Walking Next to Orange Trees in Athens

Hello takealookers!

Again we settle on a virtual tour, this time of Athens. A first thing you notice about Athens is that it's a city of contrasts. Ancient buildings placed in the middle of a very busy modern city, amazing antique structures standing in the opposition to modern, beautifully graffitied walls. It's truly fascinating to see how the old life coexists with the new. 

As you might already know Acropolis is the star of Athens, it can be seen from almost every corner of the city. I'm not gonna go into the historical facts here, but I'd love to share an Acropolis related story. Apparently, in the 19th century the main rule for construction was that all new buildings in Athens should be such height so that from every rooftop Acropolis can be seen. I'm not sure if the Greek today have honored  this fully, but it was certainly my impression. What impressed me the most about the Greek was their appreciation of their culture. A perfect example of that for me was the Acropolis Museum, an amazing building that hosts pieces collected from the Acropolis that so wonderfully glorifies Acropolis itself, but also the history and the culture of this people. The museum is built on the graveyard that was discovered when the construction started and therefore it was incorporated in the structure. It stands on tall columns with glass floor which allows you to observe the excavations below. Truly wonderful!

    

 

To Athens you clearly go to see the history and amazing places such as Acropolis, Agora, the Olympic Stadium and alike. However, there're definitely more reasons to visit it, primarily, exciting, busy life of lovely neighbourhoods such as Plaka and Monestiraki. These old neighbourhoods have so much soul you wouldn't believe it. Small, narrow streets packed with little restaurants, cafes, cake shops, small art shops, it's really a lot of fun spending some time discovering these little corners and just enjoying the hustle and bustle of this city, because one thing that's true of Athens is that it's full of spirit. It looks to me that the Greek love to spend their time living on the streets of Athens, walking around, hanging with their friends in bars and restaurants, chatting and just taking their time to enjoy the day. This is definitely one thing to take and learn form the Greek. So make sure to take your time to explore and just enjoy. Also, if you're into exploration checkout antique shops in Plaka, I personally love browsing such shops in a hunt for hidden jams and a good bargin. Plaka is packed with little second hand shops and little flee-markets. It's great fun browsing around and digging out some uniques, beautiful pieces. 

Athens for me was definitely one of the places I know I could live in. If you ask me it has it all, history, modern areas, beaches, lovely lively neighbourhoods, amazing food and orange trees. Orange trees are stars of Athens, you can see these orange beauties growing by the sidewalk in the streets. Just looking at them brought me so much joy, they serve as a reminder of the amazing climate we're in and colourful friendly culture. One day when I finally decide to settle down and have a house two thing on my list of a perfect home town will be orange trees and a beach. 

Alright takealookers, that was our tour for this week.

Next week we're moving east in a completely different culture and side of the world.

Thank you for dropping by and have a good one.

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