Athens - Greece Part Three

I'm 99% certain I could live on a Mediterranean diet. Oh mah gah, it was amazing. I'm craving every bit of the fresh pitas, artichoke spread, tzatziki, real Greek salads. I think I'd be shunned though because I can't do olives. I tried for the 134563rd time while I was there. Black, green, ones from special family olive groves. Nope, nope & nope. Ick.




This isn't the metro but a train line that was built for the Olympics back in '04. It definitely screams "I'm not a commuter" as you can see there's a stop every few blocks. Not ideal if you're in a hurry but does the trick for tourists like us.


This intersection reminded me of Union Square in San Francisco. I'm not even sure why but standing on this corner made me feel like some sourdough....and miss home for a minute.


The craziest thing about the Acropolis is the old old old untouched (and I assume vacant) buildings literally touching brand new modern ones. Quite the sight.

...and so beautiful.






Surrounding the Acropolis is a plethora of shopping. Just about anything you could want/imagine. It's available here. Gypsies selling jewelry, wannabes selling off fakies, stores bursting at the seams of one-offs, cafe next to cafe next to cafe, high end designers. Name it because it's just around the corner. We shopped and walked the streets for nearly 8 hours. It's a full time job, that shopping.


Part of the charm is the separation of shops. If it's medically related, you'll find it at the pharmacy. You want bread? You'll find it at the bakery. The market is for produce, meats, cheeses, crackers, beer and toiletries.


Walking the streets will offer nut carts. Yuuummmmy. Fresh roasted and amazing.


Prior to entering the Acropolis, a tour of the Acropolis museum is a must. It was just finished sometime in 2009 and it is incredible. While excavating the site, they uncovered an entire urban settlement site dated from the Archaic to Early Christian Athens. The museum was built over incorporating the site...the majority of the floors are glass tiles. You're walking over history, literally.







Cameras aren't allowed inside the museum but check out the link above to see just how beautiful it is.

....then off we went to hike the Acropolis with the other 7569326 visitors that day. I'm sure there aren't many that have fewer than that. I'm not a touristy crowd person. At all. I mainly wanted to head up to the Parthenon a) because I few half way across the globe, I was going to see the damn thing b) I've heard it's has a magical feeling & I had to see it for myself.



It's definitely a hike up. Especially for an old knocked up broad, like myself. I managed. In flipflops, no less.




The outside/inside view of the amphitheater. I believe they still utilize this amphi for summer series. I could get behind that.





Once at the top, you realize you're not the only one interested in seeing the magic.

The view of the city is breathtaking.



The Parthenon is magical. All these pics are taken with my little ol' point and shoot. The detail is incredible, it almost looks like a fake backdrop. I was sold.

And to think, this place was built - by hand - in a mere 9 years. AND it's still standing today. That saying "they sure don't make 'em like they used to" comes to mind.

Stunning.


Obligatory bump shot a la Flat Stanley all over Greece.


Me ladies.



More Acropolis, could have wandered for days.



The odd thing about Greece is the amount of graffiti. It's everywhere. We were reading a book that said the ancient Greeks wrote on walls to communicate and express emotions. Assuming because they didn't have a paper and pen? LOL Does modern day Greece accept the new age graffiti the same way? I'm thinking yes. There is no way this type of art is acceptable here at home.

Old timers doin' their thang:


Modern day expression & some bad ass chicks.


Athens is awesome.

Wanna visit a Greek isle? It's up next.

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