Arrival in autumnal Athens

A couple we are friends with had invited us and several of their other friends to celebrate two milestone birthdays together in Athens. So, we were more than happy to leave the persistent grey fog of the Erdinger Moos behind and fly to autumnal Athens, where warm and sunny weather awaited us instead. Since our friend grew up in Athens, we were looking forward to a varied programme with a personal city tour, sociable dinners and a trip to Aegina, before we were due to see the unique volcanic island of Santorini again for a few days.

As Athens airport is located 25 km outside the city, we first took the Metro, which was affordable (€9) and quick (45 minutes), through the Attica landscape. The route runs parallel to the city motorway between Mount Pentelicus in the northeast of Athens—whose high-quality marble was used in antiquity to build the Acropolis, among other things—and Mount Hymettus, which is also known as the “fragrant mountain” because of its dense pine forests and herbs.

We got off at Monastiraki station and were immediately overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the Greek capital. Urban bustle and many tourists defined the square, a diverse mix of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, multi-storey city and office buildings from different eras, with ancient ruins in between. The Acropolis towers omnipresently above it all. We took a short break on the hotel’s rooftop terrace before starting our first walk through Anafiotika below the Acropolis before dinner.