Discovering Athens: A Journey of self Exploration & historic charm

Solo trip to Greece.

To get from Eleftherios Venizelos airport to Constitution square ( Syntagma Square ), a historic and central square in Athens fronting the Hellenic Parliament you must take a bus after midnight. Beyond that I had travelled to and from via the metro beating the harsh city traffic. I arrived late at night, 2am, at the hostel I was staying in, so the plan was to settle in before venturing out the next day.

The Marathon

Aften waking around midday, I strolled across the city, making my way around different streets taking in the sprawling layout around the center. The original plan was to walk around one of the National Gardens, but I followed a large crowd towards the Panathenaic Stadium; the 42nd Marathon was taking place, and luckily there was free entry on the day. I ended up climbing to the top of the stadium and soaking in the sun as it set behind Ardittos hill.

Gate of Athena Archegetis

Situated on the west side of the Roman Agora and built by donations, the front of the gate is frequented by merchants.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

A stone greek theater structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens. In ancient times, Odeons were built for musical contests. This ancient stone theater has gone on to host some of the world’s best musical performances during the last 60 years since its modern day re-opening, including Nana Mouskouri, Luciano Pavarotti and Frank Sinatra, to name a few.