DAY FIVE: TRAVEL TO ATHENS!

The flight to Athens was difficult. Easy travels but because of the late night gig…no sleep. We had a short layover in Brussels and then landed in Athens at 4pm.

We decided to take the metro in because it was connected to the airport and was half the price of a taxi. Good move. Easy, efficient and it took us about 45 minutes to get to our stop.

Our hotel is located in Psiri: A gritty, urban neighborhood on the north slope of the Acropolis. We had no idea. It is definitely not a “typical” tourist area like Plaka. Coming out of the metro we were thrown into the hustle and bustle of Psiri. We barely had time to take in the distant Acropolis because of pedestrian traffic.

We stayed at the Athens Center Square Hotel that is literally located in the fruit market.  It’s hard to see from anywhere and it's even camouflaged to blend in to the market. 

Once we stepped into the lobby, the whole mood changed. It’s a modern, quaint boutique hotel; free breakfast, free wifi (our favorite amenities) and a rooftop garden that overlooks the city.

We rested a bit and then headed out to dinner. Walking through Psiri is like walking through an episode of Homeland. It looks like Tel Aviv, Rio De Janeiro and Egypt rolled into one. By far, it’s the most Graffiti I’ve ever seen in one place. The Grafitti was actually overwhelming. So far, Athens has a jaw dropping contrast of ancient and modern qualities.

Eventually we made it to a walkway that has restaurants and decided upon Lithos.

Let the Greek charm begin.

We started with the Lithos salad: greens, figs, sundried tomato and gruyere.

And then split the whole fish of the day, Dorado.

And lots of house wine.

We went to two different extremes in terms of prices in Copenhagen vs. Greece. Copenhagen is dumb expensive while Greece is crazy cheap! We went from a $15 glass of wine to a $3 glass of wine!

The meal was amazing but even more amazing was the hospitality.

The owner deboned our fish, gave us treats “on the house” and even jerry rigged the cable to work outside so that the customers could watch Germany vs. Argentina World Cup game.

So good! We walked back to the hotel and passed out…after all we were told to get to the Acropolis when it opens to avoid tourist overflow. Night night Athens!