Here at last

After twenty hours of flying time, plus a further five of transit time, we finally made it into Athens. We are staying in a very old, but lively part of the city. Best of all, from our rooftop we have the most spectacular view of the Acropolis. I'm not sure Athens is going to top Rome for the sheer quantum of ancient ruins, but the few remains we can see from our building alone leaves one breathless. No doubt, we will explore some of these over the next few days.

The view from our rooftop (that's the Acropolis, just in case you didn't know).

 Our first impression of Athens is that it is a fairly grubby and untidy place. Of course, we've been here little more than a few hours, so first impressions may not do it justice. It is unmistakably Mediterranean in appearance, with olive groves right up to the city outskirts and many barren hills. If you can picture those scenes of the Dardanelles from the film Gallipoli, then you've pretty much got it covered.

This part of Athens is pretty shabby.

Our unit for the next four days is located in an area which seems to be a hybrid of Naples, with its seedy little alleyways, and Montmartre, Paris for its myriad coffee shops and tiny restaurants. The area has loads of character and no doubt will really come to life in the evenings. Although we are understandably exhausted after our travel, I'm sure we will explore some of what the area has to offer this evening.

The streets of Monastiraki

 

 Back from a walk through the streets and the market area, principally to look for a supermarket, we had a very good opportunity to take in some of the area’s ambience. Very crowded, very busy, but most certainly very alive. We had a souvlaki for dinner, which was absolutely delicious (and very inexpensive). More and more, our section of the city, at least, reminds us of Naples. The roads are chaotic; you literally just cross the road and hope for the best. The square we ended up in last night was teeming with quite fancy eating houses. The speciality around here definitely seems to be pita topped with kebabs of pork, lamb or chicken, topped with beautiful fresh tomatoes and lettuce; the smell is simply intoxicating.

 

Monastiraki Square 

Tomorrow we will embark on some more exploring of this city and all it has to offer.