Toby and Allan in Greece 2025

Wednesday May 28 was a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 27C.  We decided we wanted to return to a coffee shop we had visited in 2017.  It was in the Thissio neighbourhood not too far from the Agora.  We walked to the nearest Metro and took it two stops to Monastiraki and then walked from there. There was an area within the Monastiraki Metro station that contained remains of various settlements dating from the 8th century BC to the 19th century AD.  The settlements came to light during the construction of the Monastiraki station.   The underground river bed of the Eridanos river (the ancient "River of Hades" was also discovered inside the station. History is ever-present in Athens- even in a busy metro station We walked by the Ancient Agora of Athens, a large public square northwest of the hill of the Acropolis.  The Agora was the heart of public life in the city.  Here democraccy was born and flourished.   The Ancient Agora of Athens At the bir...

Tuesday May 27 was another beautiful day with a high of 27C.  This is beginning to sound like a broken record but we have had fantastic weather throughout our trip with only a few exceptions (luckily our travel days!).  We decided we wanted to stay outside today and explore the Kolonaki district just north of us.  It is a fashionable district with lots of small shops and restaurants.  Lots of tree-lined streets and flowers.  It also contains some great museums, but unfortunately most museums in Athens are closed on Tuesdays (a major reason to make it a day to wander Athens). Passing interesting relief on a wall We passed one of my favourite jewellery stores in the city, where I had purchased a small necklace in 2017.  Beautiful window at Katerina Ioannidis and selection of Greek themed pieces done with a modern twist. Outside the jewellery store We wandered some more, checking out some great specialty food stores.  We then went into a cool clothing sto...