Athens, Greece

What better way to get back into work after my holidays than a week long multi-sector trip to Athens-Newark!?! I was really excited about this one as I have always wanted to visit Athens and I had some very exciting plans for New Jersey which I will write about in a separate post. For this trip, we flew from Dubai to Athens, Athens to Newark, Newark back to Athens and then finally Athens to Dubai!

We departed Dubai around 10am and arrived in the beautiful, sunny Athens around 2pm. By the time we made our way over to the hotel and got checked in, it was around 5pm so I decided to change quickly and head out for a walk and some dinner before it started getting dark.

Gorgeous hotel room

I walked to Plaka and wandered through all the small winding streets. There were so many beautiful little shops with amazing souvenirs but I decided to look in them properly on my next visit as my suitcase was pretty full already! I found a nice restaurant and ordered a traditional Greek Mezze for dinner.

Plaka

Streets of Plaka

Greek mezze

Dinner for one!

On the way back, I decided to rent a Lime scooter and ride that back to the hotel. I absolutely love using these scooters and I’m so glad they are popping up in so many cities. They are such a quick and easy way to get around and explore.

The next morning, I woke up early as I wanted to visit the Acropolis and get there when it opened. I got ready and then took another Lime scooter up to the Acropolis area. I had some breakfast from Everest beforehand and then started to queue up for my ticket. I got there around 8:15am and there were already lots of crowds piling in!

Morning ride

Breakfast

Entrance ticket

It was a really hot day so walking up to the Acropolis was sweltering – even at 8 in the morning! However, it was so interesting seeing all of the different sites up close! I reached the top and admired the Acropolis and the stunning views over Athens.

To Acropolis

Herodes Theatre

It was difficult to get a really good picture of the Acropolis as there were so many crowds and also, because of the scaffolding, however, I tried my best!

Acropolis

Great photobomb!

There were beautiful views over Athens at the top of the Acropolis! I was so lucky with the weather as it was such a clear day. It was however boiling by this time, so the hair went up while I finished exploring the rest of the site.

Athens

By this time, it was nearly 11am and the wake up call was around 2pm so I walked back down towards Plaka and got a quick Greek salad in a cute little back street restaurant. You really can’t beat a Greek salad made IN Greece – that huge lump of Feta cheese on top!! Yum.

Lunch spot

Greek salad

I then walked to Anafiotika which is a tiny neighbourhood which I saw pictures of online. It is so pretty and looks just like how I imagine Santorini or Mykonos!

Anafiotika

It was then time for me to head back to the hotel and get ready for the flight to New Jersey. We left Athens late afternoon and flew 10 hours over to Newark Liberty International Airport (separate post for this to follow).

After an incredible 24 hours in New Jersey, we flew back to Athens and got to have another 24 hours layover! I was so glad we came back as there was still so much I wanted to see…and buy!! Once we arrived, I was pretty exhausted from the night flight, so I just went to the local supermarket near the hotel, stocked up on some snacks and then had an early night.

The next morning, I woke up early and went back to Plaka. I had the most gorgeous breakfast – Greek yoghurt with honey and apricot.

Breakfast – Greek yoghurt with honey and apricot

I walked all around Plaka and bought some nice souvenirs, then went to Syntagma Square.

Syntagma Square

Syntagma Square

Syntagma Square

Lemon coke!

Finally it was time to fly back to Dubai after nearly a week of being away. We had the perfect weather during both days in Athens, however, just as we were on the bus going to the airport, the heavens opened and it would not stop pouring with rain. I’ve never seen anything like it, lightening bolts, thunder, the lot! At one point the captain didn’t want to take off, however, luckily, just as we stepped onto the plane, it cleared up and there was a gorgeous rainbow!

Bye Athens

Thunderstorm

Rainbow!!

My first time in Athens was amazing and did not disappoint. The Acropolis was definitely the highlight and I enjoyed the food sooooo much! Thanks for having me Greece!

Thanks for reading.

Kerry May xo