Athens journey

after another ferry gone wild, we awaited our transportation for quite some time due to some official king business or some other nonsense, but when we finally arrived at the Herodian Hotel...wow.

The herodian is the only hotel in athens that can boast a full rooftop, non-obstructed view of the acropolis both from their restaurant (highly recommend) and from their Guest hot tubs on the other side of the roof. Yes, hot tubs on the roof...and we met some lovely british travelers including one of the most eloquent 7 year olds i have ever met. Her first question: I have been doing my own research on differences in tales regarding greek gods and was wondering what you think about the way hera is portrayed? jaw drop. awesome.

ok enough of that. Because we arrived near sunset we made a late late dinner reservation at the herodian restaurant, Point. The food was incredible. Between grilled octopus, osso buco with squash mousse, and a halibut on a bed of fresh roasted veggies, coupled with that view, you just have to pinch yourself sometimes.

Our only true full day in Athens was spent with a 1/2 day acropolis and acropolis museum tour. While the company I booked through provided a guide for this bit, it is just as easy to get the app and do your own tour to save the money. The acropolis is incredibly massive, so much so it is hard to fathom the enormity of it. a conglomeration of governmental and religious shrines, there is enough there that a true history freak could spend a much longer time. i absolutely recommend following it up with the acropolis museum, however, because much of the relics of old and original pieces of statues that the elements had worn away are there with excellent depictions.

At the base of the acropolis to the east, there is a very quaint but also designed for tourists area with amazing shops, a wide variety of cuisine, and street musicians. any of the restaurants will be good...they have to survive in a very tight competitive area. if we had had more time to explore, I would have loved to see more regions of the city. Athens has gotten a bad rep for crime and pickpocketing in the past. while that was deserved, several areas are now perfectly fine for a seasoned traveler.

We did a tapas crawl sampling an app and wine at three places, all of which were good so just play around with it!