We were so lucky to have spent eight days and seven nights in Athens. As ever, it was as much the food, as it was the sights and the weather. So of course I’m going to tell you or rather more show you what we ate in a week. It was gorgeous and I enjoyed every morsel and moment.

Day 1: Arrival in Athens 

Settling in

Our journey into Greece was thankfully uneventful. We took a flight from Gatwick to Athens and landed safely into the warm embrace of an early summer. We took the train and Metro to our AirBnB apartment. This turned out to be a crowded and sweaty journey that we swore would not be repeated on our departure. However, it was all fine, Google Maps directed us from the Metro station to the apartment with relative ease. We got into the apartment, turned on the air conditioning and collapsed tired but buzzing with anticipation. We had made it!

I’m the type of person that likes to get settled in quite quickly when I get to a new place. I unpacked my suitcase. Then, I arranged all my toiletries. Soon, I felt like I had created a little home away from home. We had not organised anything specific for dinner. However, after quick Google search and discussion we decided the seafood restaurant Lolos was where we would eat our first meal in Greece.

Lolos

We enjoyed a cozy meal in this vibrant place. It was warm and we ate outside. It was a lovely start to the holiday, really putting us in a nice mood for the week to come.

 

Day 2: The Acropolis

An early start to beat the heat

The next day we started early and made it for a prompt 0815 guided tour around the Acropolis. Safe to say the the tour and pictures are worthy of a separate blog post, which I am sure I will write in due course. I will share though that our guide was very friendly and lovely and gave us time to absorb the information. She also let us rest in the shade and took the whole thing at a very gentle pace. I think it was the only way I survived walking around in 32 degrees heat. We finished the tour after the allotted two hours and then spent the more time exploring the ruins. By midday the sun overwhelmed and we left the site. I was exhausted having not yet aclimatised to the heat and levels of exertion, foreign to my normally sedentary status. Google Maps once again found a place to have a much needed snack.

Fika

Fika is the name of the charming little cafe, a rather hip looking set-up 5-minute walk away from the Acropolis. It was a welcome oasis in the midday heat. Here we devoured a plate of yoghurt and granola washed down with fruit juice. Fika is the Swedish term for a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life. “Coffee with friends”. This we certainly did sans coffee (I know…!). Revived, resuscitated, refreshed we headed back to apartment and promptly feel into a heat induced day nap (coma 🙃) that lasted 4 hours…

When we awoke, the next thing of course was to find something to eat. Lucky for us, being very central, this was not a difficult ask. We decided to patronise another rather hip looking coffee place a stones throw from the apartment.

Omsom

Omsom is advertised on it’s website as speciality coffee roasters, artisanal bakery and small Athens cafe, located in the heart of Peristeri capital. We went there to have linner a very very late lunch and early dinner. I thought was all very cool and hipstery with a few people on their laptops and stylish coffee bags all over the place! For the second time in the day, I passed on the opportunity to have some Greek coffee, opting instead for another refreshing fruit juice.

We shared three dishes that were quite filling. Interestingly the bread in the salad was too hard for me to be able to even cut it with a knife and I did not trust it with my own Good-given teeth. The waitress indicated that that was just the way it was. She told me that “some people soften the break with olive oil” but in her opinion that just ruined the bread. The bread in question I think is paximadi, which a form of bread made in Greece with barley flour. It is almost rusk-like/biscotti-like, I guess something I will explore here in the UK if I can find it at an international supermarket. I did not actually get to taste it in Greece which was shame really! Anyway, we enjoyed the peace of the afternoon and then went on our way content and full.

Day 3: The Acropolis Museum

Rise and shine…

The third day of our Greek adventures was also an early start. We had booked 9am tickets for the Acropolis Museum. Again this experience deserves a post of it’s own, if only to share the magnificent marble work of the ancient Greeks. It was just so amazing. It also told me the tale of humanity our capacity for destruction, creativity, reinvention and resilience all at the same time, over and over again. We spent hours in the museum only to discover there was more outside, an excavation site and attached excavation museum. We were as usual exhausted and a bit drained despite the excellent air conditioning. So we decided that we should and would have lunch locally before exploring this second part. Trusty Google Maps helped us find a little restaurant called Greek Stories, not far from the Acropolis Museum, so off we went.

Greek Stories

We got to this place just after 2pm for a late lunch. It was still hot, unsuprisingly and I was not in the most for anything heavy. However somehow we mostly ate cheese…

We ordered a spinach pie, salad and cheese croquettes. We ate, enjoyed and left.

We went back to the second half of the museum, looked at more relics from the past and then we were done. I felt like I had just finished two days of (Greek) history lessons! It remained hot and on our way back to the apartment we stopped for our first and much needed ice cream.

Alchemist

I choose a pistacho and mocha espresso. It was a delight – cool, sweet and creamy, just what was needed in that moment. Wonderful.

Day 4: Rest

Change of plans

In our original well-laid plans for this holiday, on this day we were meant to venture to the National Gardens and Panathenaic Stadium. Instead we decided the night before, that we would have a day a rest, leaving the apartment only get seek out food. It was a good decision, we had a lovely lie in, rising after 10 am, it felt like such a luxury. We had a slow and lazy breakfast (lol – see the previous post before this one). I tided up the kitchen and wiped down the countertops. Then I sat on the balcony watching the traffic and the world go by. That did not last long as the heat was sapping my energy, even as I did nothing, so I retreated back into the apartment and the cool of the air conditioning.

We decided on lunch when it was the hottest time of the day! Meaning that we were out there in the 32 degree heat, walking for 20 minutes and passing through two subway crossings to get to the food that somebody else was going to prepare for us. I was in a sweaty heap when we arrived at San Palia, a seafood place recommended by Google Maps. It was not busy at all and we were the only customers.

San Palia –  ψΑΡΟΜΕΖΕΔΕΣ

We ordered stuffed vine leaves, marinated anchovies and fried smelt. Light and delicious, is how I would summarise this lunch. It was filling but I did not feel overly full, which was important because I wanted an ice cream dessert later!

Ora gelato

This ice cream parlour was rather cute and not far from the fish restaurant we had just eaten at. I seemed to have a thing for pistachio and so I ordered this with a scoop of orange with tumeric. Safe to say it was gorgeus. I think after all the walking, the heat and general exhaustion, I had been more appreciative of the sweet, cool creaminess of icecream.

Papalina

And so the evening came, it was a bit cooler and we left the apartment in search of dinner. This time, not too far away from the apartment and another seafood place. We were given a table outside on the pavement. The moon was out and it was a nice atmosphere – there were many other couples and groups eating out. It was a nice vibe as Ignacio would say ambiente. We seem to be joined by the local cats, one of whom was staring intensely at our food (or us!?!). We ordered octopus in vinegar, spinach salad and grilled squid. It was not a great deal of food but that late at night it was perfectly filling and we loved it. It was a very nice end to a very nice day.

Day 5: National Gardens Athens

Back to the schedule…

We resumed our plans and ventured out (late, after a lie in) to see the National Gardens. It was a treat and again worthy of it’s own blog post. The National Gardens were commissioned by the wife of King Otto, Queen Amalia in 1838. She has a nickname the gardening queen because of her intensive involvement on the planning. There are hundreds of species of plants and trees which were brought from around the world to find a new home in this Greek park.

We managed the intense heat by finding shade wherever we could, which was not too difficult. It is a beautiful space, and I am guessing designed so that individuals could find both peace and cover in and from Athenian sun. After hours of walking but with still more of the garden to experience, we decided to take a break and get some lunch. Google Maps told us about a place called Cafe Merlin close by – in fact opposite the Gardens. So off we trekked.

Cafe Merlin

Cafe Merlin turned out be a restuarant on the first floor of B (Bassilis) & M (Marina) Theocharakis Foundation. This is a non-profit foundation that promotes fine arts and music nationally and internationally. It certainly was a beautiful building from the outside and very nice inside. We took a table inside and by the open door next to the balacony, thus enjoying a slight breeze. Ignacio was a bit hungrier than me therefore while we shared a Greek salad, he had a chicken dish and I ordered a small starter – metsovone smoked cheese sagnaki. It was a cheesy, smoky gooey treat…

I also ordered (finally!) my first Greek coffee, which turned out be quite nice and kept me awake for the rest of the afternoon, despite the soporific heat.

Refuelled and refreshed we left Cafe Merlin and continued our exploration of the rest of the park. It continued to delight and amuse us as we walked through greenery, looked at little bodies of water, turtles and abandoned buildings. This all in the heat, so while being entertaining we were constantly seeking shade. There was a particular walkway covered in jasmine that was both cooling and fragrant to rest in. Once we had seen everything there was to see, we left.

Our map told us that just next door was another building that might be interesting to visit. This building was in fact the Zappeion Hall. This place was built in the late 19th century and is named after Evangelos Zappas. He was a wealthy Greek philanthropist who funded it’s construction. So we were quite limited in our access. It was a conference centre that did not seem to be fully open to the public. We were only being able to stand outside, lean against the grand and imposing columns and take in the glorious views of the gardens in front. Inside we could not explore but I was fascinated but the ceiling artwork. If I could I would have lain on the floor and gazed up in wonder. Lucky for Ignacio and I, I did not take that option! Instead we came outside again and we sat for a little while in the gardens, enjoying a little breeze, peace and quiet.

Then we decided to take a walk in the Plaka area, which we had been informed was an nice place to wander around in. It was. I took many pictures of cute little Greek streets. We did a little shopping for things to take back home. We bought a little hand painted plate by a local Greek artist (to be placed on one of the walls of our house later). We bought a bunch of sweet treats (mostly lokoumi) from a cute little store selling ‘Traditional Greek Products’. Somehow, due to my eavesdropping tendencies and curiosity, we sort of tagged onto the end of a walking tour and followed a group of tourists and their guide up a hill where we were greated to some splendid views of Athens. And cats 🐈 we saw lots of cats, everywhere! Lol, I began to wonder at some point if Athens was a city owned by cats holding the Greek people to ransom.

With the day coming to an end and having no desire to cook, we opted to eat out for the evening. Another search on Google Maps and we found Symposio, a restuarant promising Mediterranean Fusion Gastronomy.

Symposio

We had no reservations but they were able to easily find a table for the two of us. Initially, for reasons, unbekownst to me now, we just started with ordering some starters, with no intention for a main course. But…but the starters were delicious and we were hungry after all that walking in the sun. So we ordered a mains of grilled tuna followed by a chocolate dessert. Both quite wonderful additions to the meal and the bill!

We finished our and walked back to the apartment happy and contented.

Day 6: Archaeological Museum

More history…

The next morning, we had another slow start. We made a plan to go to the Athens Food Market and then the archaeological museum. Before we went we had learnt that Athens Central Market known locally as Varvakios Agora opened in the the late 19th century. It the place for fresh meat, fish, vegetables and spice. So we were quite excited. We took the Metro to Omonia. As we came out of the station, we saw this huge bakery and of course we had to go inside.

Veneti Great

We could not help but be tempted by all the food in there. Ignacio of course bought the chocolate version – some rolls covered in sesame seed. They were sweet and delicious.

Went to to the market. I’m am afraid to report that I did not find it that interesting. I would even go so far as to say that I was disappointed. Why I don’t know. I did take multiple pictures of fish, so there’s that!

Then we walked all the way to the National Archaeological museum. This was infinitely more interesting. However I did also felt that I was quite saturated with looking at some types of ancient relics. I was interested in the statues of Greek gods and goddesses. So that’s where I channelled my energy – yes there will be a blog post in the future about Athena and Artemis….

Museum Cafe

We took a break for lunch at the Museum Cafe. I somehow was not keen on any of the large sandwiches on offer so I decided on a cinnamon roll and Greek coffee. Both were just OK…

Day 7: Piraeus

The waterfront

On our last full day in Athens we decided to venture to the coast. An acquaintance of Ignacio’s parents had suggested that we should visit the port of Piraeus as there were nice seafood restaurants. That would not have been a strong motivation for me and our original plan had been to take a tramline to one of the beaches, however we thought we would listen to the wisdom of the elders and explore this option.

Piraeus is a an ancient Athenian port designed in the 5th century BC. It continues to be an important place as holding ferries that take people to the Aegean Islands. There are some nice harbours there such as Zea Marina (we visited there) and Mikorolimano. It was nice trip but perhaps just too hot to enjoy – we were not afforded much shade. I enjoyed sitting on the edge of the harbour watching boats go by and the calm waters. Lunch that day ended up being at a nice little restaurant not especially sea food themed but nice enough.

Aposperitis Maereio

This little place was a blessed relief from the heat. We had a very small and light lunch of salad, fennel pie and cod.

Zale

Our last dinner on our last evening in Athens. We treated ourselves to a meal at the rooftop restaurant not far from our apartment. It was quite special – with an open roof and a view of thhe Parthenon lit up at night. We didn’t eat much though! A shared starter of feta filled gyoza. Ignacio had a chicken dish for his mains and I opted for fish. All perfectly nice. But perhaps the atmosphere and venue was more exciting than the main courses. However – I did love my chosen dessert. Essentially sugar dressed up as a work of art but it was wonderful! Cherry blossom – a red velvet cake crumbs as soil, cherry ice cream as a sort of rock, chocolate as the tree and what appeared to be candy floss as the cherry blossoms 🌸. It was so pretty!

This was our last meal out in Greece and it was such a treat.

Day 8 : Return to the UK 🇬🇧

Back to reality

We were up early to take our flight back to the UK. It was thankfully uneventful. I cannot even remember what I ate that day! Airport food and maybe we had pasta for dinner…? Our Greek food odyssey was definitely over.

I was happy to return back home to all things familiar and stable. I have also loved the luxury of exploring different places and foods to eat. I’ve loved not being under any pressure or obligation to cook. It’s been nice. I’ve loved having all that freedom and choice, it has been an luxury and certainly a privilege. Looking back I have loved the slow starts, spontaneous food choices, naps without apology or negative consequence. I have enjoyed letting other people cook for me. I liked learning to rest and be OK with it. I came back from this trip more healed and whole than I have felt for a long time.