First, check out my sun burn after the Acropolis and Plaka walks. Horrible, and I was wearing 130 SPF the whole time.
After a quick shower, I headed up to the rooftop dining bar at Melia Athens Hotel. I loved the view there, and hope hubby comes with me next time. I looked at the menu and I really think Greece food is priced very fairly, and best of all, it's healthier than most foods I've taken in Penang or Singapore.
I decided to order the appetizer of cod fish with mashed beetroot, potatoes and fresh garlic. This meal is priced at 5 euros (20 MYR). This experience taught me Melia is THE go-to hotel for great food and great ambience. And this is why I think if I come back again, I will book Melia again. It's not drastic, fancy prices. It's really value for money for serious travellers like myself (who will come again, and tell their friends etc.)
Finally, since I'm not tasting the OUZO (Greek's wine) I decided the very least I could get myself was their local beer, MYTHOS. And as the sun begins to set, and the night turns dark ... in the still of the night, against the soft chatter of the dinner guests .. the Acropolis beckons us from afar. I smiled to myself how nice.
At every table, there is a little olive plant. The olive tree, for the Greeks is a symbol of hope and I'm glad Stella explained this to me earlier. I hope the people of Greece continues to have hope and strength to weather the coming challenges.
Yummy dish I ordered. The cod was very good, and so was the mash.
As you approach the end of the shopping streets, this was the beginning of the street called Monastiraki (please look for metro station Monastiraki on a map if you cannot locate it by first try).
There were quite a number of gyros shops here, so I got one - lamb and beef. Succulent, very tasty!
As I ambled along Monastiraki area, I bumped into a girl whom I also saw walking by herself at the Acropolis site during the morning half. I decided to introduce myself to Anastasia. Together, we decide to walk over to Psiri area (nearby street, please find on map) as Anastasia wanted to try the famous souvlaki place there. I was game.
It was really nice to have some company for a change. Here you will see the actual streets of Athens, the walls are covered with grafitti. Most of the buildings in the city are covered with this. So I decided to take a picture of a Greek guy at his art.
And finally Anastasia and I found the souvlaki place :) What a nice time, by the time we finished the meai, it was already about 5-something in the afternoon. Decided to part ways as I still have to make my way back to the hotel & had heard some stories about cab drivers overcharging. I was left with 2 choices. Either take the metro and then walk back to hotel, OR take the taxi at the Monastiraki area. There was a street where the taxis all lined up (near the Monastiraki metro station). I decided to take the taxi from here. I asked first how much to Melia, and the nice taxi driver said 3-4 euros. I took it & paid him 5 euros instead for this nice experience. My day was almost made. Check out the souvlaki meal Anastasia had :)
At about 1.30PM, our tour ended. You can then make your own way to the Acropolis Museum (entrance fee 5 euros) or take a guided museum tour for another 17 euros plus the entrance fee. I decided have a look at the Museum, so I descended from the Acropolis site & exited left towards the Museum.
It looks like this from the outside, observe the real remnants of the city's ruins which the museum authorities has sealed a glass walkway over. The inside of the museum is very nice but no cameras are allowed:
Still seething from the taxi fares which I paid the day before (for airport pickup), I decided to give this a miss and go shopping at the Plaka. To make your way to the Plaka (main shopping area near Syntagma Square)from the Acropolis Museum, please look for Vyronnos street sign.
But first before you set foot at Plaka streets, make a quick stop at the corner of Vyronos street for a map from the Tourist Information Center. Please ask any of the stall owners there if you cannot find the center. I obtained a very useful map from the center, and the officer there circled the prime areas downtown for shopping and food. See here, please click to enlarge map :
Hunger pangs set in. Hubby will not be happy knowing I am starving myself (again) forgetting to feed myself to go shopping. So I saw this gelato stand, very cute :) I ordered a milky, frothy FRAPPE (cold Greek Coffee) for 1.50 euros (about 6 MYR). Guess frappe originated from the Greeks because it was so TOTALLY WORTH IT !
Coffee & Drinks Menu
Perked up with caffeine boost, I was ready to walk the Plaka streets. Its fairly easy to walk the streets because although it's winding ... you will know to stay on the path because the other side alleys don't have shops. You continue to walk along the path with shops on either side.
Shops are abundant at the Plaka, most of them are selling 100% cotton fibre dresses Made in Greece. But there are stalls selling also spices, knick knacks etc. It was an enjoyable walk along the Plaka eventhough the heat was almost unbearable.
I only captured one or two shops here, selling dresses but there are SO many shops along the street. I was already in shopping mode (sorry bout this). But here are some tips if you shop at the Plaka, expect tourist prices. Means, do not settle for the first price they give you. Make a walk down the street, you probably find another shop selling the same dress for lower price point.
I saw a white Grecian dress with gold embelishments on its waist. The first shop I went in wanted to sell at 60 euros (I could probably get something like this in Bali or Phuket for much less). Still, undetered ... I walked on. Next 2 shops offered around 28-30 euros. I almost wanted to get it, but they did not have white color. Only in dark colors. Finally, as I approached the end of the street I saw a shop around the corner (and if you shop enough, you will know that's a bargain shop). They had tonnes and tonnes of white dresses in all kinds of designs. I asked the one I was interested in for how much. Guess what. 20 euros! (80 MYR). I got it, I wore this the next day during my cruise tour to the Greek islands :D
Some more shops, featuring all kinds of colorful designs. I was pleasantly surprised by the wide range and variety of summer dresses (I love girlie stuff).
Beautiful handmade jewellery, almost wanted to get these.
Up Up Away! Where we go nobody knows ... no, we are headed uphill towards the Acropolis. It's a walk about 20mins if you do it slowly. Along the way, we saw the Theatre of Dionysus - first theatre where they had plays and the bloody gladiators showdown. Along the way, you have to becareful of slipping because the stairs were made of marble, especially when you get to Acropolis site. Our tour guide told us he suffered a slipped disc because of a slip.
To get in, you have to purchase a ticket for 12 euros, but this gives you entry into 3 other archeological sites besides the Acropolis. They also give you 2 flyers one of which is the Acropolis site. The other handout of Athens Guide was from our tour operator.
The Acropolis was a sacred site dedicated to the Goddess of War, Athena. It was the biggest temple in Athens, and sits on top of a hill. It's a amazing to be up there, you could see 360 degrees of the Athenian city. Obviously this location was not by accident. It was magnificent, and I pondered in awe at how glorious the Acropolis was in its heyday, and more so now even in ruins. It's a powerful reminder of Greece & civilization, and people come from all parts of the world to see it.
Ever since I read history of Greece, I have always been intrigued by Greek mythology and way people lived back when. And since Greece is 2 hrs 45 minutes by flight from Hamburg,Germany - I thought I should make this happen.
After plenty of rest the night before, I was ready. I booked a taxi from Melia to the Metro at Syntagma Square for 8 euros. I've booked with Athens Walking Tours via online before I came to Greece. I compared the tours with some others and this was the best one because total price was the lowest, 36 euros (excluded the 12 euros entry fee into 4 major archeological sites)for a walking tour with plenty of stops at sites. I prefer this compared to the hop-in-and-out tour which offered no tour guide (only headphones) or a fully guided tour in a bus which only allowed 3 stops.
We were told to meet below the hanging clock at the Metro station inside.
Meet our tour guide, Aristotle (yes, his real name).
We started walking from the Metro towards the Parliament, braving 40 degrees heat. At the Parliament, we saw the changing of guards.
Next Stop: Greece's National Gardens. Aristotle told us Queen Amalia, who married King Otto (who was the King of Greece at that time ..) wanted to have the gardens near the palace & this was her legacy long after she was gone.
Moving on, we came to 2 other structures the Zappion building and Hadrian's Arch which was a signigicant landmark between old Greece and new Greece.
At this point, I was getting abit restless since it was hard to get pictures taken WITH the landmarks as I was a lone traveller. Wished hubby made the trip with me, but as it is we already planned our trips for the rest of the year elsewhere. There were one or two more lone travellers but the rest were mostly families & couples. To make matters worse, the other lone travellers weren't interested in taking any pictures. So as they say, when the going gets tough, you just ram your way through. Wahaha .. joke.
Anyways, I decided to really take some pictures when we stopped by the Temple of Zeus. It was magnificient, even though most of it demolished throughout the centuries of wars. Aristotle told us the enemies tore down the temple, stole the marble on its floors and gold from the statues. Inside the temple, originally sat the Greek god, Zeus (as pictured).
How I got my pictures taken, I asked 2 girls hanging around the site to take my pictures. How nice. They did .. but then THEY decided they wanted to camwhore as well. Then I had to take multiples under the searing heat because they had so many Facebook poses they wanted to make. But hey, I was probably the same way ... so fair is fair I suppose. Because of this picture session, I was not allowed to take my toilet break because Aristotle only allocated 10 minutes for this site, and this included the toilet breaks. Serves me right.
In my travels, I've not really spent a whole lot on hotels and transportation when it comes to personal costs. I'd rather spend money on shopping. I am a personal shopper after all, and it a pity to see all that awful lot of money go into one night's fee for a hotel which I probably will return at late hours. But if you can, make the place where you stay part of your travelling experience. And I certainly found a great experience at Melia Athens :)
Melia is a Spanish chain of hotels which now has locations worldwide. They've got one also in Kuala Lumpur, which I am not familiar with. The Melia Hotels bear their slogan for their guests that "You are the Journey." At Melia Athens, this introduction was made my room's widescreen TV, and I loved it. I'm sharing it here with you.
My decision to stay at Melia Athens Hotel was spurred by a number of factors. I knew I wasn't going to 'rough' it at budget places in Athens. Safety was on top of the list because at the time of my visit - the media was playing out the Greek elections and addressing the euro crisis at alarming frequencies with anxious undertones; eg. of how Greece was thought of exiting the eurozone, of demonstrations at the Syntagma Square, etc. I was very perturbed about my visit since I will be travelling alone. It must be said and put in perspective, that most of the news that was played out were sensationalized and hyped up.
In my hotel search (and believe you me, I searched quite a number), I sent out email enquiries about how to get around, on general safety and the services offered. Melia was the first to respond, and continuously responded within 1-2 days of every one of my emails even though the mails were received by different staff members. They were also very helpful. For example, when I informed them that I will not book the Athens tour with their partner tour company - they suggested other options from external Athens tour agencies for me to choose and compare. How professionally done! I discovered later their slogan "At Melia, you are the journey." What a precise description of their passion for their guests. Bravo.
Shot of the hotel building front.
This was my room, very spacious, clean sheets and a spotless bathroom. A small premium to pay for peace of mind. Like all other business hotels in Athens, the starting rate is normally 80-100 euros per night (roughly 400 MYR). Knowing I had a budget to work with, Melia's staff helpfully pointed out their promotional online rate of 66.50 euros per night (around 265 MYR) because I kept asking for their "best price" (embarassingly). I was very impressed and it's a hallmark of their wonderful service. For this rate, you will enjoy free wifi at their bar and lobby, free sauna sessions at their spa & jacuzzi in your own room's bathtub. I was already satisfied with the free wifi.
Melia Athens is not located near the Syntagma Square (centre of city). If you are taking the metro from the Athens International Airport, get off at Syntagma Metro stop and change lines for a final metro stop at Paneptissimo metro stop. From here, it is a 10 min walk to the hotel. The map provided by Melia Athens (seen here) also came with clear, walking directions to the hotel. I have to mention here that being a first-timer, I chose not to chance getting lost in the grafitti-ed streets of Athens, it's probably safe but I decided to take the failproof method of booking the taxis via Melia's reception for my arrival and departure. This is more expensive. A taxi ride from the airport to the hotel is 45 euros, whereas if you take the metro it will cost you 8 euros. It would be a different story had I stayed longer in Athens.
I liked the hotel lobby space, cozy with wifi so I can make my daily Facebook postings.
The icing on the cake for me was when Stella, Melia's hotel manager greeted me in person on the day I checked in & personally welcomed me for a drink at Melia's rooftop Sky Lounge. Stella took time to speak to each of her new guests, and I appreciated this very much.
Melia's rooftop Sky Lounge gives a beautiful evening view of the Acropolis all lighted up. I made a mental note to come back here with hubby dearest.
Together with Melia Athens Hotel's manager on duty, the lovely Ms.Stella. We were standing against the beautiful backdrop of the lighted Acropolis from a distance. I felt glad that I made this detour from Hamburg, and even more glad that I chose Melia Athens to do it with :) BRAVO MELIA ATHENS staff members! I wish you all the very best for the future, as you are a testimony of the strength, resilience and the beauty of the people of Greece. I really hope to see you all again.
