Three Days in Athens
Athens was the second part of our two part Eurotrip. Tara, my good friend Ronnie, and myself, caught a short flight from Sophia to Greece. Leaving Bulgaria for Athens felt like waking from a dream. It was twenty degrees warmer, the sun shining down through clear blue skies, where Bulgaria has been consistently dreary. It was the perfect weather for what we had planned, which was to eat, drink, and explore as much as we could for the few days we had.
This was our first time in Athens, and we booked an airbnb just a few minutes walk from the Acropolis. Athens is a sprawling city but many of the main sites, museums, ruins, and so on, are within walking distance of each other. It’s easy to quickly get your fill of history. Ruins - like temples, churches, or castles, can all start to run together pretty fast, and after a day or so, we were ready to move on to something different. We hopped a ferry to the island of Aegina, just a short ride away from the port of Athens. Though close enough to be an easy day trip away from the city, it had a totally different vibe. Where Athens was frenetic, covered in graffiti and bustling with energy, Aegina was a much slower pace (with the exception our ATVs, which we used to get around the island. Those were fast!) Small beaches, bars and restaurants dot the coastline, along with even more ruins. We found a few nice spots to stop and take a dip in the ocean, which was pretty brisk this time of year. When we got cold we warmed ourselves with beer, gyros, and baklava. It was just about as perfect as a day could get. At the end of it, after dropping off the rented atvs, we stocked up on pistachio butters and spreads, and caught the ferry back to the city.
Athens capped off our short trip to Europe. The city seems to have kind of a bad wrap among other travelers we talked to. More than a few said it’s dirty or noisy, and I guess that’s true. But it’s also vibrant, with amazing food and drink, and has all the history and culture one could ever want. Tomorrow we start the trek back, but today, we are happily exhausted, and more than a little stuffed with chocolate baklava.
Where we stayed: Airbnb near the Acropolis
How we got there: Cheap flight from Sophia, 60 euros round trip.
What we did: So...much...history. Don't rent a car, just follow the paths around from one site to another. This place is lousy with temples, ruins, historic monuments and markers of all kinds. You could spend your entire trip doing nothing but museum hopping. Make sure you grab a cocktail at The Clumsies, voted one of the best bars in the world - it's pretty damn fun. Also have a dinner at the A for Athens rooftop bar, it has fabulous views of the Acropolis at night.
Gallery
