One of the world's oldest cities - some say 3,400 years of recorded settlement - we are excited to spend some time in Athens after our long rural Crete stay. Excited to be pounding the pavement and being a part of urban life again. Athens has inspired numerous artists, scientists, philosophers, and we quickly see why, even as our plane flies in, the city nestled in a beautiful coastal valley on the Aegean Sea. Long considered the birthplace of democracy and the cradle of western civilization, it has been home to the likes of Aristotle and Plato. Marc has been reading "The Great Philosophers" in the days leading up to our arrival and pronounces, "all great ideas originated in Athens".
We spend our days walking, so great to be back doing this again. Athens has some famous neighbourhoods - Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma, and ours, Plastira - and their squares are people squares, full of life, music, people, an increasingly desperate side of life and tourists. The country is building towards a nation-wide strike in the days after our arrival, we witness Heads of the European Union arrivals pomp outside the Prime Minister's palace, trying to agree on so many issues facing Greece - austerity measures and refugee crises. We plan our days around the daily smaller strikes that are announced - banks, transit, farmer road blockades. Street life however, is continually in full swing and the vibrancy of the Greek people warms us. In Italy, no one struck up conversations or smiled back in the streets. Greeks do, constantly!
I mean really, Monasteraki Square, photo below, with the Acropolis in the distance, watching over Athens for thousands of years. Stunning vistas throughout this city of 10 million people. World class transit system, so easy to navigate, we buy our 5 day pass for €20, the best habit we've begun when arriving in each city. We find our first portable coffee shop in 2.5 months on this day and enjoy our frothy Macchiato latte (sweet!) of a decent size while sitting on the steps of the square at dusk, people watching. We've been warned by everyone we meet about Athens thieves in squares and on transit, some very innovative robbing tactics going on. We re-arrange our carrying habits, and for the first time Marc walks around with his hands jammed into his pockets.
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the amount of research that Marc puts in to each destination, seriously beginning our bookings while in Wakefield this past summer. We've had few criteria on accommodation, #1 being shelter at ~$50 Cdn per night. Our budget goal has been to spend what our home costs would be, so over the course of the last few years, we worked together to identify our fixed costs, reduce those over time, streamline our spending (which we've never been high spenders), ensure our kids are financially okay while we take off, determine monthly costs we could live within, experiment with that and reduce over time, sell our house, a car, lots of stuff, and transfer that monthly cost of living to a travel scenario.
Each neighbourhood has to fit our criteria (except Rome, which was too expensive):
1. ~$50-60 Cdn per night
2. Central to transit, walking distance to major sights we want to see
3. Neighbourhood funk
4. Bath tub, balcony, sitting area, wifi, laundry, kitchen, view
Our area in Athens is all of these and more. Plastira Square is just behind Athens central areas and we return to a walking agenda with a vengeance. We also begin to realize that Europe has built-in fitness - stairs and hill climbs are everywhere. The top photo below is the Panathenaic Stadium which hosted the first Olympics in 1896. Reconstructed on top of an Ancient Greek stadium, it is made entirely of marble. Greece has hosted the Olympics three times, and the marathon finishes in this stadium. Rock concerts and football matches are booked regularly here. Closed to the general public on a daily basis, group tours can be booked. And of course, on one of Marc's early runs, he finds his way in from above and is escorted out by the guard. Our neighbourhood is just behind this stadium on top, which has a running track, and he pled ignorance on getting through one of the upper gates. Bottom photo is from the Acropolis, showing the Museum, our neighbourhood in front and to the right.
Another photo from the Acropolis, to celebrate Marc's achievement in running to the top of that hill in the background on his first day here. Lyccabetus Hill, with the Church of St. George on top, Athena legends.
Our apartment! A lovely little place owned by our host Matta. She is Director of a Children's Chrity in Athens, has moved in with her boyfriend, and earns extra income on AirBnB. She has travelled widely with her work and finds this a great way to meet people from all over the world. We hit it off immediately and she is the one who helps us get into the refugee support network. Thank you Matta!
The bottom right photo is from Athen' massive public garden. This tree was unbelievably huge, right inside one of the entrances, the garden provides much -needed shade to Athenians during the hot summer months.
A beautiful little corner of the city.
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