Athens: April 18–22

Originally we were meant to catch an early morning flight to Athens, but the schedule changed to a 6:45pm departure with a five-hour layover in Belgrade, landing at 3:20am. The silver lining was that we unexpectedly gained another full day in beautiful Tivat.

We caught a taxi to little Tivat Airport in the late afternoon. Gorgeous views over the bay as we said goodbye to Montenegro.

It was just a 55 min flight so the flight crew quickly handed out water, pretzel sticks and “Plasma” biscuits, no time to offer a choice. Air New Zealand still sets the bar high!

Flying into Belgrade at night was interesting, with rows of distinctive apartment buildings visible from the air. The airport itself is modern and impressive, with a recent extension and new shops opening up. We managed to pass the time before our connecting flight to Athens.

Finally we boarded the plane to Athens.

For some reason Sean and I were seated at opposite ends of the plane. It was packed, and they struggled to fit everyone’s carry-on luggage overhead. Such a shame it was dark because it was a clear night.

We landed at 3:15am Greek time (Greece is an hour ahead of everywhere else we’ve been). Collected our luggage quickly, then caught a taxi with a female driver for around €55 (about NZ$110… ouch). The motorway into Athens was impressive and took about 45 minutes. The driver told us they actually call Athens “Athina”. Why don’t we all? It’s not like it’s hard to say.

As we turned into the suburbs we started seeing the less glamorous side of Athens, and when she pulled into our neighbourhood at 4:30am I honestly thought, “Uh… is this okay?” It looked a bit dodgy at first, but then I saw an old woman casually emptying a bucket of water into the drain outside and somehow that made it feel safe.

When I researched before booking, Koukaki was described as a lively central neighbourhood full of cafés and apartments, and that turned out to be exactly right.

We pretty much went straight to bed, about 5:30am by then, but by 8am the city was fully awake, scooters hooning past, banging noises and dogs barking.

After grabbing breakfast supplies and coffee from the supermarket right across the road, we walked up to the Parthenon. By pure luck, entry was free that day only, normally €30 each! We got tickets for the next time slot which left us with time to kill, so we wandered back down the hill and found a groovy café with Wellington vibes and really good flat whites.

Athens instantly felt like somewhere we could happily stay longer. It has the architecture, character, history, and creative energy, but people don’t seem to be trying too hard to fit trends or impress anyone. Everyone just seems unapologetically themselves.

Back up the hill to the Parthenon. Constructed almost completely from marble in the 5th century and dedicated to the goddess Athena.

Wow. To finally see this iconic ancient site we’ve seen in photos our whole lives and to actually touch history, felt surreal. We were overwhelmed with gratitude and awe.

One thing we didn’t know before researching our stay, you can’t put toilet paper down the toilet. You have to put it in the little bin beside the toilet because the pipes are too narrow. Apparently that’s normal everywhere here. It sounded horrifying at first but honestly you get used to it very quickly and it’s no big deal.

Day 2

We spent the day wandering through groovy neighbourhoods that gave us Cuba Street vibes, cool restaurants everywhere, busy streets, lots of energy. Eventually we reached Monastiraki and its famous flea market: a chaotic mix of Greek souvenirs, antiques, olive wood products, jewellery, old books, furniture, vintage cameras, vinyl, and clothing. The shops here are actually really cool, much nicer clothing than in a lot of the places we’ve visited.

We saw the Temple of Olympian Zeus, loads of ruins, Syntagma Square, buskers, and a guy playing the handpan with two gorgeous dogs beside him, one curled up inside his handpan case. We also saw a man with a huge colourful parrot on his shoulder while a dog barked furiously at it.

We wandered through Plaka and had gyros for lunch at Greko’s Project. Mine had pepper sauce, yoghurt dressing, and stuffed vine leaves. Afterwards they gave us little squares of orange syrup cake and chocolate mousse on the house.

One thing we’ve really noticed in Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece is how involved families are in each other’s lives, girls walking arm-in-arm with their grandmothers. Grandads looking after toddlers. It feels very connected and community-minded.

Anyway. Athens is sensory overload, like Wellington on steroids. We love it.

Walked 20,000+ steps today.

Slept with earplugs tonight!

Day 3

We caught the “Sights of Athens” bus tour out to the Athens Riviera. Driving through the city was fascinating, endless apartment buildings, traffic everywhere, motorbikes weaving through impossible gaps.

After about 50 minutes we stopped at Astir Beach, a private beach with umbrellas and loungers. You have to pay €5 just to enter the beach area, so instead we wandered along until we found a lovely eatery called Sofi’s and had beautiful meals there.

Back on the bus into town, then we walked up to an amazing lookout near the Philopappos Monument with incredible views across the entire city and over to the Parthenon. Athens is HUGE. Also huge dandelions which we later found out arent dandelions, but Purple Goat’s Beard.

We headed back down to our apartment along a rough stony path with deep grooves and overhanging tree branches and spotted a big turtle on the way.

Day 4 – Last Day

After coffee we walked up to the Acropolis Museum.

Wow.

It’s a huge modern, light-filled building that showcases treasures from the Acropolis beautifully. We saw original sculptures, friezes, and artefacts from the Parthenon and surrounding temples, all displayed with views back up to the Acropolis itself.

The top floor, with its reconstruction of the Parthenon frieze, really gave a sense of the scale and artistry of ancient Athens. Beneath the museum are the remains of what was once an ancient neighbourhood with luxurious homes, baths, and latrines. We spent about two hours there and tossed coins into a well, alongside everyone else’s wishes.

Our “Sights of Athens” bus ticket was valid for two days, so we hopped back on and drove past Parliament, the huge National Garden, and other grand buildings before getting off at Parliament just as they were changing the guard. It was both impressive and slightly funny, the guards move in this strange exaggerated slow-motion march.

After that, we explored Syntagma Metro Station, which is basically an underground museum. There are displays of ancient artefacts, amphoras, toys, burial monuments, and excavations showing layers of Athens history from the 5th century BC through to Ottoman times. We even saw the skeleton of a young woman still lying in her tomb beneath layers of earth.

We kept walking until we found an incredible four-level music shop with a gorgeous Yamaha hybrid piano. I’ve been wanting to try one for ages to see whether it could work in our little apartment back home since I no longer have space for a grand piano. I played for the first time in seven months and felt overwhelmed with happiness.

From there we caught another sightseeing bus and did a bit more exploring before walking “home” which took extra long because Sean kept spotting interesting things to photograph. He photographs gritty things. I photograph pretty things. Haha.