Athens

Last week, the doctor and I returned from a fantastic trip to Athens, Greece. As I mentioned in the 5 Month Update post, my Israeli tourist visa was coming to an end so I had to leave the country in order to extend my stay until our departure to Vienna in October. And where better to go than Greece!! The doctor and I have previously been to Greece, but it was for a conference on the island Crete, so we hadn't had the chance to explore the Olympian history. Scroll down for some of the highlights from our trip!



Our first day we went to see the Acropolis which is home to many structures including the Theatre of Dionysus, the Propylaea, the Temple of Nike, the Erechtheion, and the Parthenon. The Acropolis sits on top of a large hill which provides an amazing 360 degree view of all of Athens.
It was an incredibly sunny day, and we somehow managed to be out at the hottest part of the day. Luckily I had a large hat and bottle of sunscreen with me at all times to help block out the sun.







The next day was spent exploring the Plaka and Monastiraki districts, which are known for their markets and restaurants. The doctor was quite pleased to see a wide assortment of pigeons all over the city, but especially congregated in those two districts due to the high volume of people and food. In the bottom of the first picture, you can faintly see a pigeon in flight in front of the church I was taking a picture of.
We also saw Emperor Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Ancient Agora which features the Temple of Hephaestus. Aside from the Temple of Hephaestus, the Ancient Agora required an active imagination as the area was heavily degraded.



Our final days were much more relaxed than the previous two, as we concentrated on healing our sore feet and feeding our lust for Greek foods. We cooled off with ice cream, milkshakes, and smoothies, and indulged in Greek salads, tzatziki, saganaki (fried cheese), and souvlaki.

Comments