Pre-Cruise: Adventures in Athens (Part II)

We spent on our third day in Athens touring around the city on the Athens Open Tour (Hop-On-Hop-Off) Bus. We had purchased our tickets the day before for €15 per person for two days. It was the cheapest option, which was why we decided to go with it. We took the bus to Syntagma Square. We walked around for about five minutes when we realized the stores looked really familiar. We were just here yesterday. We were in Plaka! Then, it dawned on us: Everything is super close in Athens. Who knew? It seemed so far on the map, but Syntagma Square ended up being a brisk 15 minute walk from the Acropolis.

We had seen the Athens Public Market on the bus, but no stop in the area meant we had to walk backwards from Syntagma Square. The fruit, vegetable and meat market (Varvakios Agora) is a lively place. I love seeing how markets operate overseas, and discovering all the different types of fruits, veggies and meat available to the people. I work in the produce industry, so I especially like looking at all the fruits and vegetables. The buzz from the merchants and locals in the many halls of the agora is an exciting feeling, even if you're not buying anything.

We had dinner reservations that night at our hotel restaurant, Acropolis Secret Roof Garden Bar Restaurant. The food was delicious but our meal at Liondi was still number one in our books. We had a grilled octopus, and a Greek salad as starters. I had a chicken souvlaki, while the boyfriend had fish.

Now the big draw to having dinner at the expensive hotel restaurant was the gorgeous unobstructed view of the Parthenon at night. While we did have an amazing view of the Parthenon throughout the night, it was not easy to photograph (especially without the proper photography equipment and the many people crowding around the restaurant). You really need to be there to soak it all in.

From Athens, we board the Carnival Vista. Embarkation Day is up next! Haven't read Part I yet? You can read the post here!