Wednesday 03.08.2011 – part two

Well… time for todays’ adventures

First of all I have to mention that the weather was HOT HOT HOT! We weren’t sure where to start but figured that out very quickly .

First of all we went to the National Gardens of Athens, such a lovely and green place.
The National Gardens is a public park of 15.5 hectars in the center of Athens. Located behind the Greek Parliament Building and continues to the area where Zappeion is located. There are 4 entrances to the Gardens. A really beautiful place.

From there we went to Zappeion; conference and exhibition center. A building of the National Gardens of Athens, generally used for meetings and ceremonies; private and official.

Nearby is the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and since I didn’t go there last year I figured this is the time to do it.

The view from the Temple.

Between the Gardens and the Temple you come across an excavation of Roman Baths of Zappeion. The excavation is located along Amalias Avenue in centre of Athens.

After taking pictures of ourselves and taking pictures of a group of some Asian tourists it was time for new destinations. BUT where? We’re kind of in a go with the flow mood. Whatever comes to mind you know… It’s holiday time…freeeeedom

Soooo off to Kolonaki. Kolonaki is a neighbourhood in central Athens. Located on the southwestern slopes of the Lycabettus hill. A wealthy, chic and upmarket district; a fashionable meeting area.
My boyfriend tells me that famous people in Greece go there when they go out; I asked him if it was something like Hollywood, on what he replied yes. So, from now on I call it Grollywood. Lovely place, very nice buildings but a “little” too expensive for my taste

The most natural place to go from there is Mount Lycabettus (it actually has a variety of names).
We stopped a place before reaching the top to take pictures. At the same time a jeep stopped nearby; out comes a balloon of a man (we later understood it was a bodyguard) and two more men. We couldn’t figure out who they were, but played with the idea that the younger of them was a prince from somewhere.
After few unsuccesful self-timing shots with the camera; the “prince” offered to take our picture. So now, in our album we have a picture taken by a prince… Yeah yeah…the wonders of the imagination.

But the most important thing is that Mount L is located 277 meters above sea level. We drove as far as we could; but it always comes a point where you can’t drive anymore. Well, I love walking and am all about that, but this…. I think I died few times before we reached the top. The Mount L is actually the highest point in the city that surrounds it. At it’s peak is a 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre and a restaurant. The view is simply magnificient.

After we arrived the top I asked for a bottle of water, not a glass…. I seriously think it’s time to quit smoking. We took few pictures up there, a lovely lovely butterfly flew by, but of course I had set my camera on BLACK AND WHITE!!! Yes, I prefer black and white photos, but not when we’re talking about butterflies…jeez…

So we went ALL the way down, drove back to our neighbourhood to…yes, you guessed correctly, EAT!
A lovely place called Ladokola. There are five of those restaurants in Athens. Great food. NOT served on plates! Yup! Ladokola means waxed paper sheets. So you get your food served on paper sheets You order several things and they are all placed on the table so that everybody can get a piece of everything. Might not look so great, but the food is really good! Highly recommend it!