Skip to main content

Athens - A piece of history !!

What comes to your mind when you think of Greece, Athens? 
A country about which we read in our history books to have one of the oldest civilization in the world.A country where the great Alexander was born, considered great conqueror of classical times.A country where the first modern Olympics were held and a country which is famous for its beautiful, majestic islands, villages and world class beaches. I have been waiting eagerly to visit this country since i was in Europe.So finally, here i was in Athens. 
Landing in Athens itself was so much of relief because of the warmth of the sun.The hotel we booked was around 30mins from airport and we had a tough time to figure out the directions because no signs were in English but with the help of friendly locals and people around we could easily reach. First impression of the city was mix of old and modern with narrow lanes, open wide squares, with lots of cafes, eateries around.En route, I saw a lot of motorcycles, motorcycling culture seemed quite popular there.It was surprising to see, inspite of commuting through so narrow lanes,vehicle movement was so peaceful without creating any chaos. I wish, we Indians could learn something from them.
Iskon followers


Bustling streets
As we walked though the various streets to reach to Acropolis. I realized,how lively,colorful,vibrant city is.People were busy on munching food, drinking, gossiping and admiring the place. 
Acropolis,one of the main historical site in Athens.Acropolis,means highest point in Greek. it's one of the example that how long civilization has been into existence and how intelligent human beings have been from those days. They were never dependent on modern technology to build any kind of architecture that we see at many places today.Yet, some of them are so extraordinary that no machine made by human can match up to them and still it's a mystery to us that how could they achieve it in those times.
Acropolis at night
It was treat to eyes to look at acropolis as it stand tall with 156meteres height, mostly comprising of pillar like structure. It was evening 6 o'çlock when we reached, it was even more beautiful because sun was about to set and it's rays were falling onto beautiful creamish structure. We clicked a lot of pictures and sat there as we admired the beauty of the place thinking about that whose kingdom it was and why the pillar like structure is so common in this architecture. Once upon a time, it would have been a place where people have been living and doing their day to day chores.
View of the city from Mars hill
We could not enter the acropolis because may be because of the independence day it was not open for public however getting a glimpse from outside in itself was a big treat to my eyes.
Chestnuts..must try
Streets with graffiti
We spent sometime in the evening at Monastiraki. That's a bustling square with lots of things happening around. It took me back to India.This is one of the most popular meeting places where locals and visitors mingle and enjoy the vitality, charm and free spirit of Athens.Fast food establishments, fruit and vegetable vendors lively hawk their ware which are the freshest and possible the cheapest in the whole Athens.You will also see break dancers,street side music at the square.I remember,african drums playing in the back ground and i could listen them for hours.
All in all a must visit place. If you are a history buff then you can spend as many days as you want otherwise 2 days are more than enough to get the vibe of the city and cover all historic places.
Places to visit in Athens 
1) Plaka neighbourhood  and streets
2) Acropolis
3) Monastiraki Sqaure
4) Mars hill
5) Parthenon
6) Acropolis museum
7) Mount Lycabettus
Tips 
Book a hotel near to centre. 
Don't miss a visit to mars hill and get a glimpse of the city and acropolis(In day and night both)  
Try chestnuts and fruits.
Food is very cheap and with lots of variety, so don't hesitate to try the greek cuisine.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Khajurao....Beyond general belief !!

On my each visit to India I always make sure to spend 50 percent of the time backpacking with my sisters. My brother has not been very happy about it so this time in November I decided to take him along for a short trip to Banaras. The oldest city on earth and considered to be the door to Nirvana, this city has always been a fascination for it's ghats, bizarre alleys and mysterious lives of sadhus. All I had to do was to book my tickets and plan a quick itinerary but unfortunately I couldn't find any tickets neither on train nor on any flights. It was disappointing but you don't have to worry about finding the next best destination if you are in India. I wanted to visit somewhere not too far from Delhi, a 2-3 days trip. It was a tough task going through a list of so many eligible places and my final two selection didn't help much: Jhansi or Khajuraho. Both are fairly near to Delhi and both equally famous for their history and the architecture. It was better to decide b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Iron Butt - to Be or not to Be

"The scorching heat, diversions, smoke, dust and ruthless trucks, it was a struggle to reach and maintain 90. Insects bumping into my helmet and pitch dark highways, I was drowsy but determined to finish what I promised myself.  It was almost 13 hours since I left Bangalore and was about to reach my destination, Pune, riding solo, overnight on Yamaha SZ-R 150cc."  For the first time I actually realized what a challenge and physical stretch it would be to ride non-stop 24 hour to cover 1000 miles on an Indian road.  I am talking about Iron Butt ride: “The SaddleSore”. But wait, if you are thinking that’s impossible; just imagine 1500 miles in 36 hours, the BunBurner ride. It takes more than passion, skills and best gears & need not to say it’s not for the hobbyist. These are races against time. The Iron Butt association has more than 60,000 members across the globe and handful from India. If one has to drive on freeways and speed is not an issue, it’s still chal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Zagreb - A city not to be missed !!

Having explored quite a few countries in  Western Europe, we wanted to plan a trip to the east and see the other side of europe. Croatia was top in our list with an endless list of iconic picture perfect places such as Pltivic, Krka, Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and many more. This country has everything from beautiful nature, mountains, coastline, forests and waterfalls to midnblowing beuty of small towns and cities. We decided to do a roadtrip across the Croatia to genuinely appreciate and feel the country. Our starting point was Zagreb, the capital. It was a city beyond over imagination since it has so much more to do and see than we ever imagined. Walk around the city You can literally spend several hours just strolling through the streets and discovering something unique at every corner. .The town is divided into two parts upper and lower town. You can take a fenicular to reach upper or if you are fit enough you can just walk. Most of thetourist attractions are in upper town of...
Post a Comment
Read more