Traveling Van with a Man

This weekend we headed to Athens to meet up with our friend Jen, visiting from L.A. on a birthday trip! We started off the celebration with a very fun dinner at a hillside tavern on Friday night. Our server was really smitten with Jen and gave us roses to help celebrate! After dinner we capped off the night with a drink at the Big Lebowski themed Dude Bar.

Jen is an expert traveler and picked fantastic tours for us on Saturday. First a Walkative tour all over the city to see Hadrian’s gate, the original Olympic stadium, the Hellenic Parliament building, the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and the Presidential Palace.

The Presidential Palace is guarded 24-7 by ceremonial guards honoring Greece’s fallen soldiers. It’s a highly selective post not only based on skill but also beauty. Only beautiful men to honor those whose lives were lost! We approve.

After the tour we wandered around the Varvakios Central Municipal Market and grabbed some lunch. So much fresh fish!

In the evening we did a guided food tour with Eating Europe. First stop was getting boosted up with some Freddo Cappuccinos: double shots of espresso with blended milk. We also learned about the traditional way to make Greek coffee with heated sand to mimic how it was first made by the Bedouins.

Then it was a true whirlwind of Greek food: meat and cheese platters, souvlaki wraps, sweet and savory pies and lukumades, fried dough balls covered with honey and cinnamon. So delicious! Of course I didn’t take nearly enough photos. Shout out to Jen for getting a great pic of our small group and our excellent tour guide, Zoi! After the tour, we wrapped up our final night in Athens with Jen with one more round of drinks and a beautiful view of the Acropolis from Monastiraki square and our hotel.

For our final day in Athens we of course went to visit the Acropolis. I will not be able to do justice to the history but a quick summary: The ruins that we see today were first built in the 5th century BC mostly as ceremonial temples but also as a safe haven for citizens when the city was under siege. The Parthenon is the largest temple, dedicated to the city’s namesake goddess Athena. It was severely damaged in the 1600s by an explosion when a cannon strike ignited a large Turkish gunpowder store in the temple and it has been under serious restoration since the 1980s. We approached from the north slope which also provided a beautiful view of the city.

We also had a chance to see up close some of the more well preserved marble monuments at the southern entrance and in the museum. The museum is built on top of an excavation of the old city and it was so cool to see parts of the old city buildings with their plumbing still intact!

The city streets of Athens outside of the Acropolis also deserve their own highlight and the Athenians we met were so kind and welcoming.

It was an incredible visit and I wish we had more time to spend there. Thank you for inviting us to celebrate with you Jen!