Day 1 was really Day 1 & 2. We were pretty tired from our long journey and decided to take a quick nap before setting out to explore the city. A quick nap turned into several hours. By the time we hauled ourselves out of bed to get something to eat it was about 3pm.
Our first stop was Monastiraki square. It's an open pedestrian area with a few hawkers for umbrellas or bread rings (koulouri). Let's get our bearings. Like spokes of a wheel, we'll go around the square. "Souvlaki Row" is off to the right (cheap take-away souvlaki), also known as Mitropoleous Street. To the right of the church is Ermou Street (for high-end shopping). Athinas street is behind Ma (to the left of the church...and the way we came in). The flea market is slightly to the left. The Ancient Agora is more left. The metro and Acropolis are behind me. Blue and red lines intersect here, but we walked from the hotel.
We wandered around for quite a while until we decided upon Quick Pita. It was a good choice. The food was delicious and inexpensive. Plus, I had the best iced tea ever.
We managed to squeeze in a changing of the guard ceremony at the Parliament building (Syntagma Square).
First they cross.
Then they get inspected.
Then they stand for pictures (one person at a time).
We managed to squeeze in a changing of the guard ceremony at the Parliament building (Syntagma Square).
First they cross.
Then they get inspected.
Then they stand for pictures (one person at a time).My guidebook for Athens was written by Rick Steves. His books are famous for their "walks". We did a portion of the "Athens City Walk" in and around the Plaka district before we called it a day.
