Calimera from Greece!(April)

YASSOU!!

8 days, 4 adults, 5 girls (ages 3 to 14), 5 hotels, numerous tolls on the way and Greek salad every day!! So, just to be clear – we started (and finished) our trip in Athens. In a nut shell, we travelled in Athens, Delphi, Zagoria and Meteora .

We arrived to Athens at midnight and used Taxi service to get from the airport to the city. Our driver , Geigoris Kapantais , waited for us at the exit gate in the airport and he was very nice and patient.

On the first day in Athens , we used Uber which was very comfortable. On the second day we rented a car ( reservations were made in advance) and we headed up north. Keep in mind the numerous tolls in Greece.

The internet is full with information about Athens, so excuse me in advance, if you won’t find here opening hours, prices etc….I’m only writing about our adventures.

So, we reached the Acropolis. Yes, the high limestone rock that we all saw in our History books. The taxi driver recommended we arrive early before the tourist buses arrive. So, that’s what we did.

We saw the Parthenon which the Greek say is the most important temple on the Acropolis .There were some renovations so we had to get photos with hundreds of people next to us.

When you exit the lower part of the Acropolis , there are merchants selling local mobile sims, bagels and jewlery.

In the center of the Monastiraki Square there are Greek restaurants packed with gyros, souflaki , tzaziki and more. There is also a little market that sells fruit. In the small alleys nearby there ןis a flea market and many shops selling shoes, clothing, jewlery, local olive oil etc etc….

From there you can walk around the small alleys of the PLAKA. The Plaka is the oldest section of Athens. It is an area of restaurants, shops and cafes. We ate on the roof top of SISSIFOS (31 Mnissikleous) where you can see the view of the Acropolis. Dinner was good.

When you continue towards Ermous street, you can find all the known brands (Bersha, H&M, Starbucks, Pandora etc) and local brands.

The Changing of the Guards in takes place every Sunday morning at 11 am, people gather in Syntagma Square to watch the official changing of the guards.

Narrow streets with a traditional church (that was closed when we arrived) in Arachova.

It rained cats and dogs (mainly cats in Greece) so our visit in Delphi was shorter than what we planned. We saw the ruins and ran to the museum (which is located there as well) to learn about the history of the place.

The drive to our hotel was quite long but it was worth it! We slept at Socrates Organic Village in Mesolongion . Each “house” has a kitchen and a place to eat inside and outside as well. Look how pretty it is!

My husband likes to see T.V programs about special bridges in the world, so we drove past the” engineering masterpiece” – the Rio-Antirrio Bridge , which is 2,880 m long . We were there at sunset and the view was stunning.

Zagoria – This area is full with stone bridges from which you can admire the view to the Vikos Gorge.

We selpt at Beloi Hotel , Vitsa Zagori. The owner was nice . The fee included breakfast which was made on the spot. Unfortunately, there were some problems with the WIFI on the second floor.

We ate dinner at RIZA. The food was so good that we ate there the following night as well.

BELOI point view – travellers say it’s the best view at Vikos Gorge, and indeed it was rewarding! The hike was not difficult and the view was breathtaking!

OXYA view point- a relatively easy 0.6 km trail.

We slept at Orizontes Tzoumerkon Hotel Resort in Pramanta. I only have GREAT things to say. The rooms were spacious and clean.

As you can see from the pictures, breakfast was a large buffet style with various options. Dinner is also served on site (not included in price) and has various meals (meat, fish, chicken; soup, salads etc).

Meteora – Monasteries built on giant rocks. We only entered 3 monasteries out of 6. There is a 2 euro fee to enter each of the monasteries and proper attire is required.