Athene
In October 2017, I went on a trip to Rome & Athens, a trip to the sun and back to ancient times. This is the final installment about my visit to Athens & Piraeus. The previous installments are here: Rome Part 1 | Rome Part 2. On Saturday evening, we flew from Rome to Athens. Just like on the outbound flight, there was plenty to see from the window along the way. We flew over Sicily, and in the distance, Mount Etna seemed to be visible, a plume of smoke billowing from it. It was already dark by the time we arrived in Athens. We took the metro to our hotel. As we walked from the metro to the hotel, it was already noticeable that the neighborhood wasn't very good. Streetlights were broken, everything was covered in graffiti, vacant buildings, and shady characters were just hanging around. Doubts were starting to creep in. When we did some research online, we saw more people complaining about drug dealers and prostitutes in the area... During the night, we also heard a fair amount of shouting in the street. After a rock-hard bed, a large neon sign right by our window, and a breakfast room next to our room that was already noisy from 7 a.m., we finally got out of here. We checked out of the hotel early right after breakfast. And then, homeless in Athens. After searching online for other hotels and calling a friend for advice, we settled on a hotel in the heart of the city. We booked a hotel for one night on what was essentially the city's main shopping street. We could make a fresh start in Athens. Syntagma Square was close to our hotel. This square is occasionally mentioned on TV news. When there are large demonstrations in Greece, they're usually there, near the parliament building. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also located in front of the parliament building. This monument is ceremonially guarded 24 hours a day by the Evzones, the presidential guards. Two soldiers in their traditional costumes are on guard at all times, and they have to stand completely still for an hour. There's a commander who, whenever there's a gust of wind, neatly straightens their clothes and caps. Once the hour is up, they're replaced. During this change of command, they slowly take very long steps, completely synchronized. You sometimes get a bit of a sense of the Ministry of Funny Walks (Monday Python sketch). But these movements are useful; they also get the blood flowing after standing still for so long. Once the change is over, they simply march off, and the next group can take over for another hour. From Syntagma Square, we walked to Monastiraki and the Plaka district. These neighborhoods are full of winding streets lined with shops. That day, it was also combined with a flea market. It was a bit chaotic and crowded, but it's a fun scene, and you can find a wide variety of things there. A great opportunity to pick up some souvenirs. When we reached the edge of that neighborhood, we saw the Acropolis and several ancient ruins, such as the Roman Agora (Rome continued to haunt us). Gradually, we climbed the hill. On the hilltop near the Acropolis, we had a magnificent view of the city and the Acropolis itself. It was wonderful to see how vast Athens is and how it's surrounded by various hills. The Parthenon on the Acropolis was heavily scaffolded, so we left that aside for a while. [easy_panorama id="1129"] After the Acropolis, we walked past the ruins of the Temple of Zeus. We also came to the stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 and again in 2004. 
After a day in Athens, we decided to head further to the coast. It was vacation time, after all, and we wanted to enjoy some more sun and delicious Greek food. We finally settled on a hotel in Piraeus, Greece's main port, where all the ferries to the islands depart. We took the metro to the Olympiakos football stadium and from there continued to our hotel. We'd booked a room with a view online, and it was absolutely fantastic. We were able to enjoy the sun and the view from our balcony. In the morning, the sun rose over the hills on one side, and in the evening, it set on the other. A wonderfully relaxing end to a vacation in which we saw so much. Take a look and enjoy the view ;-) [easy_panorama id="1130"] 
After a day in Athens, we decided to head further to the coast. It was vacation time, after all, and we wanted to enjoy some more sun and delicious Greek food. We finally settled on a hotel in Piraeus, Greece's main port, where all the ferries to the islands depart. We took the metro to the Olympiakos football stadium and from there continued to our hotel. We'd booked a room with a view online, and it was absolutely fantastic. We were able to enjoy the sun and the view from our balcony. In the morning, the sun rose over the hills on one side, and in the evening, it set on the other. A wonderfully relaxing end to a vacation in which we saw so much. Take a look and enjoy the view ;-) [easy_panorama id="1130"]