Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Athens: Lycabettus Hill and Acropolis

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On our second day we hiked up to Lycabettus Hill – this is the highest point in the city that surrounds it. Pine trees cover its base, and at its peak are the 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, and a restaurant. The view from the top is so beautiful. 
View from Lycabettus Hill to the Acropolys

On the way up to the hill we met a friend who joined us for a two hour walking. 🙂 Actually he was leading us because he knew the way. If we stopped to take photos, he also stopped and waited for us.  During the whole walk we didn’t talk but we knew he liked us… we liked him too.

Look at this photo of him carefully to be sure of recognizing him, if you should travel to Athens someday. And if you happen to pass by there, I beg you not to hurry past. Wait a little, just under the star! Then if a black dog yelp to you, if he doesn’t answer your question, you will know who he is. If this should happen, be kind! Don’t let me go on being so sad: send word immediately that he’s come back…

View from Lycabettus Hill

We carried on walking to the Acropolis. On the way there we passed the Hadrian’s Arch. It is a monumental gateway resembling – in some respects – a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Why is it so important to see the Acropolis? It is because it was the most perfect building built by the world’s most advanced civilization and even though we have been studying it for centuries we are still not sure how they did it – from Matt Barrett. So Acropolis is the one historical site you can’t miss in Athens. The sacred rock on which the ancient Greek temples were built rises spectacularly above the centre of the city. The admission fee is 12 EUR, valid for 4 days and includes entrance to Ancient Agora, Theatre of Dionysos, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Library.

View from Acropolis to Lycabettus Hill

Our next stop was the Areopagus or Mars Hill which is a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis. According to Greek mythology, Ares (the god of war, known to the Romans as Mars) was tried here by the gods for the murder of Poseidon’s son Alirrothios. It is this legend that gives the hill its various names. Another legend says that the hill was the site of the trial of Orestes for killing his stepmother and her lover, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Ancient Agora

In the afternoon we spent some time walking amongst the ruins of Ancient Agora. By this time we were so hungry and we wanted to have a delicious Greek lunch at a lovely taverna. We opened our Lonely Planet guide and looked for a nice place in Psyrri district. We chose Nikitas Taverna (Agion Anargyron 19), an old style family taverna… it was a good decision. Locals swear by this old taverna that has been serving reasonably priced, refreshingly simple and tasty traditional Greek food since well before Psyrri became trendy. It is the only place packed during the day. Sofia, the waitress gave us the menu, which was surprisingly short. We were so hungry, we wanted to order everything. The dishes arrived in a matter of minute… Greek salad, tzatziki, dolmades (grape-leaves stuffed with rice, onions), patates tiganites (Greek french fries), boiled broccoli with lemon and soft cheese. Our table looked like a beautiful smörgåsbord, everything was so delicious.

At sunrise we took photos of the Acropolis. It was so beautiful. We ended our day in a gorgeous cafe-bistro, Yiasemi. We sat down next to the fireplace, drank hot chocolates and ate home made pies. It was a perfect ending of our day.

Stay tuned… more to come!

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