Athens
My midday flight from Corfu to Athens arrived 15 minutes late and after picking up my checked bag, I headed to the subway. There is an airport surcharge that makes the subway ticket expensive (10 euros), but it is faster & easier than taking the bus.
It was a 35 minute ride into town & the Airbnb apartment owner met me at the metro station. The guy was very nice pointing out things to me along the way to the apartment. The neighborhood was quiet and away from any traffic. The apartment was fine, but it was funny when the guy mentioned several times how safe the neighborhood was, but then pointed out all of the locks & bars for extra security.
There was a walking tour later in the afternoon that I did to get oriented to the city. It was pretty good & lasted just over two hours. After that I had a huge dinner of a Greek salad and souvlaki before heading out to take some evening photos of the Acropolis from a nearby hill. I met another photographer there, he & his wife were from Montreal. They were on a two week trip in Greece and gave me some tips on photography in Santorini since they had just been there. I was able to get some nice photos from this location.
The next day had rain forecasted, so I decided to visit the Acropolis museum in the morning. It was a really good museum with only a 6 Euro admission charge. After the museum, I had a light lunch before heading home for a break. Unfortunately it rained most of the afternoon & early evening, so the rest of my sightseeing would have to wait for the next day.
Exhibit inside the subway station.
My first stop on the next day was the old Olympic stadium where the 2004 Olympic marathons finished and where the 1896 Olympics were held. The admission to the stadium was only 5 Euros and it included an audio guide. The stadium is made of marble and the track is just under 200 meters in length. Overall the visit there was really good & I was able to get plenty of good photos too.
I stopped at Syntagma Square to see the changing of the guard at noon. The march that they do is somewhat strange and is similar to a dance routine. After getting pushed around by other tourists when I was taking some photos, I took a break on the side of the square which happened to be good spot to see the guards leaving.
The next stop for me was the Parthenon and the Acropolis. Originally I had planned to visit them yesterday when they were less crowded after 5pm, but since today was my last day I just had to deal with the crowds. The crowds weren't too bad except for the area around the Parthenon. Overall it was an impressive area and I spent about 1.5 hours there.
There was second spot to get some great views of Athens and the Acropolis at night. It is a place called Lycabettus hill and it was a long climb to reach the top. The top was very crowded even getting there an hour before sunset, but I found a good spot a little below the top. I was able to get some really great shots from there. My next stop is Mykonos, which unfortunately involves a very early flight & not much sleep prior to it. Overall, I really liked Athens and should have stayed 1-2 more days. I am sure I will be back for another visit at some point.
It was a 35 minute ride into town & the Airbnb apartment owner met me at the metro station. The guy was very nice pointing out things to me along the way to the apartment. The neighborhood was quiet and away from any traffic. The apartment was fine, but it was funny when the guy mentioned several times how safe the neighborhood was, but then pointed out all of the locks & bars for extra security.
There was a walking tour later in the afternoon that I did to get oriented to the city. It was pretty good & lasted just over two hours. After that I had a huge dinner of a Greek salad and souvlaki before heading out to take some evening photos of the Acropolis from a nearby hill. I met another photographer there, he & his wife were from Montreal. They were on a two week trip in Greece and gave me some tips on photography in Santorini since they had just been there. I was able to get some nice photos from this location.
The next day had rain forecasted, so I decided to visit the Acropolis museum in the morning. It was a really good museum with only a 6 Euro admission charge. After the museum, I had a light lunch before heading home for a break. Unfortunately it rained most of the afternoon & early evening, so the rest of my sightseeing would have to wait for the next day.
My first stop on the next day was the old Olympic stadium where the 2004 Olympic marathons finished and where the 1896 Olympics were held. The admission to the stadium was only 5 Euros and it included an audio guide. The stadium is made of marble and the track is just under 200 meters in length. Overall the visit there was really good & I was able to get plenty of good photos too.
I stopped at Syntagma Square to see the changing of the guard at noon. The march that they do is somewhat strange and is similar to a dance routine. After getting pushed around by other tourists when I was taking some photos, I took a break on the side of the square which happened to be good spot to see the guards leaving.
The next stop for me was the Parthenon and the Acropolis. Originally I had planned to visit them yesterday when they were less crowded after 5pm, but since today was my last day I just had to deal with the crowds. The crowds weren't too bad except for the area around the Parthenon. Overall it was an impressive area and I spent about 1.5 hours there.
There was second spot to get some great views of Athens and the Acropolis at night. It is a place called Lycabettus hill and it was a long climb to reach the top. The top was very crowded even getting there an hour before sunset, but I found a good spot a little below the top. I was able to get some really great shots from there. My next stop is Mykonos, which unfortunately involves a very early flight & not much sleep prior to it. Overall, I really liked Athens and should have stayed 1-2 more days. I am sure I will be back for another visit at some point.
Nice pics! I should hire you take take pictures for me!
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