Well, good afternoon from sunny Athens. We are currently exploring the Greek capital.
We recently actually spent a few days traveling around Meteora and now we're finishing up
our trip here in Athens. We've got two full days to explore the city which isn't a lot
of time but we're going to try to do our best. So let's get ready and start exploring.
Though our visit was brief, Audrey and I still made it our mission to see as many sights
and attractions as possible around Athens. We set out to visit temples and ruins steeped
in history, but along the way we also discovered that the Greek capital is a city with a pretty
cool vibe, lots of art, and great food. This video guide will showcase 20 things to do
in Athens, Greece:
Our first stop was one of the most recognized sights in Athens - the Parthenon, which was
dedicated to the goddess Athena who was seen as the patron of Athens.
From there we visited the Erechtheion, which is an ancient Greek temple on the north side
of the Acropolis that was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon.
A nice quiet alternative after or before visiting the Acropolis is coming here to this park.
Wandering around there is all of these really cool ruins and there is hardly anybody here.
But aside from the ruins, one of the best things about climbing Philopappos Hill was
enjoying the views of the Acropolis in the distance...even if there was a whole lot of
scaffolding on a few of the structures. Â
Beer o'clock! Woah!
It's lunchtime here in Athens and we are starving because we've been walking around all morning.
So we found a little restaurant, we're going to be eating Greek food obviously, and we
are starting out with some homemade bread and black olives. Mmmhmmm.
Those are really good olives.
So we've now been in Greece long enough to know what some of our favorite foods are and
we're having three of them here. We're having Greek salad, which doesn't need too much of
an introduction, Moussaka and also Saganaki which is a fried Greek cheese. Yum, now we're
just waiting for our order.
So first up we're having something called Saganaki which is a fried cheese. And it gets
its name from the pan that it is fried in. Apparently, it has two handles. And just have
a look over here. It's a nice chunk of cheese, now it is nice and golden from being fried.
And it also comes with a little bite of lemon which we can drizzle over top. Oh yeah, drizzle
drizzle. And this can be made with three different types of cheese. You can have GruyÃ¨re,
Halloumi or Sheep's milk and it is very very salty and very greasy because it has been
fried. And it is probably not very healthy but it is so good that we just keep ordering
it with every meal here in Athens. Let's have another bite. Mmmm. That is really good guys.
And what are you having? Now this next dish is one of my personal favorites. It's called
Moussaka. And let's take a look down at it. So you can see that there is a layer of BÃ©chamel
sauce, you also have minced meat, you have potatoes and you have eggplant.
So we've been told that if we want to catch the best sunset we have to climb Mount Lycabettus
here in Athens. So that is why I'm a little out of breathe.
We're climbing right now and the sun is about to set so we kind of need to hurry. Let's
go.
We took a taxi to the base of the hill and then hiked up from there. By the time we reached
the top, golden hour had set in casting a beautiful light over the city below. Since
it was kind of a windy day, we found shelter at a little cafe at the top where we enjoyed
a nice meal while the sun set.Â
After sunset we lingered atop Mount Lycabettus for some night views of the city before taking
the funicular down to the bottom. Seeing the Acropolis all lit up at night was a pretty
cool sight!
Next up we visited the Temple of Zeus which once housed the statue of Zeus, and was considered
one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
From there we continued on towards Hadrian's Arch. It is believed this monumental gateway
was built to celebrate the arrival of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the city.Â
When it comes to shopping, there are a few different options. We made our way to Monastiraki,
which is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. Here we visited both the Flea Market
and the antique shops in the area.Â
So the sun is starting to set and dinnertime is quickly approaching. We've been walking
around the Athen's flea market and we've worked up an appetite so right now we're stopping
for some Greek food. We've found a little joint that is serving up Pita souvlaki and
Pita Gyro so we've ordered up one of each. Tada!
Doesn't that look good? So yeah, ready for another taste test in Greece.
What is fascinating is that Gyro means to turn. It's basically rotisserie meat that
is cooked on a skewer and you can have all kinds of different things. There is chicken,
pork, lamb. So pick whatever you want and it is stuffed inside of a pita.
Mmmmm. That is one of my favorite sandwiches I've had in a while. It's so good. The meat
is really tender. I really like the sauce. Tzatziki! Yeah, the Tzatziki sauce and you've
also got a lot of onions and tomatoes too. So it's really good stuff.
So for mine I got the pita souvlaki and souvlaki is basically meat on a skewer so it is not
shaved meat like Sam's. So I've got nice chunks in there. And also it comes with French fries,
onions and tomatoes. And we can't forget the Tzatziki sauce which is made with yogurt,
garlic and cucumber. Delicious! So I'm going to have another bite here. Yeah, we've got
a quality control bite going on.
Mmmmm. So so good guys. Mmmmm.
Psirri is known for its lively nightlife, but what caught our attention when visiting
by day was the street art! Some of the pieces were quite elaborate, while others were bordering
vandalism, but regardless it was a really interesting neighborhood to wander around.Â
So next u we're checking out the Kerameikos Cemetery here in Athens. And this place gets
its name because it used to be the potter's quarter and that is where the word ceramics
comes from. And this is actually the largest and most ancient cemetery in the city. So
we're just going to have a walk around and see what we find.
We also made time to go watch the changing of the guard in front of theÂ Parliament
building on Syntagma Square. The guards were dressed in their white kilts, red caps, and
clogs with pompoms. It was fascinating watching the ceremonial steps be carried out in slow
motion.
The National Garden is located in the heart of Athens directly behind the Greek Parliament
building. It is open to the public from sunrise to sunset and it's a nice spot to decompress
if the crowds are starting to get to you.
Right now we're visiting Agora Athen's Central Market which has a large fish and meat section.
And it is busiest between seven and one PM. And we're seeing lots of locals shopping around.
That's right.
This is mostly a fish and meat market, so we tried to spare you the gore. It takes a
strong stomach to set foot inside, but as you can see there are plenty of other items
for sale.
The Agora was the central spot in ancient Greek city-states, and it is where people
gathered. It was the heart of political, commercial, administrative, religious and cultural activity
in the city.
Like the name suggests, the Acropolis Museum is located at the foot of the Acropolis and
it's mainly focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis. It's
a cool spot to visit if you want to delve deeper into history.
Plaka is an old historical neighborhood located on the eastern slopes of the Acropolis. The
place is a bit of a maze with zigzagging streets and a network of staircases that lead up down
and around. The neighbourhood has plenty of charms, and there are also lots of restaurants
and cafes if you do start feeling a little peckish.Â
So we were hoping to visit Hadrian's Library this afternoon but unfortunately we got here
a little bit too late and it is already closed for the day. However, I did do a little bit
of research, so I can give you a bit of background information on the place. So apparently this
was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian and it used to be his library. So they used to
store Papyrus scrolls here and they also had reading rooms and lecture halls.
Lastly, if you want to take some Greek recipes back home to your kitchen, consider taking
a cooking class.Â
So we are wrapping up our time here in Athens. Any surprises or final thoughts to share?
Yeah, something that really surprised me were just the amount of stray animals that I saw
on the streets. Lots of cats and dogs. But like Istanbul in Turkey they are well taken
care of and it was cool just interacting with them. Going up to them and petting them and
giving them food and things like that. That was awesome.
I also thought there was really good dining options as well. We had a number of really
good Greek meals and also some really good International food too.
Final thoughts, I think this is a really underrated capital in Europe. A lot like Warsaw in Poland
so if you have an opportunity to visit Athens in Greece definitely do so.
So what did you think of Athens? Well, I thought it was a really cool city and I actually had
a great time here. It kind of reminded me a little bit of Tel Aviv with the Mediterranean
feel but also Berlin because it is very artsy and gritty. So it's a really cool place to
check out. Great food, lots of attractions. You have a mix of antiquity with urban. So
it's really fun and it is unlike any place I've been before, so I would highly recommend
it.
And that's a wrap for Athens! We hope you enjoyed this city guide and that it'll come
in handy when you plan your own trip. If you have any more suggestions of activities that
travelers shouldn't miss, feel free to share those in the comments below.
Come join us for extended vlog footage as we eat our favorite Greek cuisine and some
classic Greek street food.
So the sun is starting to set and dinner time is quickly approaching. We've been walking
around the Athens flea market and we've worked up an appetite so right now we are stopping
for some Greek food. We've found a little joint that is serving up Pita Souvlaki and
Pita Gyro. So we've ordered up one of each. Ta da! Doesn't that look good? So yeah, ready
for another taste test in Greece.
What do we call this in Greece vs back at home? Alright, so here's the deal. Over here
it is called Gyros but where I grew up in Canada and also visiting in the US it was
called gyro. So it is kind of hard for me to say it as gyros but I'm starting to get
used to it. So when you're in Greece call it the gyros.
So what is fascinating is that gyros means to turn. It is basically rotisserie meat that
is cooked on a skewer and you can have all kinds of different things. There is chicken,
pork, lamb. So pick whatever you want and it is stuffed inside of a pita.
So enough of me rambling on. Let's actually try it here. Mmmm.
That's one of my favorite sandwiches I've had in a while. It's so good. The meat is
really tender. I really like the sauce. Tzatziki. Yeah, the tzatziki sauce and you've also got
a lot of onions and tomatoes too, so really good stuff.
So for mine I got the pita souvlaki. And souvlaki is basically meat on a skewer so it is not
shaved meat like Sam's. So I've got nice chunks in there. And also it comes with French fries,
onions and tomatoes. And we can't forget the tzatziki sauce which is made with yogurt,
garlic and cucumber. Delicious! So I'm going to have another bite here. We've got a quality
control bite right now.
Mmmmm.
So so good guys.
So you polished that off quickly. Yeah, I devoured that. Seriously, that was really
fast. In terms of price this is basically the cheapest and most affordable meal that
you can get in Greece. And it is so delicious. Where we picked it up here, which is a super
touristy area, it was 2 Euros each. The giant ones were 3.50 and if you're walking down
say more of a residential area, somewhere that is not in a touristy zone, you can pick
one up in the one to two Euros range.
It's lunchtime here in Athens and we are starving because we've been walking around all morning.
So we found a little restaurant. We're going to be eating Greek food obviously. And we
are starting out with some homemade bread and black olives. Those are really good olives.
The pit. Hahaha.
Bread with olive oil. Can't go wrong.
So we've now been in Greece long enough to know what some of our favorite foods are.
And we're having three of them here. We're having Greek salad which doesn't need too
much of an introduction, Moussaka and also Saganaki which is a fried Greek cheese.
Yum, now we are just waiting for our order.
So first up we're having something called Saganaki which is a fried cheese. And it gets
its name from the pan that it is fried in. Apparently it has two handles and just have
a look over here. It's a nice chunk of cheese. Now it is nice and golden from being fried.
And it also comes with a little bit of lemon which we can drizzle over top. Oh yeah, drizzle,
drizzle, drizzle. And this can be made with three different types of cheese. You can have
GruyÃ¨re, Halloumi or Sheep's milk. And it is very very salty and very greasy since
it has been fried. And it is probably not very healthy but it is so good that we just
keep ordering it with every meal here in Athens. Let's have another bite.
Mmmmm. That is really good guys. Good stuff.
And what are you having? Now this next dish is one of personal favorites. It's called
Moussaka. And let's take a look down at it. So you can see that there is a layer of BÃ©chamel
sauce, you also have minced meat, you have potatoes and you have eggplant.
So apparently this is a pretty old recipe, right? Yeah, this dish dates back to the former
Ottoman Empire. And you can also find it in countries such as Albania and Turkey presently.
So time for me to finally have a bit of this. Wow, it is so thick! It's like a Lasagna almost.
It almost looks like a Sheppard's Pie to me. Yeah, that's actually a better comparison.
Mmmm. That's fantastic.
And because we're trying to keep this a balanced meal we did order a salad. A Greek salad because
this is Greece. So as you can see we've got tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, black olives. We've
got some peppers and olive oil drizzled all over top with a little bit of oregano sprinkled
as well. So it looks really really good. Let's take a bit of that. Oh yeah. Don't forget
the feta cheese. Yeah, that's right.
Let's get a bit of everything. Onions. Cheese. Tomato. Hahaha.
Mmmm.
That's really nice. The olive oil has a really special flavor here. You can almost taste
the olives. It's just really good and a nice and refreshing salad. Really nice.
And price point for that delicious Greek meal? So for all of that food we paid about thirty
Euros. Keep in mind we did eat in a touristy zone and if you're in a more residential area
you can maybe expect to pay 20, 25 Euros for that.