I know that I could have chosen a photo of the Acropolis to make this cover photo typically Greek, but I just loved the way this old man greeted me and the mix of life on a tiny local Grecian beach near Piraeus.

Greece, Athens (1)

In July 2024 My husband and I embarked on an epic Tour of Greece for 2 weeks. Our adventure started in Athens where we got to spend 2 nights before starting a 10 day cruise around the Greek Islands, followed by a few days on the tiny local Island of Spetses.

We will get to the rest of the adventure over the next blogs but let’s start the journey with the jewel of Greece, Athens.

We flew from Cape Town to Athens and got the airport bus X80 from the airport directly to Piraeus. Piraeus is the main port of Athens and a beautiful coastal area.

We decided to book a two-day red City Sightseeing bus ticket because we didn’t have time to figure out the local transport system and we wanted to make the most of our two days in Athens.

The City sightseeing bus had 3 routes - The Beach Riviera Line, The Athens Line and the Piraeus Line.

Day 1 - Vouliagmeni

Our first excursion on the day we arrived was on the Riviera Line, which took us all the way to Vouliagmeni Beach. The scenes and architecture along the way were an interesting clash of old and new architecture. The coast line varied from super yachts in the marina near Piraeus, local beaches, abandoned buildings and then later down the coast we were greeted by upmarket residential areas and holiday resorts.

It actually reminded us of parts of Cape Town back home where we also have extreme differences in wealth and poverty side by side.

Vougliameni beach was a sight for sore eyes after a whole day of travel. We were slightly surprised that we would need to pay ten Euro each in order to access the beach. The local hotels seem to have commandeered all the access points, but at least include a deck chair and umbrella in your fee.

We got into the warm water as soon as possible and stayed there for a good long while. The waves gently lapped the coastline quite unlike our freezing cold wild waves back home in the Cape of Storms on the Cape Peninsula of South Africa.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to stay as long as we wanted because we needed to get the last red bus back to Piraeus. We rode the bus lazily and ready for a nap and some dinner.

On the way back when we needed to switch buses we came across some great street art and stray kittens. Apparently in Athens it is normal for people to put out food to feed all the local street cats as they are protected. I think this is a wonderful practice as wherever we went the kittens and cats looked healthy and well fed. We were all later told that if a cats ear is clipped (The tip cut off) it means the cat has been spayed or neutered to prevent breeding and it is a much easier way to identify which cats have already been take care of.

Dinner was a local Pita Gyro on the harbour front. The Gyro were so huge that a small one (what you see in the photo) was more than enough for a whole meal. We were not used to having our Gyro topped up with fries, but when you’re on holiday you just go with it. My husband formed a new relationship with the local beer called Alpha which was super cheap and he said was an excellent beer.

Day 2 - The Acropolis

The next morning we were up early, stopped in at a local bakery for a treat for breakfast and then got the first red bus into Athens. We had a full day to sightsee and visit the Acropolis because you can’t go all the way to Athens and not see its most majestic ruins.

We stood in line for our tickets and then waited for our entry time. It seems that the entry is staggered throughout the day because the crowds are so vast. It was HOT but the sites were incredible.

You can’t find better views of Athens than from the Parthenon at the top of the Acropolis and its many terraces below. We jostled the crowds to get uninterrupted photos but most of the time we were fighting a losing battle.

The Amphitheatre

Parts of the Parthenon are being restored by master craftsmen and masons and the difference in colour of the new plaster is clearly visible but it also shows the extent of the previous damage of time and the elements. Parts are covered in scaffolding where the work continues. I can’t imagine the cost of this type of restoration and the care it must take to be a part of one of these crews of craftsmen. Quite the honour.

Eventually when the sun was just too hot we decided to take a walk down a circular path the wound down the side of the outcrop on which the Acropolis was built. We found a tiny chapel on the slopes called the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, or The church of the Metamorphosis. It is a tiny Greek Orthodox Byzantine church with a beautiful dome feature. We entered and visited in its cool interior and admired the artwork and architecture.

We continued our walk down paths between ancient buildings in a residential area with cafes that appeared between endless stone buildings. We found the Roman Agora Ruins below.

Next we continued our circular walk up back towards an area with a view where we found the National Observatory of Athens just a few blocks from the Holy Church of Agia Marina Thisio another Byzantine style Greek Orthodox Church. It was magnificent from the outside, but unfortunately it was closed until 5pm and we have heard reports that the inside is even more spectacular.

We got the red bus and continued on the Athens route which drove us through the various areas of the museums and shopping areas. By now we were too tired to walk much longer and simply sat in the open top bus and took photos as we passed by these historical areas.

There is so much creativity in Greece and I particularly loved the murals and street art.

Eventually we hopped off the bus back at the coast at a little local beach called Votsalakia Beach. We quickly changed and got straight into the ocean. We rested and recovered in the sun and enjoyed the company of the local community. It was fantastic to see moms with babies and kids on the beach to the elderly floating in the waves and enjoying the warm weather.

Wet hair and bodies, we decided to walk back to our hotel through the Marina with its many, many super yachts. It’s hard to fathom the amount of money that must be flowing through this area of Greece which you look at the Marina.

Then on through the back streets and alleys until we got our obligatory souvlaki once again and crashed for the night at our little side street Hotel called the Luxe Hotel which was anything but luxurious. All we needed was a place to sleep and shower and we borrowed a kettle downstairs for tea.

Salmon coloured Luxe Hotel

This was our final night in Athens because the next morning we boarded the Norwegian Getaway cruise liner for the next 10 days.

Follow along the series of blogs to find out more about the beautiful and interesting places that we visited over the rest of our trip to Greece.

All Photos are my own and can also be found on my instagram feed @zo3d just like on hive.

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