Athens (Αθήνα)

Athens, the capital and largest city in Greece, is one of the world's oldest cities with a recorded history that spans around 3,400 years. (Wikipedia)

I had visited Athens back in 1992 for less than a day and after the few hours that I spent in the city, I was not impressed. Too much traffic, congestion, and pollution. However, my opinion of the city was radically changed after this past visit. As a result of the huge investments in urban transformation to host the Olympic Games in 2004 (estimated at over €10 billion), Athens is a very different city than it was less than a decade ago.

Monastiraki Square

Upon arrival in Greece, we took the train/metro from the Athens airport to Monastiraki Square. After a 9-hour sleepless, overnight flight, exiting the metro station into the lively square was a nice eye-opener.

“The former heart of Ottoman Athens, Monastiraki is still home to the bazaar and market stalls selling everything from junk to jewellery. [...] Monastiraki mixes the atmospheric surroundings of ancient ruins with the excitement of bargaining in the bazaar".

From "Greece - Athens and the Mainland" (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Arriving at the Monastiraki Square under the shadow of the Acropolis

Remains from Hadrian’s Library (built in AD 132) right next to the metro station

View of the Acropolis from Hadrian’s Library

A man selling “koulouria”, the Greek version of a bagel

A video of the kids’ favourite cherry salesman. They repeated his “cherry chant” for days!

We stayed at a hotel in Monastiraki which wasn’t fancy but still had a great view of the Acropolis from our balcony.

Athen’s famous flea market is situated in Monastiraki.

A video of the hustle and bustle of the flea market.

There is an abundance of places to eat outdoors in Monastiraki and the adjoining Plaka district.

And even though we have pigeons back home, the kids enjoyed spending some time with the Greek breed.