Athens, Greece

Yiasso! From Athens, Greece

We flew into Athens, Greece after quite the debacle in the airport in Santorini. Apparently for our airline, we were supposed to check in 72 hours before departure. Say what? Clearly we didn’t know that was required, so we were hit with all of these extra charges. What was once the cheapest flight of our entire trip, ended up being one of the most expensive. Eye roll. Flying within Europe to other countries is surprisingly cheap. Weirdly cheap. But if you don’t do everything by the book, be prepared to pay the piper!

Hit the Ground Running

We only had one full day to explore this place. As soon as we got to our hotel, we unloaded, refreshed, and off we went! We found a Hop On Hop Off bus pass for about 20 euros per person, and it’s a double decker bus. How exciting. We had yet to explore this way, and with our short time frame we figured this would be the perfect place to do this! Making our way towards the bus stop, stopping on our way for some food, we came across a cafe and ordered our usual salad and pita. The food here in Athens is good, not as good as Santorini, but still delicious. We found our way to the bus. It was nice, and they gave you headphones when you boarded so you could plug in and listen to the history lesson. We got off at pretty much every stop this bus had to offer. This is such a genius way to see a new city. Especially if time is not on your side.

The Acropolis

The first stop on our Athens adventure was the Acropolis. The Acropolis is an ancient citadel that consists of several important buildings, including the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike. The bus dropped us off near it. It sits on top of a hill, so you are required to walk for about 10-15 minutes at an incline. It was not a hard walk by any means, but we were feeling a little under the weather at this point in the trip, I’m sure from the weird sleep schedules and over exertion of our energies, so to actually go in and see the Acropolis, you need to purchase a ticket. We did not do this because of our time frame here, and the line to get your ticket and to get into the Acropolis was long. You can see the buildings once you get to the top, and there are some nice trails and gardens you can stroll through.

We made our way back towards the city center, and decided it was time to eat! We asked around for some recommendations, and ended up at a hotel restaurant that sat at the top of the building. A for Athens is the name of the place. It was perfect for getting a view of all of Athens, but most importantly a stunning view of the Acropolis. The food and drinks were incredible. If/when we ever come back to visit, we are definitely staying at this hotel!

Paralia Edem Beach Athens, Greece

We got back on the bus and explored the port of Piraeus. Listening to the audio on this bus was incredibly informational, and we were surprised that we learned so much! We got off at the last stop, which took us to Paralia Edem beach. Beautiful beach with public facilities. The weather was perfect, the water blue, and the sand warm. I wish we were here an extra day just so we could post up here all day long.

We rinsed off at the public showers, then realized what time it was. We needed to get back to our bus! The bus keeps to a tight schedule, so if you miss it then you’ll have to find a cab. Or walk.

We could see the bus in the distance already parked with doors open so we started running. I thought to myself wow, I am an amazing runner. My legs must be so much stronger from all the walking we’ve done, I can’t believe I am outrunning Seth! I turned around to find him rolling around on the ground, blood coming out of his foot. What the? While running, he stepped on a huge thorn, and it went right into his foot. It went right through his shoe! It had to be about 5 inches long. We waddled down the street as quickly as we could, and made it back to the bus. We stopped at a pharmacy before making our way back to our hotel, and fixed Seth up the best we could. Crossing my fingers he doesn’t get tetanus or something. Man, what an adventure. 

Follow along to the craziest country we’ve ever been to..