Baklava and Baskets- My Weekend in Athens
My final trip of my semester abroad (or shall I call it, my 3 1/2 month long dream) was to Athens!
My expectations of the city were very minimal– I had absolutely no idea what Athens had in store for me. But boy, was it amazing.
My plane landed in Athens late on Thursday night, and as a result of a semi-persevered taxi scam, a migraine, and a mile long walk to exit the Athens airport (thank goodness for moving walkways), my group and I were rather tired. As a result, we decided to order some take out and in the mean time I left to find a pharmacy for some Ibuprofen. Considering it was 11pm, no pharmacies were open, but as I was walking back I stumbled across our airbnb’s next door neighbor: a small restaurant with Christmas lights and high ceilings. I called my pals to cancel the take out and they met me at the back corner table. My ‘welcome to Greece’ dinner consisted of:
- Fried Fish and Herb Balls
- Beetroot Tzatziki
- Spicy Cheese Dip
- Saganaki
- Greek Salad
- Fried Peppers
- Spicy Chicken Wings
And, the pièce de résistance, mushrooms carmelized with thyme and balsamic.
(we returned every night to get these mushrooms)
While I returned sans medicine, my stomach was full and my anticipation for a morning in Athens was high.
My friends and I woke up late on Friday morning and drank coffee together on a pull out couch while we planned our weekend adventures. Here’s how our planning played out:
Friday/Saturday
Friday consisted of walking around the Athens flea market, buying street corn, old comics, and olive branch jewelry.
Food recommendation: If you are vegan or vegetarian, or even if you aren’t, the Vegan Beat (Pandrossou 7-15, Athens, Greece, 10556) is a must. It’s a small, attic-like restaurant perched above a shopping area in downtown Athens. It consists of pillows on the floor, a christmas light lit window, house plants, and super friendly staff. I ordered a mushroom gyro and it was absolutely amazing. Paired with house-made lemon, agave, ginger juice (sipped through a PASTA STRAW, we love environmentally friendly alternatives), you can’t (vegan) beat it.
Saturday followed a similar sequence- we wandered around the city, finding hidden nooks and artistic shops and overpriced cappuccinos (living in Italy has truly spoiled me). We found a plethora of stray cats sitting in shops, street corners, and ancient artifacts (they own the place). Athens is truly unreal.
A breathtaking experience we had was sitting under a heat lamp on the roof of a restaurant, drinking red wine, and gazing at the lit up Acropolis. This experience is offered at many restaurants around the city, the higher you climb the better the view, and I strongly suggest you do it if you visit.
Sunday
Starting Saturday, we became short term regulars at Harvest Coffee and Wine (Aiolou 64 & Evripidou Athens, Greece 10559), eating eggs and pancakes for the first time in (what seems like) forever. Sunday started the same way as well.
After brunch, we walked to the National Archeological Museum.
*tip- First Sunday of the month museums have free entry!
This museum was PHENOMENAL, I’m gushing just writing about it. There is so much packed around every corner and around every shelf, ranging from Cycladic mini sculptures (with a super interesting, super sexist history), ancient pots and pans, and hundred of stone and bronze sculptures found underground and underwater. The exhibition that was on display at the time I visited was called “The Countless Aspects of Beauty.” I was so mesmerized by this exhibition. Here’s an excerpt from a statement that was at the beginning of the it:
“Enigmatic and charming, beauty as a concept captivates the human mind and accompanies it through the century. Appealing and pleasing to the senses, beauty is perceptible in the art of all periods, sealing with its constant alternations and its countless aspects the human creation.”
It consisted of four parts in attempts to unravel beauty; aesthetics aeterna, the beautiful and the desirable, focusing on the body, and the endless quest. It included sensual statues, vats of perfume form the antiquity period (apparently, they smelled like sweet, red wine), and pottery and paintings embellished with gold.
We then ventured to the Acropolis area and sat on a cliff perched above all of Athens, it was exactly how it sounds like it would be.
Moral of the blog: go to Athens, you will not be disappointed, you will feel like your life is a movie.
Thank you Athens, for making my last weekend trip one to blog (and dream) about.