Europe 2015 Part 1/14 : Athens Day 2

Have always wanted to continue writing but as you can see I’m not very disciplined. My last post was ages ago. Will continue writing about the trip I took to Europe in 2015. I hope I can continue to blog about my trips I have taken so far so when I look back when I’m old and senile, I still can look through the photos and remember the good old days. Also, to remind myself what is it to be young again so that I will be a supportive parent if my kids want to take an adventure of a lifetime. So here it goes..

The second day in Athens, we woke up early to prepare breakfast. Usually when I’m overseas, I tend to cook more often. Because this is really the only time I get to experiment with all the various types of ingredients I can’t get back in Singapore. Or if I can, it will be so expensive. For those who don’t know Singapore is a country with limited space, we do not have sufficient land space to grow our own local produce. So most of them are imported in.

After our satisfying breakfast, we headed out to Acropolis. How can our trip to Athens be complete without a trip to Acropolis, the ancient citadel. The best way around Athens or should I say most cities in Europe is via Metro! It is affordable and convenient! Most places of interest are near the Metro stations anyway. We took the Metro down to Akropoli metro station(Line 2) and started exploring the ancient city.

Quick Fact: Do you know how Athens got its name?

It is said that the gods of Olympus saw the lovely piece of land and wanted to name it after them . The two most persistent contenders were Poseidon, the sea god, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom. To solve their dispute, Zeus decided that each of them would make a gift to the city and the King of the land would decide which gift was the best and therefore which god would be the patron of the city. Poseidon was the first to present his gift. He struck a rock with his trident and caused a spring of water to gush forth from the ground. This signified that he was assuring the citizens with water and therefore they wouldn’t face any time of drought. However, the people were not exactly enchanted with his gift because the water from the spring tasted salty, just like the waters of the sea over which Poseidon ruled. Next there was the turn of goddess Athena. She planted a seed in the ground, which grew up to become a lovely olive tree. The citizens liked this gift better because it would give them food, oil and firewood. With one voice they loudly acclaimed Athena as their benefactress. Athena, the patroness of the city .This is how the goddess Athena got the everlasting honor of naming the city after her.

Source: www.greeka.com

I guess now I know why Athens is filled with olive products! The city took my breath away ! With all the marbles and stones being used. Oh yes I forgot to mention this but their sidewalks/walkways are covered in marbles/stone??SO PRETTY!

Random street covered in Marble/stone tiles

I remembered it was a good day to be out. The sun was shining brightly yet the air was cool and crisp. We took a walk up to the top of Acropolis, taking in all the sights and sounds. Seeing all the amazing architecture along the way made me think of how talented the people were back then, having to build such magnificent structures with simple tools. I can imagine the amount of time and hard work that must have been placed in building them.

SIGHTS ALONG THE WAY:

**Entrance of the( Odeon of Herodes Atticus)/Herodeon:** The Ancient Amphitheatre

Wild Poppies sprouting out from every corner of the city.

Dandelions was everywhere too. I love Spring/Summer

I did not even perspire one bit after the walk up. It’s quite amazing how spring/summer shots in Europe always look so good. The colours of the pictures all turned out so vibrant even without a filter, I guess just the right amount of sunlight for great photos.

After 20 minutes of walking, we were greeted by a majestic view of the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a former temple which is dedicated to the goddess Athena, and is situated at the top of Acropolis.

Marble steps leading up to the top of Acropolis

**The Erechtheion:** An Ancient Greek Temple

The ancient temple must have looked really magnificent back when it was first built. After all Parthenon was a temple built befitting of a god. I felt really small when I was in Acropolis, all the structures were all so tall and big. Couple of times when the wind blew and it was quiet you can literally imagine yourself being teleported back in time.

Clearly was not ready for the shot. Hmmm interesting sense of style I had back then=P

VIEW OF ATHENS FROM THE TOP OF ACROPOLIS

**The Theatre of Dionysus** : Considered to be the place where European theatre had its beginnings.

**At Theatre of Dionysus:** No food or drinks are allowed to be taken here

After snapping shots of the beautiful city below us and the Acropolis, we headed to the Acropolis Museum to learn more about the ancient city and the artifacts on exhibit. I ran into a Singaporean couple in the museum. Funny how small the world is. Oddly enough, I have never ran into them in Singapore. After all the history lessons, we were famished and decided to make our way into town for a quick meal before exploring the beautiful Plaka district, the oldest section of Athens.

I love how in Europe they always serve you a bread/Pita basket to go with your meal so all you have to do is just order a main(protein) and you can be very full. Like in this case grilled octopus, chicken and shrimp

By the way did I ever mention that Greek Yogurt taste really good and fresh in Greece? Very unlike the ones in Singapore.

We roamed the streets till nightfall, went back to Falafellas for more Falafel before heading home early to prepare for our early flight out to Santorini.

We bade the beautiful city goodbye. I would love to head back to explore more of Athens someday=) Stay tuned for more on our next part of the trip.

Astro-Nommy