
Drive to Athens (from Delphi)
Boring drive that becomes confusing when in Athens. Mostly new highways.
The Mall Athens
Greece is better known for artefacts than malls, and it really shows. Their biggest mall, aptly titled THE Mall Athens, is run-of-the-mill by Singaporean standards. Had a pizza, visited the supermarket, but after an hour was bored enough to start searching for sports bars. Give this a miss and squeeze in another historical site instead (no shortage of those)
Our last meal in Greece. Situated deep in a residential neighbourhood, it took a stressful drive through winding streets to get here. Would be truly special in summer with the tourist-free seaside view. Honestly, this was the first time we ventured away from touristy areas. Typical Greek comfort food, if such a thing exists: fried seafood, the ubiquitous Greek salad, garlic bread, fries and grilled meats.
Apartment
Stayed a night in a random mansion near the airport. As usual, everything is clad in Greek marble. Interesting business model with the owner living directly downstairs and doing renovations himself. Sadly, we had a flight to catch and couldn’t hang around.
Day 2.2
Abu Dhabi Airport
Overstaffed and overpriced. Had to take a bus to and from the terminal. Forget about having a bite here since the prices are so absurd. Besides the sprawling duty free section, there was nothing grand about this airport.
Flight to Singapore
Refreshingly empty. Found an entire empty row to sleep/play Stick War at.
