The city with amazing history didn’t disappoint. Ruins that are 2,500 years old and still in amazing shape. Fantastic  food!! Classic European – highly walkable, plenty of places to sit for hours, drink wine and people watch. Our favorite thing to do!

We did the hop on/hop off bus, an electric bicycle tour, a walking tour of the Acropolis and museum, some shopping, and met our friends Ron and Jan for dinner on a gorgeous rooftop terrace.

How did Athens get its name, you ask? Back in the 500 BC time frame, both Athena and Poseidon were asked to give a gift to the city. Poseidon stuck his trident in the ground and produced salt water from the ocean and Athena gave an olive tree. Um, who needs salt water when the ocean is right there? Obviously, Athens being Athens, it chose Athena’s gift. And they built her an amazing temple – the Parthenon – on the Acropolis to honor her gift. But in fear of angering Poseidon, they built him a lesser temple on the Acropolis. Before coming here, I didn’t understand the Acropolis and Parthenon, but here’s the skinny – Acropolis means ‘high city’ and is the massive rock on which several structures – including the Parthenon – are built. It’s being lovingly restored after a millennia of looting, fires and earthquakes.

Now let’s talk about the food. We were a bit apprehensive, but no need to worry.    Tender meats in several forms – kebab, minced, gyro, etc – and scrumptious desserts, flaky pastries, and awesome pita bread. Oh, and the tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini are to die for.  We ate our weight in doner, gyros, ham and cheese rolls, lemon tarts, baklava, and yummy small cookies.  Thank God the plane doesn’t have weight restrictions for us! #badweektodiet

Loved this bucket list place. Will likely return.