Updated:
My Athens trip was one of those things that just happen randomly. I had no intention of going there when l left Los Angeles for a vacation. London was actually my destination. As usual, l had my two week vacation and was perfectly happy to spend the whole time in the beloved city. Judging from the photos, l peg this as around 1997.
[the_ad id=”13767″]
I am able to deduce this, thanks to the mini video camera l was holding. It was my latest electronic crap that l used maybe 4 times and promptly forgot about ๐ . It cost me over 2 grand and they released a new version like 4 weeks later. What a wasteful idiot l was in those days. I won’t even tell you what l ended up doing… too shameful!
The Athens trip happened about 5 days into my London trip. I remember my friend M. and l walking down Clapham Junction area and seeing one of those holiday offers at a travel agent window. The price was really manageable and we impulsively went in and booked the holiday for 2 days later, and off we went.
[box] CLICK HERE TO FIND THE BEST PRICED ATHENS HOTELS[/box]
Memories of the Athens trip include:
- The awesome street food. My God, forย a lover of Gyros like myself, l couldn’t get enough of it from the stands that were all over the city. They also sold the best french fries l have ever had from those carts too. Thick and salted. All these years later, and l still crave them. Better than in Belgium! Yep..I said it ๐ .
- Shopping at the flea markets for souvenirs. The Monastiraki flea market especially. My friend went to Athens, and all l got was this lousy tee-shirt. Funny and new in those days. I bought the most awesome chess set there too. It weighed a ton and cost a mint, but l enjoyed playing it for years under the tutelage of my then boyfriend. I still suck at chess and wonder which one of my friends ended up with that set when they helped me clean out the house, readying it for sale. Lucky bastard ๐
- Loving the motorcycle cops. Their uniform was head to toe black leather, of which l was a big fan ๐ ! My friend was however, was immune to the allure of leather. Nonetheless, l found a coffeehouse that was a hangout for the cops close to our hotel and made sure we hung out there a lot so l could drool! She got hit on, so it was ultimately a good thing.
- Visiting the landmarks in Athens, including the Parthenon in the Acropolis. They were of course under construction then, and I’m sure they are probably still under construction, pretty much like other ancient monuments. We did one of those guided tour deals, and it was a lot of fun as we got to interact with other tourists.
- Ferry ride from Athens to Hydra. The day was sunny, clear and beautiful, just like the island.
- Our last meal in Athens. We had the most amazing food at this restaurant that had a magnificent view of the Acropolis. Greek salad, Souvlaki and other Greek specialties were some of the things l remember consuming. We let the waiter bring us what he felt were the best. Pricey, but delicious. We also got an extraordinary amount of free Ouzo along with our wine. major headache the next day, and l still haven’t touched Ouzo since ๐ .
Related Reading: 3 sides of Athens
Click for your free quote onย Travel Insurance
Our trip to Athens was five days long. We really enjoyed ourselves. It gave me an overview of the city. I wouldn’t mind going back for another visit. I know they have a huge ongoing crisis and every tourist dollar helps. We don’t have it as a destination in the foreseeable future as there are so many other places we would like to see for the first time. Federico has also been there with his friends, so it is somewhere pretty low on the list. Santorini calls our name though, so you just never know. Neither one of us has been there ๐ . There you have it, my Athens trip flashback. Boy! What l wouldn’t give to find more pictures of my past trips.
You might also like: Athens Postcard
Have you been to Athens or anywhere in Greece? If so..did you have a good time? Would you recommend it as a must visit?
[the_ad id=”13768″]
I loved Athens when we visited. Though we only had a couple days. I would have loved more time there.
Just a side note… I have never learned how to play chess! Crazy right?!
It was really nice! Such a shame with all the problems ๐ . I most definitely want to visit Santorini though. It looks so pretty and romantic. Don’t worry, l forgot completely how to play chess ๐ .
Looks like an interesting place to visit old world ancient site appeal to me. But to be honest Athens is not on my list of places to visit. I enjoy reading your story Athens trip flashback. Something about street food seem to always taste better ” fries”.
I love living history, so l enjoyed it a lot. That being said, it would suck if everybody liked the same places ๐ . Can you just imagine? You’re right though, something about street food always makes it more delicious..haha!
Between your street food mentions and your ferry ride, I have plenty of new reason as to why I want to visit Athens. And not to mention the shopping!!!
I know right? I bet now the prices are really reasonable for stuff thanks to the crisis. Sort of like they are here. It’s definitely worthy of a visit, and there are so many islands, it would be almost impossible not to find one to like ๐ .
Athens is my next destination! Hopefully the gyros are still as good as they were for you!
Oh You lucky one ๐ ! I am sure the gyros will be hot and waiting for you. So good, you almost want to eat the wax paper ๐ . Enjoy and l look forward to reading about it!
I have yet to visit Greece. It seems like my list of places to see is never ending. I’d love to spend a few days in Athens and then island hop for a bit. I can imagine how good the food was. Like you, I love a good gyro. This post is inspiring me to dig up old trip photos. I wonder if I can find any from the times when I used to visit Jave before we got married. I think a lot of those photos got lost when my laptop crashed awhile back.
You really should dig those pictures up. I think it’s always fun to revisit places. I have so few of them. Like you, our system crash lost us a lot of images which sucks. I would love to see your old pictures with Jave ๐ . The list never ends, that’s why l was saying this is not near the top. There are so many new ones, that it’s impossible to revisit already seen places (except for the loves like London) ๐ . Mmmmmmm..the gyros ๐ ๐
Very nice! I too remember the deliciousness of Gyros in Greece (although I haven’t tried any in Athens, and they might be even better than what I remember) and how great the people serving you in restaurants are… they always bring you free drinks and goodies, making you feel completely overwhelmed. And maybe some day there will be an article about that video camera :))
Weren’t they just super delicious! It might be worthy of a trip, just to go back and eat some right? I’m pretty sure they are good all over Greece, not just in Athens. You’re right, excellent service. I really am a bit ashamed when l think of how really wasteful l was with money in those days. Really, had l had the sense l developed in later years, l would be worth double, at least..what l am now ๐ . You live and learn..hahah!! I might tell the story someday..as a caution to other wasteful people..haha..maybe a collection of short wasteful things..
I’m drooling thinking of gyros and souvlaki and all the other delicious Greek food goodies! While we’re busy exploring around Portugal and have another road trip to Spain planned in May we’re keeping in mind that CHEAP airfare in Europe is one of the perks of living here – Lucky us! Greece is a destination I’ve longed to visit for years and your post reminds me of many of the reasons I need to make it a priority on our trip list! Anita
For sure, the ticket prices around Europe was a big deciding factor for us. The food has me drooling too, it was just so good. I think if we visit Greece, we would definitely make Santorini a priority, it just looks so awesome from all the pictures l’ve seen. The food would be fantastic of course. We can’t wait to explore Portugal too, and more of Spain. I really hope we get to meet you guys at some point, either here or there ๐ .
The mention of street food makes me want to go there lol I love food!!! Plus being able to see a historic site wouldn’t be a bad thing either lol.
Hahah! I hear you. Food first, everything else later :-). It is certainly a place that connects all the senses. I wonder how it is 20 years later with everything that’s happened. I wouldn’t mind going, but it would have to be an insanely cheap flight ๐ . That certainly does happen from time to time, so l will keep my eyes peeled.
Sounds like a beautiful place to visit. I’ve never been Greece or anywhere overseas. I need to get out more often.
Once you get going, it gets so hard to stop. Almost addicting ๐ . It really is a beautiful place and so many, many islands there too. One has to be just right :-).
Athens truly looks like an amazing place to visit. I have always wanted to go there.
I don’t think you would be disappointed ๐ . I can only imagine its even more beautiful than it was 19 years ago, and it was pretty impressive then ๐ . Hope you get there soon ๐
I’ve never been to Greece before. Amazing scenery.
It was my one and only time, and it was great. I wouldn’t mind going again ๐ .
The wannabe, status-delayed-to-all-places-till-kids-a-little-older, traveler here has not been to Greece. I love gyros and all Greek food. Your description was mouth watering. Except when we ate Greek in Germany, we always got that complimentary ouzo at the end. I always hated that free ouzo. Uck.
Have you always wanted and loved to travel?
Terri
Haha! Love your description, but you forgot to add..will be traveling before you know it because time flies Diva :-). Greek food is so good. Anytime we run into one, we always make a stop if it looks good. I hate ouzo too ๐ . Yes, l have always wanted to travel. My dad and mom traveled a lot. He was one of those people with like 10 passports glued together and my mom loved traveling with her church group over the years. Pretty much all the kids love travel and l doubt there is a corner of the earth at least one of us hasn’t been :-). I did not want kids and just wanted to travel, didn’t even want to get married and turned down 2 proposals over the years. Federico’s love of travel was one of the things that made me relent..hahah!!! ๐
That is fun family background. I think my kids will be like you. And hopefully, by homeschooling we’re making them more “global.” That was the reason we homeschooled–because we love to travel and didn’t want to be tied down to a school schedule. But MAN do toddlers make it so hard to travel, or even want to travel. Oh, well. I love reading your travels and sharing your thoughts with my hubby.
I think your kids will be adventurers all the way ๐ . The last house sitters we had just recently are homeschooling their two kids as they travel, they certainly seem well rounded to me. Originally from Australia and have been to over 5 countries in the past 2 months. The younger one is 5 though, so not a toddler as l would imagine that would be hard indeed ๐ . Glad you’re loving the stories.. thanks.
I’m so jealous! This is my dream vacay! Beautiful photos- you look great! Nice recap
Thanks Valerie! I so enjoy finding old photos. It was one of the only good things about clearing out our storage when we went back to the States, finding a few of them as we lost them all when the computer crashed. Thanks for going down memory lane with me, and hope your dream becomes a reality. ๐
I want to visit Greece so badly. Athens and the islands are calling my name!
Answer the call…answer the call…answer the call… Is it working? ๐ Santorini keeps calling us too, but l am pushing back so slightly..haha! I am positive you would love it judging from the other islands that you have visited. ๐
I love doing flashbacks of things I’ve done, places I visited, etc. The memories put a smile on my face.
Love them too. You’re right, it always brings a smile to my face. It jars the memory somewhat and l get to relieve the experience all over again ๐
I’ve never been, but it sounds beautiful.
I’m having a hard time keeping up with your blog posts these days Kemkem!
I was there back in 1987 with my mom. She lived in Africa at the time, I was in university in Montreal. She said “lets meet up in Athens”. I have a cool mom.
I don’t have great memories of Athens: hot as hell, huge cockroaches, tons of tourists (even in those days) and very, very rude Greeks. We went to Santorini which was incredibly beautiful and didn’t get the hordes it does today. We also ended up sleeping on a beach somewhere one night because all the island’s hotels were booked up. Pretty crazy.
Nice to remember.
Frank (bbqboy)
Your mom sounds really cool! That must have been so cool. My mom did more the religious places like Israel etc. apart from London. I’m pretty sure we went on the shoulder of the off season so it wasn’t super crowded. Definitely not hot from the jackets we had to wear. Haha! The roaches must have freaked you out. I don’t remember any, maybe because it was colder. If l were to do Santorini, l would definitely go off season as well. I know it has become a must do destination for many. Easy to see why though, it’s gorgeous. Insane that you couldn’t find any room. That almost happened in Cordoba for us. We were contemplating just sleeping in the car, but it must have been safer then to be able to sleep on the beach. I wouldn’t try that now with all the problems, desperate times and all.
The historic buildings are gorgeous! I would love to see them in person.
They are gorgeous, and they have aged very well. I constantly marvel at the fact that they were so well planned and executed. Would never happen nowadays. We cut too many corners and bribe too many people ๐ . Hope you get to see them ๐ .
I love seeing your flashfromthepast photographs ‘cos you’re always so descriptive about what you were wearing or doing at that particular point in time and bringing back those memories of old. The Wonder Years lol!
Surprisingly, I haven’t yet been to Greece and I haven’t a clue why! I would recommend it highly though for the warmth of it’s people, and it’s ancient history, art and culture, and food and drink and ….! My brother and his family are going to Corfu in the summer. Does that count?
It’s amazing how seeing old pictures always clicks something in your mind, and it all comes flooding back. I am so grateful that l was able to find a few pictures lying about in storage. Yes it counts if your family visits. Totally ๐ . Yes, definitely worthy of a visit..history, food, culture, food, and more food ๐ .
Men on motorcycles in leather? Is that still a thing in Athens coz if it is I am packing my bags.
Yep! Definitely caught my attention ๐ . Add the helmet, and l was hooked ๐ . Pack your bag Missy, l’m pretty sure it’s still the uniform!
Kemkem… fun going down your memory lane. Love those spur-of-the-moment trips, esp when leather clad cops are thrown in as a bonus ๐ I live in Idaho, we’re known for our potatoes… now I’m interested in trying fries in Athens. Something I wouldn’t have thought of before.
Those are the best, aren’t they because you don’t know what to expect and they are always full of surprises ๐ . Oh, l love the leather look..totally, very sexy indeed :-). I would have never thought l would like fries in Athens of all places. They put them in those wax papers and you just eat as you walk. Fantastic. Far better than the Belgian fries in my opinion. I would be curious to get your take on it, coming from Idaho ๐ . It might taste like crap to you..hahah!!! Thanks for joining in the conversation. Much appreciated.