Athens, Greece 02 September 2023
It's no wonder that all roads lead to the fascinating and paradoxical metropolis of Athens. Lift your eyes 200 feet above the city to the Parthenon, its honey-colored marble columns rising from a massive limestone base, and you’ll behold architectural perfection that has not been surpassed in 2,500 years. Today, this shrine of classical form dominates a 21st-century boomtown.
One of the world's oldest cities, Athens is home to 4.5 million souls, many of whom spend the day discussing the city's faults, including budget woes, red tape, overcrowding, transport strikes, immigration problems, and unemployment. These analysis sessions are usually accompanied by excellent coffee, food, or cocktails since Athenians refuse to stay indoors in any weather or mood. But while Athens is a difficult city to love, it's also a difficult city to leave, and many temporary visitors end up settling here for years or consistently returning without ever having expected to. As damaging as it has been to the Greek psyche and businesses alike, the financial crisis also served to inspire Greeks to try out new jobs and start innovative and sophisticated entrepreneurial pursuits, while the blossoming urban arts scene has earned the Greek capital the title of being "the new Berlin." Over the last five years it has undergone a huge transformation, and almost every day an innovative new shop, gallery, or eatery pops up.
To experience Athens fully is to understand the essence of Greece: ancient monuments surviving in a sea of cement, startling beauty amid the squalor, folkish tradition and vintage kitsch juxtaposed with ultramodern concepts. To appreciate Athens is to appreciate life with all its refreshing surprises and paradoxical complexities.
Ship arrives Athens at 04:00AM
Breakfast onboard
Disembark the Enchanted Princess
Transfer to the Grand Bretagne Hotel
Today is the end of my cruise however I will be staying a few nights in Athens. There is so much to see and do in Athens and although I have been here several times before I have not seen many parts of it in over 20 years.
The Grande Bretagne is the premier 5-star luxury hotel in Athens.
With breathtaking views of the fabled Acropolis, regal Syntagma Square and the Parliament, lush Lycabettus Hill or the original Olympic Stadium, the multi-awarded 5 star Hotel Grande Bretagne offers an unrivaled perspective of Athens' mythical history. Located right in the heart of the city since 1874, the multi-awarded landmark hotel is within walking distance of exclusive shopping areas, museums and the business district. With meticulous attention to detail, the 320 rooms and suites marry charming old-world elegance with state-of-the-art facilities, whereas the 58 suites enjoy additional benefits including personalized Butler Service. Visit the picturesque GB Roof Garden Restaurant for the finest Mediterranean cuisine or the Winter Garden for an afternoon high tea and do not miss the GB Spa for a signature massage, beauty treatment or an indulgent respite in the thermal Suite.
AFTERNOON TOUR: HOP-ON-HOP-OFF CITY TOUR
This is my favorite kind of sightseeing, I get to get off where I want and stay as long as I want without having to follow a group. I wll spend a few hours taking photos of the city as I have not been here for many years.
Some of the main sights to visit:
THE ACROPOLIS / PARTHENON
SYNTAGMA SQUARE
THE PLAKA
THE TEMPLE OF ZEUS
PARLIAMENT / NATIONAL GARDENS
OLYMPIC STADIUM
NATIONAL LIBRARY
Afternoon shopping in The Plaka
Fanning north from the slopes of the Acropolis, picturesque Plaka is the last corner of 19th-century Athens. Set with Byzantine accents provided by churches, the Old Town district extends north to Ermou Street and eastward to the Leofóros Amalias. During the 1950s and ’60s, the area became garish with neon as nightclubs moved in and residents moved out, but locals, architects, and academicians joined forces in the early 1980s to transform a decaying neighborhood. Noisy discos and tacky pensions were closed, streets were changed into pedestrian zones, and old buildings were restored. At night merrymakers crowd the old tavernas, which feature traditional music and dancing; many have rooftops facing the Acropolis.
Set in the shadow of the Acropolis and often compared to the whitewashed villages of the rural Greek islands, the Anafiotika section of the Plaka is populated by many descendants of the Anafi stonemasons who arrived from that small Cycladic island in the 19th century to work in the expanding capital. It remains an enchanting area of simple stone houses, many nestled right into the bedrock, most little changed over the years, others stunningly restored. Cascades of bougainvillea and pots of geraniums and marigolds enliven the balconies and rooftops, and the prevailing serenity is in blissful contrast to the cacophony of modern Athens. In classical times, this district was abandoned because the Delphic Oracle claimed it as sacred ground. The original residents erected their homes overnight, as they took advantage of an Ottoman law decreeing that if you could put up a structure between sunset and sunrise, the property was yours.
Today, the residents are seldom seen—only a line of wash hung out to dry, the lace curtains on the tiny houses, or the curl of smoke from a wood-burning fireplace indicates human presence. Perched on the bedrock of the Acropolis is Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou (St. George of the Rock), which marks the southeast edge of the district. One of the most beautiful churches of Athens, it is still in use today. Ayios Simeon, a neoclassical church built in 1847 by the settlers, marks the western boundary and contains a copy of a famous miracle-working icon from Anafi, Our Lady of the Reeds. The Church of the Metamorphosis Sotiros (Transfiguration), a high-dome 14th-century stone chapel, has a rear grotto carved right into the Acropolis.
Dinner at the GB Roof Garden Restaurant
The view from the GB Roof Garden Restaurant & Bar is breathtaking. In the most ideal location, the uninterrupted views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill and the Parliament are truly magnificent. The Restaurant was awarded by the Wine Spectator magazine.
Overnight at the Grand Bretagne hotel
