Another good thing about living in Israel is it's proximity to Europe. This past September we took advantage of this and decided to explore Greece. Here is our story through pictures.
First stop is of course Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in Tel Aviv. We haven't had sushi for awhile so we feasted on sushi before our flight. We boarded on a 2hr Olympic Air flight which was nice and comes with a meal.
This meal which was very sad, but they made up for it with...
Free wine!
We landed safely in Athens International Aiport Eleftherios Venizelos (phew that was a mouthful), got our passports stamped and off we went.
We took the metro to get to our AirBNB. The commute was about half an hour. There were some local kids that got on and played music for money. I ended up giving them Oreo cookies.
Just a short walk from our metro exit, we arrived at Roula's apartment and met her. She is super nice and so was the place. The decor is of good taste, modern amenities and in perfect location. We highly recommend it. Click here to see the property.
We didn't waste anytime, we explored right after settling in the apartment. A short walk from the apartment took us to Dionisiou Areopagitou, a pedestrian street. It's filled with shops, cafes and restaurants and also leads to many popular spots including Acropolis.
We walked around the area some more and hiked up to a hill with stunning 360 degree view of Athens. Pictured above is a view of the Stoa of Attalos.
The next day we woke up early for our day of island hopping in the Aegean Sea. We used and recommend Viator Tours.
We said hello to our captain.
First stop is Poros, lovely quaint island. It was a short 20 minutes stop. Just enough to walk down the street to see shops and the market.
Not something you see everyday back in Arizona.
Then it was lunch time. We were smart enough to sit close to the food...or so we thought. We were stuffed by the end of the meal.
Second stop, Hydra. Which is my favorite.
Its narrow cobbled streets, white walls and beautiful doors make for a beautiful atmosphere.
Besides on foot, the only other form of transportation are donkeys. The boys seem like they had a good time.
The last stop is Aegina Island, the largest of the three. We joined a guided tour which took us to the Temple of Aphaia (ah-faye-ah). Below is a view of Athens from the Temple.
Besides the view, the temple was also amazing. I also saw three good looking guys and
a "The Thinker."
The tour also took us to The Monastery of Agios Nektarios which is one of countless churches/chapels in the island. Monk Nektarios started this Greek Orthodox church in the early 1900s. He is known to have healing powers, which led to his cannonization in the 1960s. The church is beautiful inside and out.
It has impeccable mosaic tile work,
elaborate silver forging(part of Saint Nectarios' tomb)
impressive wood and marble carvings (peacocks with tails down symbolizes humility),
and great attention to details. This mosaic tiled work is inlaid with gold.
Afterwards we went to the market to taste the world renowned Aegina pistachios. We feasted on pistachio ice cream and purchased a few bags of which didn't even make it to TLV.
Back on the boat we did some Greek dancing and singing enroute to Piraeus port. Would've been a good laugh if we had pictures. Opa!
After a heavenly day of island hopping, it was dinner time at God's Restaurant. This God did not disappoint. All our meals were excellent! It's a shame I don't have photos from this.
The next day it was time for the main event, Acropolis. We were there for at least two hours walking, reading, thinking, exploring etc. It was definitely worth seeing. So much to say about it and not enough blog space so I won't even start. Enjoy the pics.
After Acropolis and on the way to The New Acropolis Museum, we walked by a souvenir shop and I took this picture. The island photo calendar of what looks like Santorini caught my eye.
It also has a nice restaurant/cafe with a view.
After the museum, we ventured towards the Theater of Dionysus. Here we found a friend and more ruins.
And also an entrance to the Acropolis. This could have saved us at least 45 minutes bypassing a long queue for tickets and another queue getting in with the rest of the tourists. C'est la vie.
Did I mention there was a bakery just across the street from Roula's Place? All our breakfasts were consists of fresh baked goodness! Like this scrumptious berry muffin!
On our last day we explored more places like the Parliament and watched the changing of the guards. It was entertaining to say the least. The guards are known as Evzones. You have to be at least 6.1 feet tall to be one.
We also went to the National Gardens which provided us shade in a hot sunny day.
Then we went to the Olympics!
The Panathenaic Stadium is the site of the first modern Olympic games in 1896. Originally it was used to host the Panathenaic Games in honor of Athena which dated back in 566BC! Ah-mazing!
Besides the controversies of the 1980 Olympics, 1980 is also my birth year so I had to take a picture.
We all placed but somebody was not happy with third.
I sure was happy with first.
Then we were off for the Temple of Zeus.
And then it was time to eat. Caden is adventurous and ordered rabbit. We all enjoyed a bite of it.
After eating, we took a leisurely walk to the town of Thissio. We enjoyed its sights and desserts.
Few more sightseeing then it was time to eat again.
Last meal in Athens, gyro of course!
YUM!
Back on the metro to get to the airport. Good thing we did when we did because train workers'strike was the next day.
It was a great time. All smiles from us for Greece.
Thank you Greece, Opa!
PS. Make sure to have cash on hand. It's not guaranteed that non-Israeli credit cards will work in the long term pay station in Ben Gurion Airport.
