Love this and your pics as always! Saving this - I've been dying to go to Greece for so long now. Did you find that it was easy to communicate? Did you learn some basic Greek?
Thanks Valentina! The culture and people definitely felt like long lost cousins of Italians, very warm and open people we met. Communications I didn't have one problem, everyone spoke english which was very lucky for me, I only learnt the basics - hello, thank you, good morning, good night etc! But even on the island I went to, I was so grateful everyone spoke english.
Don't skip the neighbourhoods of Pangrati and Mets. Pangrati, where I lived for two years, tempts with its subtly elevated food scene—think local, a bit edgy, always surprising. Mets, on the other hand, charms with its graceful residential architecture; stroll the streets and you'll feel the quiet pulse of authentic Athens. Craving a dose of modernity? Head south to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, a luminous landmark designed by Renzo Piano, where glass and green blend seamlessly into the city’s future.
Hi Rosemary! Emily Lush (wander-lush.org) does some amazing alternative, authentic travel guides around this area and I just found a bunch of her guides for Croatia: https://wander-lush.org/?s=Croatia . Let me know if you found some good places there! Katie
Aw thank you, felt a bit nervous putting this out as I'm really no Athens expert but I liked the photos too so pushed myself to push through and publish!
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
Thanks for the wonderful reminders of the pleasures of Athens. I too only had a few days there in the 80s, after we overstayed on IOS and Santorini. I feel as though we did similar things and I clearly remember the flea markets. A trip down memory lane…thanks.
And now to plan a return armed with your excellent research.
I’ve never been to Greece and will absolutely be saving this for when I get there (hopefully next year)! I also love the concept of making a list for “what I’ll do next time I go” for any place - I think its a creative way to reflect on your visit, and a realistic approach to knowing that there’s always more to see and do, but we may as well take our time to soak it in without pressure to do it all in one go.
Great you are headed there, I can't believe I'd never been to Athens before either, coolest city. I'm definitely not a bucket list kind of person, I always get together a million addresses in google maps in advance so I have them on hand and then flow with whatever I feel like doing when there because I mean, if you're on holidays, you should enjoy yourself!! And yes I think it's always good to have a reason to go back ;) no need to lament xxx
Love this and your pics as always! Saving this - I've been dying to go to Greece for so long now. Did you find that it was easy to communicate? Did you learn some basic Greek?
Thanks Valentina! The culture and people definitely felt like long lost cousins of Italians, very warm and open people we met. Communications I didn't have one problem, everyone spoke english which was very lucky for me, I only learnt the basics - hello, thank you, good morning, good night etc! But even on the island I went to, I was so grateful everyone spoke english.
Don't skip the neighbourhoods of Pangrati and Mets. Pangrati, where I lived for two years, tempts with its subtly elevated food scene—think local, a bit edgy, always surprising. Mets, on the other hand, charms with its graceful residential architecture; stroll the streets and you'll feel the quiet pulse of authentic Athens. Craving a dose of modernity? Head south to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, a luminous landmark designed by Renzo Piano, where glass and green blend seamlessly into the city’s future.
Thanks for these, next time I am so there!!
Parakalo!
Hi Katie,
I am one of a group of 9 Australian women hoping to do exactly this in Croatia next year. Everything we see is very touristy.
Do you do a similar list of to does or can you suggest someone who does?
Thank you,
Rosemary
Hi Rosemary! Emily Lush (wander-lush.org) does some amazing alternative, authentic travel guides around this area and I just found a bunch of her guides for Croatia: https://wander-lush.org/?s=Croatia . Let me know if you found some good places there! Katie
such a gorgeous, and informative roundup! i could stare at your photos all day
Aw thank you, felt a bit nervous putting this out as I'm really no Athens expert but I liked the photos too so pushed myself to push through and publish!
so glad you did! i haven’t been to athens in over a decade so this will serve as a fun reference for when i return too 😌
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
check us out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com
Thanks for the wonderful reminders of the pleasures of Athens. I too only had a few days there in the 80s, after we overstayed on IOS and Santorini. I feel as though we did similar things and I clearly remember the flea markets. A trip down memory lane…thanks.
And now to plan a return armed with your excellent research.
I think it is time you came back this summer! xxx
Your photos are magnificent Katie, I saw Athens through a different lens and it’s beautiful 😊👏
Thank you Eleni 🩵 I did find it beautiful!
I’ve never been to Greece and will absolutely be saving this for when I get there (hopefully next year)! I also love the concept of making a list for “what I’ll do next time I go” for any place - I think its a creative way to reflect on your visit, and a realistic approach to knowing that there’s always more to see and do, but we may as well take our time to soak it in without pressure to do it all in one go.
Great you are headed there, I can't believe I'd never been to Athens before either, coolest city. I'm definitely not a bucket list kind of person, I always get together a million addresses in google maps in advance so I have them on hand and then flow with whatever I feel like doing when there because I mean, if you're on holidays, you should enjoy yourself!! And yes I think it's always good to have a reason to go back ;) no need to lament xxx