So, I got into Athens early on a Friday morning. I was to have four nights in this city that had been one of my top places to visit since I was a young boy. I took the metro in from the airport and found my way to my Airbnb. I was let in and shown the setup of the apartment and then I spent a couple of hours charging my camera batteries that had all been depleted during my time in Belogradchik and downloading some audio tours to my iPod in case I wanted to use them at some point. I then set out in search of some lunch. Specifically I set out in search of a gyro. So, I took the metro to Syntagma Square, went up and took pictures of the guards in their traditional dress and the parliament building and then proceeded down the packed pedestrian-only street the name of which I can’t remember, looking to buy a gyro. I found a place after a while and got a delicious pork gyro and proceeded on my way. While eating I decided I needed to get off the super crowded street and start meandering my way towards the acropolis. Before I made it out of the chaos I had a guy stop me and tell me that they were having a Hakuna Matata Festival later and that I should come check out the music. He then pulled out the bracelets and I knew where that was going but let him put the bracelet on my wrist anyway and when he asked for a euro or two I gave him forty cents and basically told him he could take it or leave it. He took it and I continued on my way with a my silly new souvenir. I meandered my way up the slope between all of the tightly packed houses on the hill and then finally saw a sign saying “acropolis” with an arrow.I followed it and it took me up to the top of a hill that had no entryway to the acropolis and sloped down in both directions.
I was very confused but I was not the only one. In addition to the guys smoking weed up there when I arrived and the four girls who had been walking behind me there was a girl that arrived from the other side at the same time who was also looking for The Acropolis. She asked if anyone knew the way to the entrance. I told her that I wasn’t sure how to get there but that I was trying to meander my way up there as well. I tried scoping out which way was more likely to lead to the entrance and then the girl and I joined forces and headed off in the direction we believed was probably the correct one. As we were walking she yelled at some people on the other side of the fence asking them how they had gotten inside. They confirmed that we were indeed going the correct direction so we continued walking together and chatting. I found out that she was in Athens on a long layover and that she was doing what I hope to do for a living, travelling the world and writing. I’ve got the travelling and writing part figured out but unlike her I have not figured out the part where someone pays me for doing these things. We found the entrance and then went up and explored the acropolis.
We explored the top and the slopes before being kicked out because it was closing time. Then we went in search of food and drink. We passed the Hakuna Matata folk and got invited to the Hakuna Matata Festival again. We then continued walking in search of gyros. That’s right. More gyros. We got out of the super busy area and walked down a less crowded street. We finally found a gyro place but then spotted a large indoor market area that seemed like it might have an even better spot in it. We crossed the street and entered. The first large aisle was all meats, about halfway down there was a spot to cross into the second aisle, which was all fish, on our way to the third aisle we stopped at a little hole in the wall and got some ouzo. We did our shots, and she asked the guy where the best gyros are and he suggested the place across the street where we had just been. We thanked him and went over there, and sat down. The waiter was super attentive at first and after she ordered a beer and I ordered an ouzo (thinking I would get a small glass but instead being brought a bottle) he stood over us and we told him we were still looking at the menu for our food order which he took to mean “we are never going to order”, and so after talking for a while without him returning we finally called him over and ordered gyros. She got a half order of chicken and I got a full order. So, I guess what I typically think of as a gyro is really a street gyro, because what we were brought at this sit down restaurant was all of the ingredients of a gyro, but just spread out across the plate with the pita cut up into little triangles. It was still super delicious, but not what either of us was expecting. As we ate and talked she was facing the street and told me that behind me she saw someone carrying a unicycle, then later someone carrying about ten hula hoops, and finally a person with three bongo drums. We determined that this had to be for the Hakuna Matata festival. Either that or she was just screwing with me. We decided that he had to go check out the Hakuna Matata Festival and since it was supposed to be right over near the gelato place we had seen earlier and already decided we were going to, it was a done deal. When we got to the gelato place she asked the guy his favorite flavor and he said mint and then she ordered pistachio. I got mint because it sounded good and I felt like the guy needed the morale boost after she just slammed him with her pistachio order. It was delicious. After gelato we went over to where the Hakuna Matata Festival was supposed to be and soon realized that it just wasn’t happening. IT WAS ALL A LIE. We were very disappointed and so we just wandered around for a while. We found three Little Kooks on a corner and lamps strung across the streets as lighting.
Athens is weird. When we found ourselves back in the main square she said that she had time to stop somewhere for one more drink but then she had to go back to her hostel because her flight was leaving super early in the morning. We found a restaurant in a quite area and decided we would drink there. We were the only customers but there were two guys playing music. Looking at the menu we both decided we were going to have some wine. On the menu was listed a jug of house wine 500ml. She said she was going for it. So, it wasn’t going to be a quick drink. I ordered a jug as well and our waiter was like “seriously you guys don’t want any food?” We assured him that we had ordered correctly and he left and came back with one jug of wine and two glasses. We thought he had maybe misunderstood our order, but we just said “hakuna matata” we’ll order another one when we finish this one. After tasting the wine though we wondered if the waiter had been thinking “try it before you order a second”. It was grape juice with alcohol in it. Not good. But the second jug didn’t taste nearly as bad. After we finished that one she said to me that we had a big decision to make. I asked her “If we need to order another jug?” She said yes and I indicated to the waiter that we needed more alcohol. At some point in our time there two more tables did come and go, so we weren’t the only ones there the whole time. We tried our best to catch all of the song breaks and give raucous applause which the musicians always seemed to appreciate. Especially when I gave them a couple of standing ovations. On one of my bathroom breaks I returned to find that jug number four had arrived. So much for one more drink. I definitely wasn’t complaining. The fourth jug was absolutely delicious. While we were working on that fourth jug our waiter delivered us two shots of ouzo. Not sure if they were from him as an apology for the quality of the wine or from the band in appreciation of our appreciation, but either way they loved us there. Finally they brought us our bill since they were closing so we were never able to find out if we would have gotten to that fifth jug of wine or not. After shutting down The Acropolis earlier in the day, we had now shut down this restaurant. We shook hands with the band and gave big thanks all around, then I walked her back to her hostel. We started making jokes about this statue of a lady standing and facing a church and then when we saw the front of the statue and I got a better look at it, I said something to the affect of “and that lady is totally a guy” which sent us both off laughing uncontrollably. Then we arrived at her hostel and I kissed her goodnight before stumbling off to find a dark alley to piss in before wandering back to the metro at Syntagma Square.
The next day I awoke to find that the quiet residential street where my Airbnb was located had transformed overnight into a vibrant farmers market. Athens is full of surprises. One of my favorites was the fact that Athens seems to be all about the extras when it comes to food and drink. On the few occasions where I didn’t eat a gyro (I had eight in my four days in Athens), I was thrilled by the things I found set in front of me at restaurants. After the free ouzo on my first night, the second night I went to a restaurant for dinner and ordered some sardines, a Greek salad some bread and an ouzo (this time it was just a glass).
After I had finished eating (my first time ever eating a little fish whole, I don’t think I was supposed to eat the tail but it was crunchy and tasty so I did it anyway) the waiter brought me a piece of cake. It never appeared on my bill, it was just bonus food, and it was delicious. Then the next day, after a climb up to the top of Mount Lycabettus (a big hill not a mountain), which is the highest point in Athens, I ate at the restaurant there and watched the sunset. I ordered an ouzo and a tzatziki and small pies appetizer. They brought me my glass of ouzo and a plate with bread and cheese, olives, peppers, and cucumbers. At first I thought they had brought me the wrong appetizer but then they brought my tzatziki plate out as well. Apparently the other one was yet another freebie. Then as if that wasn’t enough, I was a little over halfway through my tzatziki plate when the waitress came over and asked if I could pay. When she was giving me my change back she accidentally dropped a five euro note on my tzatziki. I shrugged it off and thought “hakuna matata” but she rushed the plate off and brought me a full new tzatziki plate. Baller. So, what I have to say to other cities is look to Athens when it comes to the restaurant business. As someone who has a great appreciation for food I couldn’t be more thrilled about the extras I received. I was an incredibly satisfied customer.
Once again another perk of travelling in the offseason was that every paid attraction was half off. I was able to visit the Acropolis, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Roman Forum, the Ancient Agora, and the National Archeological Museum without breaking the bank. Also, while I didn’t have these sites all to myself like the sites in and around Belogradchik, I was still able to visit them without being packed in like cattle and being able to enjoy the peacefulness that can be found outside of crowds. Another great way to check out a city at anytime in an informative and cheap way is to take a free walking tour if it is offered. I took a wonderful (if a bit chilly) free walking tour of Athens on my second day there with a very knowledgeable and humorous tour guide. An important note, free doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t tip your guide. That is uncool. Especially if they make you laugh. If you don’t want to pay anything look for free audio tours online, www.ricksteves.com has some great audio tours for several cities in Europe and many museums and other attractions. They are free to download and I highly recommend them.
A few other oddities and highlights of Athens:
Outside of the parliament building in Syntagma Square I saw many interesting things. I saw a protest, I’m not sure what it was protesting though since I don’t speak Greek. I saw a hundred or so people dressed as Santas, elves and reindeer, all wearing rollerblades. One night I saw Santa Clause hanging out with Donald and Daisy Duck and the next morning I saw him hanging out with Minnie and Mickey Mouse.
I also saw a couple of great performances of groups of street musicians as I wandered the city on Sunday.
So many cats. Everywhere.
Oh, and did I mention the gyros? They were amazing.