Here, even the ruins look like they were placed on purpose.
The scent of orange blossoms hit me the moment I stepped out of the Athens airport, and right then I knew I had picked the perfect time. Spring in Greece means that golden light that shows up early in the morning and lingers until everyone is ordering a frappé on a stone terrace. I spent my first morning at the Acropolis before the crowds, Yuuki tucked into my backpack, and I swear that seeing the Parthenon in that light is worth every mile of the trip.
But wait, because here's what nobody tells you about Greece in spring: the islands are still easy to reach, the beaches are almost empty, and the locals still feel like chatting. On Santorini, I missed my bus to Oia and ended up walking forty minutes along the cliffside trail with my luggage, and it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me. Wild anemones were growing between the black lava rocks, Yuuki was watching the Aegean Sea through the fabric of the bag, his head tilted to one side. I wouldn't trade that kind of mishap for anything.
The food completely won me over too. I was expecting the classic Greek salad, and instead I found village tavernas serving garden vegetables roasted in olive oil with a smoked cheese I had never tasted anywhere else. Seriously though, you have to get away from the main streets and look for the tables without a menu translated into five languages, that's where the magic happens!
My favorite moments!
A day trip to Aegina
Taking the early morning ferry from Piraeus was one of the best decisions I made in Athens. Yuuki had his ears perked up the moment the boat left the harbor, as if he knew something good was waiting for us. Aegina in spring is an island that is still quiet, with cobbled lanes that smell of pistachio trees in bloom and cats napping on the edges of fountains. We walked all the way to the Temple of Aphaia without running into many people, and that kind of solitude is something you just can't picture from Athens!
Kolonaki terraces
Kolonaki caught me off guard. I was expecting a cold, fancy neighborhood, and instead I found flower-filled terraces where Athenians spend hours doing absolutely nothing, and it is sugoi as a way of life. Yuuki settled onto the chair next to mine with a confidence that was hard to argue with, and nobody thought it was strange. Here, the frappé always arrives with a glass of cold water, a tiny detail that says a lot about the way people welcome you in this city.
Century-old loukoumades
There are loukoumades shops in Athens that have been around for more than a century, and you can feel it the second you push open the door. The hot oil, the honey dripping down, the golden dough puffing up in the fryer. I ordered a portion without really knowing what to expect, and I swear Yuuki poked his head out of the bag at the very first whiff. We ended up ordering a second one, which 'almost' never happens to us!
Top things to do ♡
