Athens — Let's Go — The Girl Who Traveled

Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon

We were done and back at the hotel at 2 pm for a much needed rest. At 4:30 pm, we were then picked up by PK Travel for a private tour to Cape Sounion to see the sunset at the Temple of Poseidon. I chose PK Travel because the price difference between a private hire vs. going on a bus full of people was less than 10 euros. We were picked up in a nice big van with comfortable seats and headed 1 hr and 15 min down to southern Athens. The drive by the coastline was very pretty (didn't get to take pics since I sat on the left side instead of the right) and we stopped for dinner right before reaching the Temple. The driver basically gives you options where to eat and it's not like you can do any research beforehand so we just went along with whatever he suggested. Dinner was decent, have no idea what the name of the place is but we had lovely views of the Temple and the sea.

I'm on vacaaaation! After a few super busy weeks of work, I am finally on holiday and trying to soak up every minute that I can. With that being said, I'm also gonna try my best to re-cap my trip experiences while I'm here because I know I'm going to be too lazy to write about a 16 day vacation later after I get home! So here goes:

Arriving into Greece

Flew from JFK on an 8 hr+ overnight flight with Delta. Left at 5:45 pm and arrived closed to 10 am (3 am EDT). The dinner on the plane was surprisingly good (chicken with pesto mashed potatoes and some pasta) and the flight crew even handed out hot wet towels! When did Delta step up their game?? I brought sleeping pills with me and was able to pass out most of the flight but was still tired when the plane landed.

Going thru customs was super easy!!!!! Like what the hell? No immigration forms or questioning at all! Just show your passport, get it stamped and off to baggage claim you go. They don't ask you to declare anything! Even when you leave baggage claim, there are zero people asking anything. Not that I want to be held up with questions but I don't know. With all going on in the world, I expected some more security...

Before leaving baggage claim, I stopped by the ATM to get cash. I heard many places take cash only but so far in Athens, the only thing I've paid cash for is the taxi! But maybe when I'm out of the city it'll be different.

Taxi to the city center is a flat rate of 38 euros. I thought the taxi driver would automatically know where the hotel I'm staying at was but he had no clue. Thank goodness I have international service on my phone and showed him on my GPS. He didn't speak English or have GPS and even after he called his company for directions (since my phone wasn't getting great signals), he dropped me off at the wrong place! But he was off by just a block so I wheeled myself over.

Where to Stay

Since I was only going to be in Athens for two nights, I decided to stay close to where the main attractions are and also at a place that's comfortable but on an upper scale side. The Athens Gate Hotel totally meets this criteria. Located right in the heart of everything, it's a great place to base yourself. And check out the view from my balcony! I don't even need to visit the Temple of Zeus because I think the best view is from my room!

All the hotels around here all seem to have rooftop bars/restaurants as well. This is the one at my hotel:

First of many sunset obsession pictures to come

Where to Eat

Had two good meals today

1) Avocado Cafe. Vegetarian friendly spot near the hotel. Quality fresh food and decent prices. Casual and gives off a hipster vibe. They also offer yoga and Pilates classes. Tried the hummus with avocado (ok), caprese sandwich (good) and the mushroom burger (also good, different than other ones I've had).

2) Oroscopo. About 7 euros away from the hotel by taxi or 4 by Uber (took an Uber back). Food was huge portions and for the most part, delicious! Wasn't a fan of the table bread they give you but the complimentary leek soup and three different pieces of cake for dessert at the end was good. I had the Ionian seabass which was light and tasty with steamed veggies. Travel partners had Greek short ribs (so good) and other had a baked chicken dish, also very tender and flavorful. Would recommend to others.

What to See (on limited time and when jet lagged)

Decided to walk up the Acropolis in the late afternoon to avoid massive tourist crowds and the heat. The hotel is super close to it, by about 5-10 min. to the entrance. Note there are two entrances and you should take the second one for more direct access up to the Parthenon. You'll be missing seeing this theatre but think you'll survive.

Also since we were going up late in the day, we skipped the new Acropolis museum to save it for tomorrow instead. I didn't want to wake up too early and rush thru breakfast to get to the Parthenon so this is why I jammed it into today. Glad I didn't because it's not as big or tough as I thought it was to get up there. There really are marble floors and walkways though so wear shoes with grip on them! Otherwise you might be sliding around.

So I left the hotel at 4 and by the time I walked over, bought entrance fee (20 euros) and got up there, it was close to 5 pm. I think late Sept. is a good time to go because there wasn't as many people as I expected. Finished walking around up there and by the time I was done, it was just after 6 pm. It was enjoyable with wonderful panoramic views of the city all around.