I get to cross another country off my bucket list! It has always been a dream of mine to visit Greece, to walk through the white and blue painted streets and watch the sun set over the Mediterranean sea. Ever since I graduated high school my Greek Godfather offered me an opportunity to take a trip to his homeland, but unfortunately I had started my first internship and couldn’t take the time off to go. Ten years later, as Will and I were planning a trip to Europe I jumped at the opportunity to head to Greece! And so we went for a little over two weeks, and it was the most magical, most beautiful, and most paradise-like place I have ever been to! I’m truly obsessed with Greece and have not stopped thinking about it since I’ve gotten back. It’s heaven on earth. The people are so welcoming, friendly and fun, the food is delicious, and I don’t think I’ve had better wine anywhere else. In all honesty it was so difficult trying to begin writing this post because there is SO much I want to say about my experiences there that I could probably write a whole book. But I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet and let you guys know what we did, where we stayed and my favorite parts!
Starting with Athens…
We actually stayed at an Airbnb about a 15-20 minute walk from the main square, the place was tiny so I wouldn’t exactly recommend it but it was perfect for us since we were only there for two nights.
The first night, Will surprised me with a 5 course birthday dinner at Dinner in the Sky where we were suspended above the city of Athens for the perfect view of the sunset. It was absolutely incredible…I’m a hard person to surprise so when he pointed to a crane and said that was where we were having dinner I was completely baffled. What a way to bring in my birthday and to watch my first sunset over Greece. YAMAS! Which is cheers to everyone and yasas is cheers to you – in case you were wondering why my hashtag throughout Greece was #yasasqueen :)
Check out the city behind me…we had a full 360 degree view of Athens – i couldn’t have picked a better first night in Greece! A lot of my friends asked, “what if you have to use the bathroom”, to which we responded “you either hold it or someone might get a golden shower”…but no seriously if you decide to go please make sure to use the bathroom before!
Along our walk from the apartment to the main square we walked through the national garden of Athens. It was so beautiful to have this quiet garden in the middle of the city; it reminded me of central park which made me fall in love with it even more.
Our diet the entire time we were in Greece consisted of, Greek salads, saganaki (fried cheese), octopus, squid and wine. Aside from the fried cheese we ate pretty healthy the entire time we were in Greece and we were able to share a lot of plates since they were big enough for two.
On my actual birthday Will and I roamed around Athens, had breakfast in Plaka, and made our way to the top to see the Acropolis. The views up there are unbeatable and the structures and architecture really blew us away. We had a bit of fun posing around the Acropolis…
Celebrating my birthday among the Greek Gods made me feel like one for a moment ;) well my name is Cassandra and the Greek myth is that Cassandra was a Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophesy.
My favorite travel partner (so glad we finally found a couple who knew how to take a good picture, i can’t tell you how many photos we’ve taken by other tourists that can never get the shot right!)
The weather was perfect every day we were in Greece. The blues from the flag, and walls matched the sky!
On our way down from the Acropolis we found these guys playing some music so I couldn’t help but join in on the fun and dance (this was the first of many dances that day)
Monastiraki square is where its at! Great bars, restaurants, shopping and more! The cherries looked too delicious to pass up so for one euro the guy grabbed pound. They made for a great snack especially while we were traveling to the islands.
For lunch we found the perfect balcony right next to Stoa of Attalos (we never actually went inside but if you have time i would suggest checking it out!) I also wish I could remember the name of this restaurant but all I can say is if you’re along the street where there are a ton of restaurants with outdoor seating, find the one with a little balcony!
A must see is the changing of the guards at Syntama Square, it’s fun to watch their synchronized movements! Little did we know that a week later this square would be filled with Greek natives protesting because of the financial bailout terms.
After a much needed nap and finished wine bottle left for us from our Airbnb host we went back out for another birthday dinner (i’m so spoiled) We found this beautiful jumpsuit while shopping on Ermou Street at this store ‘toi & moi‘ that I fell in love with and even asked to open one in New York City. That night we stumbled upon the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (there’s a photo of it below the Acropolis) and we tried to see an opera show but it was sold out. If I could do it again I would try to book tickets in advance – we really didn’t even know that there was a show – oh well. The area surrounding this place was laid in marble and I had to get a photo of it : )
We found kitties all over Athens and they were so friendly I couldn’t help but pet them. Even Will had a soft spot for them!
We ended the night with a 2 Euro gyro at Monastiraki square that literally made my taste-buds burst from happiness…it was that good. And we bar hopped from 360 Bar, to Drunk Sinatra and Gin Joint. I swear there was not enough time to take in all of Athens but we did our best. Athens was a blast and I’m not sure why people suggest not spending time there because there really is so much to do and see. I loved it and would suggest to any city-lover to spend at least 3 days checking it out.
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