Our Crystal Symphony cruise ended in the sport of Piraeus early morning. We disembarked and made our way to the city center for an overnight in the Greek capital. It’s been 34 years exactly since my last stop here on a backpacking trip to the Greek isles. So let’s not waste any time for a refresher tour on foot.
Our 20k steps took us from Omonoia square to Syntagma square (formerly the Royal palace, now the Greek Parliament) to the city gardens and on to the temple of Zeus as well as Hadrian’s Gate. We ended our tour in the Plaka district where all the tavernas and shops are.
Everywhere you turn, openings among the rows of buildings emerge showcasing ruins of ancient temples. This city has been populated for over 4000 years through prehistoric settlements, Greek dominance, the Byzantine and Roman Empires to modern day Greece as a European Union member. Rare is a place where you can witness it it all in one spot, layered atop each other.
It must be noted that unlike other epic shifts in civilizations, the Romans honored the Greeks after they took over. In fact, Hadrian revered the Olympic tradition and continued it under his reign. As such, Athenian history and Roman life intermingled until the Byzantine period “Greece’s Dark ages” began in 324 BC.
To familiarize ourselves with tge latest local trends, we joined a #getyourguide food tour of Athens. A jolly bunch (10 of us) toured the streets under Ebbi’s guidance for amazing tastes of local delicacies. From simple but tasty Spanikopita and Feta pies, to souvlaki wraps, and local donuts, we had an amazing array of flavors and lovely conversations along the way.
This city comes to life, as do many Mediterranean cultures, late night. Dinner is a thing you do after 9pm (anything earlier is call lunch we were told) which means the streets begin to fill at sunset and stay packed late into the night. Many stay awake with traditional Greek coffee frappes (hot or iced) which is a local treat made with instant coffee, sugar and ice. We had to try it and man does it work
The benefit of staying out late is the magical surroundings of the illuminated Acropolis which is visible from many vantage points throughout the city. Back at our hotel, it’s time to say good night and adieu to the Greek capital.
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