If you hear about Greece or Greece, for those of you who like to travel, you will immediately think of Santorini, which is famous for its white buildings on the hill by the sea.
But Greece is not only Santorini, don’t forget the capital of the country of origin of Archimedes and Pythagoras: Athens!
What can you do in Athens? These are some of the activities I visited while there!
1. Admire the Architecture of the Acropolis
If you only have one place you can visit in Athens, the Acropolis is the answer. This area is one of the evidences of Greek civilization which was built in the 5th century BC. Until now it is not known for sure how the technology at that time could build a building as grand as this.
For those who want to come here, try to go in the morning or evening, especially during the summer. Because it’s really hot bro! You have to do a bit of trekking up a fairly long ladder.
Acropolis means upper city. The city above. So many buildings that are considered important and sacred were built here. Like the Parthenon and Erection. Because of its high location, we can see the beautiful city of Athens from above.
2. Visit the Acropolis Museum
After getting off the Acropolis, you only need to walk about five minutes to reach this museum. Lots of statues and sculptures that tell about the history of ancient Greece. There are 4000 collections of ancient Greek art on display here.
The museum is built directly on top of ongoing excavations of historical sites around the acropolis. Some of the floors of the museum are made of glass, so we can look directly at the floor above or below us. Including sites that are being excavated.
Tips: Don’t wear skirts here.
3. Daytrip to Temple of Poseidon
This temple is located in Cape Sounion, about 60 km from Athens, so one day must be taken for a day trip here.
There is a public bus from Athens to get here at a price of around 20 euros and a journey time of about 90 minutes. Along the way, make sure to take the right seat because the sea view on the Greek coast is so beautiful!
When I arrived at the temple where Poseidon, the god of the sea in classical Greek mythology, I was very impressed with the view. Similar to Komodo Island!
4. Try Greek Cuisine
Because Greece is next to Turkey, the food is very similar. One of them is Gyros or we are more familiar with the name Kebab!
Typical Greek food always relies on yogurt and olive oil as condiments. For the Gyoros sauce or french fries served, you must use Tzatziki. This sauce is made using Greek yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, and lemon. It tastes very fresh and is suitable as a dipping sauce to balance the fat gyros and french fries.
Not to forget the Greek salad which is always available as a side dish. Slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, oregano doused with olive oil are also very good to provoke our appetite.
Don’t forget the Baklava and coffee for dessert too!
7. Learn to Cook at Zafiros Cafe
In addition to trying the culinary, you can also learn to cook it. Surprisingly, Greek food is very simple to make. There are no complicated spices like Asian cuisine.
One place to do this is Zafiro . A cafe on a hill that looks like a Bandung expert dago, apart from a cool hangout in Athens, it also provides a “Zafiro Experience” where we can learn about the daily life of ancient Greeks including the art of cooking.
6. Shop at Monastiraki Flea Market
Still around the Acropolis, near Syntagma Square, the city square of Athens we can find this market.
There are two parallel streets along this market street. The first street is for big brands, the second street is a street occupied by flea market-style shops selling various kinds of Greek souvenirs and souvenirs. I chose the second path because I wanted to buy fridge magnets and gelato.
Btw, the ladies in Greece are pretty pretty, just like in Turkey hihi.
7. Island Hopping by Cruise
Greece is an island nation. Santorini is just one of about 6000 islands there.
While in Athens, I was able to participate in island hopping to three islands. Hydra Island, Poros Island, and Aegina Island. I joined the tour organized by Evermore Cruise. The price is 109 euros for the regular class and 225 euros for the VIP class.
The trip was fun. The islands are also beautiful. I was most impressed with Hydra island because here there are no motorized vehicles on the roads, only donkeys for transportation. It’s similar to Gili Trawangan, only more yachts, hehe.
How to (frugally) get to Greece?
Maybe if you hear the word Europe, it must be synonymous with an expensive vacation. In addition to its far distance from Indonesia, the euro exchange rate which is still very large from the rupiah also affects.
But don’t worry, now there are low-cost airlines (LCC) that fly there from Singapore. I flew with Scoot on the inauguration flight on 20 June. The journey from Singapore to Athens takes 11 hours! But it’s not a problem because the journey is very comfortable with the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the latest aircraft from Boeing.
