Athens

Title: A 3-day peregrination through the ancient, historic capital of Greece resulting in a gratifying first ever solo trip that confirmed the presence of a wanderlust gene.

Author Information: Priyanka Desirazu (in person) along with closest friends and family (in spirit)^*

*Worry not, most of them are still alive, hale and hearty.

Introduction:

One of the most enjoyable components of travelling is planning the trip, which I initiated about 2 months prior to boarding the Delta flight from Cincinnati (CVG) to Athens (ATH), via a harrowed transit in Paris (CDG). It also does not help that from a distance, CDG and CVG look awfully similar on the boarding pass. Moving on, for those folks who believe that a 2 hour transit time is adequate, I would un-equivocally rethink that seemingly easy option given the perpetually chaotic Charles De Gaulle airport and also the mandatory 15 minutes needed to pick up a delectable macaroon at Ladurée in Terminal 2. Trust me, this makes your Air France connecting flight far more bearable, especially if you are stuck in Seat 24F that won’t recline and the steward gives you a nice helping of – “I’m sorry, we have run out of vegetarian food”.

If you are a relatively detailed planner, you will have a rather good sense of the sights you want to see, why you want to see them, the best way to get to these said sights and a little room for the unexpected. The latter, to me, is far more exciting because it is entirely un-predictable. I for one, ended up in the midst of Monastiraki square (after taking an albeit circuitous route down from the Acropolis) and was surrounded by the most affectionate of vendors, each bringing me their home-made baklava! My blueprint included Athens (enveloped in history everywhere), the island of Paros (known for its idyllic whitewashed buildings with blue domes and bougainvillea), the island of Naxos (known for its magnificent sunsets) and finally the island of Santorini where I brought-in my birthday in the most exotic of villas facing the Aegean Sea! I was in Greece during the end of November which translated to an off-season slash in air ticket prices, a quieter more relaxed time in Greece minus the hordes of tourists and virtually no lines at the museums. The option of buying an overpriced “Skip the Line” ticket is not even applicable.

In this particular article, I’m chronicling my time in just Athens where I spent 2 and a half days completely absorbed in the city’s vast arena of historical science. My Mom, who spent her entire adult life studying history and archaeological sciences would have been rather proud! My Dad certainly was, having visited Athens a number of times and officially taking over the reins of explaining History to me like a story, right from when I was in the 5^th standard! When traveling in Athens, I would definitely recommend clutching your bag, as you would a baby and hold on to dear life since crime rates are soaring and people have come up with ingenious ways of stealing from fellow humans.

Materials and Methods:

My go-to for any and all accommodations throughout the trip was Booking.com. The strategically situated Niche Hotel Athens is walking distance to most of the important sights in Athens and has a magnificent view of the Acropolis. It is certainly comfort, rejuvenation and security in accommodation. The hotel graciously provided a no-charge pick-up from the Athens International Airport which is about 30 kms (18 miles) from this beautiful 4-star boutique getaway. On the ride to the hotel, I would suggest avoiding thinking about the dazzling ocean views that spring to mind when someone says Greece because it is quite the contrary. I could not sleep much the first night, in anticipation of the Greek Gods I would meet – figuratively at the temples of course and hopefully some stunning looking men walking around the town dressed in all white! The images we have, I tell you – such tomfoolery!

After unfolding the eonian layers of the map that the concierge provided, I called my Dad and got a refresher course on Timelines of Greek History. It is tremendously helpful to know the chronology of events because it helps you place sights you see in a mental logbook. In the next few days, I intended to visit the Acropolis and its museum, the temples of Zeus and Athena-Nike, the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, the National Archeological Museum, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus amphitheater, the Parthenon, Plaka district, the Ancient Agora of Athens and Museum, Hadrian’s arch, the Hellenic parliament (to witness the Changing of the Guard) and the Panatheniac stadium. These links cater to those category of people who insist on researching the place thoroughly before stepping foot. I am a keen member of the very same comprehensive species!

Results:

Of course, I began my exploration with something not on the aforementioned list! On the day I landed in Athens, after settling into the comforts of the Niche hotel, I ventured out just to find my bearings and came across the Church Agia Fotini Illissos – a Greek orthodox church built in 1872 is one of the oldest churches in Athens, situated near the temple of Zeus. Fotini is the famous ‘Samaritan Woman at the Well’ who gave Jesus a cup of water as he was travelling through Sychar. Day 1 was spent circumnavigating the solid element of history we call the Acropolis: a trek up to the glorious Odeon of Herodes Atticus – Athens’ historical open air theatre, the Theatre of Dionysus – Greek God of Drama and considered to be the world’s first theatre, the Erectheion (also called the old temple of Athena, dedicated to Athena and Poseidon). The Parthenon with its 8×17 column arrangement is a thing of beauty even in its stages of restoration. Monastiraki is the one of the most charming towns I’ve visited, laced with character. In particular Melissinos Art – a crossroad of poetry, art and ancient Greek craftsmanship of sandal making. Stavros, a poet and sandal-maker has crafted footwear for the top names in Showbiz across the world.

Speaking as a vegetarian who is allergic to onion, I can safely say that there are abundant food options – the pita bread with Tzatziki at Liondi is one the best I’ve ever tasted! Even though the €9.50 tag for a Greek Salad is pricey, Mani Mani has an excellent, healthy selection. I highly recommend getting a side of Saganaki at the Ydria Café and a vegetable Souvlaki at Souvlaki Leivadia. I came across this particular place when I decided to check out the Athens Metro (again, bag worn as a life jacket) and rode it from the Acropolis Metro station to Omonia (I’m fairly certain I missed the NH₃ symbol somewhere on that station board, however did not miss the accompanying smell). I was quite astonished to see the number of Indian restaurants in a 1 km radius at the vicinity of the Acropolis – I have to admit that I stepped into Indian Haveli just to assuage myself that there is no way this restaurant could have Jain options – no way in Athens – turns out, I was more than wrong!

Day – 2 saw me visiting the Temple of Zeus (King of Gods) and the Museum of Ancient Agora (Agora being a central gathering place for all citizens). A quirky coconut drink snack in the District of Plaka was a fun addition to this splendid day and the beautiful sounds of the hand-pan (instrument native to Switzerland) is still ringing in my ears! One can spend almost an entire day at the National Archeological Museum discovering artifacts from pre-history to late antiquity.

Discussion:

Athens was a very special experience – from meeting some lovely locals, all of whom exuded abundant kindness to watching the Changing of Guard (with their accouterments in splendid glory) at the Hellenic parliament in Syntagma Square. From stunning modern cityscapes to something as ancient as the Panatheniac stadium (made completely out of marble), being in this city re-iterated the fact that positivity is contagious. No matter what the economy has been in Greece over the last decade, it is the people and their culture that makes you want to keep visiting this historical gem! And as much as I enjoyed a solo trip, I realized that sharing these moments as they happen, with my friends and family in different countries made me the happiest!

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Acknowledgements:

I have fond memories of Stavros and his wife Chrisse, owners of a lovely bakery in Athens. I walked in there thinking I’ll pick up something to-go but ended up chatting with them for about an hour! Stavros has a keen interest in Chess and until this day, he reminds me of how many championships Vishwanathan Anand has won!

Supplementary Materials: My last night in Athens was mildly bitter-sweet. On one hand, I was not ready to close my real history book; on the other hand, I was excited to experience the Greek island life! I took a cab from Niche to the Port of Piraeus – all ready to board my ferry to Paros! Watch out for the next article where I talk about my time on the islands of Paros and Naxos.