It’s not easy to travel solo but every trip has thought me something. When I left for Athens I was wondering what more can I learn about myself. On Venice I found out that I can enjoy a romantic city if I ignore all the touristic stuff around me, in Barcelona I learned to eat dinner by myself in a restaurant and in Germany that I’m not a weirdo if I walk alone in the rain with a camera!

Well, Athens showed me that I can stand up for myself and it made me realize that I’m the only one responsible for my happiness!

The night that I arrived there was a mixup at the hotel and I end up in a dump hotel, in a very bad neighborhood! But I didn’t settle, I fought for my rights and the next day, right after breakfast, I had my room ready in my initial hotel.

Why I learned that I’m the only one in charge with my happiness? Because I was in a crappy hotel, wandering around a crappy neighborhood, I was crying and I was feeling lonely! But I calmed myself down and asked “And now what? You’re going to bed with an empty stomach just because you’re angry now?” I already done everything in my power and was nothing more to do until next morning. So I searched for a nice restaurant and I found one with a beautiful view and good wine! I had a nice dinner, two (ok, three 🙈) glasses of wine and it ended up being quite a nice night. Right to the moment I got into the room again, but I was already dizzy from all the wine, so I watched Netflix all night, slept for 2hours and at 8am I was in my taxi, heading to the other hotel!

So yeah, I learned 3 things:

I can stand up for myself;
I’m the only one responsible for my happiness and
Wine makes everything better (although, to be fair, I already knew that 🙈).

I washed away my memories from the night before with a long shower, had a nice breakfast and a good coffee and I decided to start my day as if nothing had happened and I started to walk around with no purpose whatsoever and got lost on the streets.

It was a Sunday and I ended up in the Flea Market. I could have stayed there all day long! The amount of tiny things antiques (or not) is astonishing! It’s very crowded so you must be prepared for that!

After the Flea Market I found myself on Pittaki Street. It’s a very interesting street and you should check it out if you’re around. At the end of the street there is an interesting coffee shop. I didn’t visit it, but I heard it’s quite unique. Monastiraki is also an important square, so you should pay a visit there, although it's kind of impossible to walk around Athens without passing by it.

Syntagma Square was my next stop, but it was very crowded so I left quickly and went in search for Plaka Neighborhood. It wasn’t as beautiful as in some photos I saw on the Internet, but in wasn’t summer so that might be a reason! 😬 Still, even in winter time, it’s a delight

Acropolis Museum captured my attention next because it has an amazing architecture. It wasn’t on my list to visit it until I googled inside images. It is a delight for photographers. I guess for archeologists too, but that was not the case. 😏

The next day I went straight to Syntagma (Constitution) Square to see the changing of the guards in front of the Parliament building. Syntagma Square has a long and interesting history. You can read here more about it.

And if if you’re already there pay a visit to Syntagma Metro station, you won’t regret.

The National Gardens were closed that day (nothing specific, on Monday museums are usually open) so I didn’t get to see them nor Panathenaic Stadium. There on my list for next time!

Acropolis was next! I couldn’t wait to get there as it was a dream of mine to see the Parthenon ever since I was little! And I was not disappointed! It is spectacular to be there!

National Archaeological Museum was the last activity of the evening. Quite interesting and definitely should be on your list. If you have to chose between Acropolis Museum and Archaeological Museum, pick the second one, it’s more informative and diverse.

The last day in Athens was my B’Day! I went to Ancient Agora and that was it! Ancient Temple of Hephaestus from Agora became my favorite spot from Athens, so put it on your definitely to do list! I also saw blooming trees and a turtle that day! Born in January, it’s a little difficult for me to see blooming trees, that’s why I mention this. ☺️

The rest of the day was me time: frozen yogurt, shopping, coffee, chocolate, good food and wine! Speaking of good food, there are two restaurants that I really enjoyed: Trata Fish Tavern (in Omonia) and Atlantikos! And for a beautiful view and a great selection of wines, try A for Athens!