Aug 22 2008
Athens - Greece
Athens, divided between the old culture and the beach areas, is one of the great cities of Europe, which offers a unique vacation: museums, art galleries, historical monuments, and if you want a change of scenery, seaside resorts will wait shining and full of life. You can visit Athens only for its Acropolis, and the Parthenon Museum, where you will find some of the most beautiful traces of ancient Greece and you’ll feel the charm of the sacred monuments and art.
If u climb the Acropolis and you watch the view and the city, you will discover every time another city, full of contrasts and surprises: the ancient, the Byzantine, the neoclassical, the modern, the happy.
The city’s joy can be seen everywhere: in the ancient theaters, in the modern exhibitions, in sport competitions, near the columns of an ancient temple, at a concert or even near a glass of Raki in a taverna. Or, also here, you can enjoy the night life that this city offers you generously through its restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
Athens enjoys an excellent location, giving visitors the opportunity to know the ancient theater Epidavros, Mycenae and Delphi - home of King Agamemnon. Also, you can take cruises up to the nearby islands: Aegina, Poros and Hydra. Artistic Events, festivals, sports competitions, anniversaries and many other fun moments choose their hosts here in the town of the Olympic Games.
The best place to do shopping in Athens, and where you can find stores near stores, is Ermou street. Brands such as S. Oliver, Mark & Spencer, Benneton, Zara and more expect tourists to pass the threshold, and prices are up to 50% lower compared to other countries. Neither of souvenirs fans will get bored here. Some stores have incredible prices that skip your eye without even knowing. Here you can choose from dozens of pairs of shoes, from summer until winter. And if you have a few hours until the plane will go back home, just go back to Monastiraki. It’s time for a rich lunch and for souvenirs.
From Monastiraki there is not much and get up to ten minutes in Plaka, an old neighborhood with narrow streets, buildings that housing shops on the ground floor with souvenirs, clothing, jewellery and even restaurants. Street sellers will tempt you with watches and sunglasses. Linen blouses made for men, earrings and necklaces made of gold and silver for women, all kinds of articles that seem they want to disturb the tourits’ eyes with flashy colors , restaurants whose menu is in view, waiters bearing huge plates with unknown food. Everything is a wonderful mixture of life and color.
Tourists can find everything they want, but some souvenirs are to be doubted. Shops display copies of famous statues and Greek vessels, spread through the world’s museums.
After many hours of course that you have been hungry. If you wish, you can remain in Plaka, but due to the large number of tourists you might not find a place in a free meal or even if you find, you will have to stay cramped . You should better go to Psyrri, near the subway from Monastiraki, the area which is not so much circulated because there are just a few shops. A rich meal does not exceed ten euro with the drink included. The meal includes half of a chicken with gasket made of all sorts of vegetables. Do not be scared by the pitcher of water that no-one ordered: is just simple water, just for your thirst and will not appear on the bill.