A Frizzy Weekend in... Athens
A weekend in Athens should have been amazing. My plane took off on time, I booked a good quality apartment in a hotel. Ouuu the hotel had one of the communal rooftop bars that everyone loves and the weather was 36 degrees. My idea of real good time. But BAM it just didn't go down like that. Regardless, I've still got you covered, until I spill the T at the end.
First Impressions
As soon as I left the airport I thought "yes, Apple weather wasn't lying for once." The weather was doing bits, properly make you sweat in awkward places sort of hot weather! Then I noticed the landscape with all the hills/mountains and I just stared in awe because the view was so beautiful.
What To Do In Athens
Athen's major pull factor is that the city is not lacking in things to do, plus there is a whole lot of history squashed in the city. There are historical sites posted up pretty much everywhere. The novelty of having lots of historical sites to visit wore off pretty quickly for me though as there were always lots of people about. There are a few places I definitely recommend though.
The remains of what was Hadrian's library. This was the largest structure built by the Roman Emperor. It housed music and lecture rooms plus a massive pool. (If you're a bookworm this if for you)
The National Historical Museum. The building used to be Greek's parliament, and the debates chamber is naturally the first room you venture into. The Museum showcases traditional Greek clothing, warships and some serious weaponry.
The area of Plaka - Grab food down one of the side streets. It's the old neighbourhood of Athens and has a completely different vibe from the rest of the city.
Taking a walk in the National Gardens. It's lush and you can easily explore the grounds for hours getting lost in nature. (Maybe pack some pepper spray to come with you)
Hadrian’s Library
In the National Gardens
Food
Every meal I ate tasted fresh, from the salads to the hot dishes with fish and seafood but as a whole, the food contained no Va-Va-Voom! You know when you eat a meal and know that a lot of love went into it. It didn't feel like that in Athens.
There is one cafe that hands down cannot be skipped though. In Psyrri lies a magical little area, that takes you to a fairyland. I'm talking multi-coloured umbrella installations, candy floss flowers and Mary Poppins galore. The Little Kook, is an unforgettable cafe, serving drinks, crepes, cakes and all sorts of filling forming desserts. Apple Pie with Crumbles is worth every filling.
“There’s definitely something anti in the Athens air! Word to my mumma, I don’t go where I’m not wanted!”
Nightlife
The nightlife in Athens is super lively. There are various nightclub choices in the area of Keramikos, which also get double points because they were right next to restaurants that looked like they were closing no time soon when I left the clubs at 4.30 am. Most clubs allow for casual wear and you can pay for entry via cash or card.
The Penthouse night club has the DJ's that play the bangers, Afrobeats, Bashment, Rnb, Trap. (The name of the club is misleading as it doesn't even have a door let alone a top view, but the vibes were right so no beef) Latin music was doing the rounds in all clubs as I walked down the strip so if you love Latin artists like J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Rosalia you'll be happy.
If you don't want to shake a leg but see yourself chilling with a cocktail and nibbles visit Couleur Locale in the area of Monastiraki. Monastiraki is a really energetic area so even if you don't have any solid plans you are sure to find a motive there. I stayed in the area and the streets never slept.
Wrap Up
I found my time in Athens to be for the most part horrible. Yes, I enjoyed the food and took good pictures but you can really do that in any country and I don't glow around being treated like a second class citizen.
Out in public, I experienced men staring at me for way too long and also shouting comments at me- this was generally the older men. Oh, and in a National Garden, one man took it to the extreme to watch me whilst playing with himself. Proper sickening. For every good restaurant, there was a far from a good one. I was kicked out of the first restaurant I visited because I sent a meal back that looked nothing like what I ordered. Yeah, and waiters went out of their way to refer to me as chocolate when trying to get me to take a seat in their restaurants. Then there were the occasions where cashiers point-blank ignored me and my home girl when we attempted to purchase things.
Two days after I shared my personal experience of visiting Athens on my Instagram I found out through social media that a fellow Black-British woman had been arrested in Athens and was being held without a lawyer or translator. She was accused of breaching sexual decency, something that she has strongly denied and was later acquitted of. So yeah, it's safe to say Athens is not on my list of places to return. There's definitely something anti in the Athens air! Word to my mumma, I don't go where I'm not wanted!
Watch my vlog here to see the cheeky meal I got kicked out of a restaurant over and much more.
Have you visited Athens? What has been your experience in the city?