Spring Walk in Anafiotika

It's March and Spring has arrived in Athens. What better way to spend the day than walk through the streets of old Athens, and more specifically through the streets of Anafiotika. 

Anafiotika is a tiny picturesque neighbourhood, forming part of the greater neighbourhood of Plaka, lying on the northeast side of the Acropolis. 

In 1840 construction workers came to Athens from the island of Anafi in order to help build King Othon's palace (today it is the Greek Parliament building). The construction workers built the first houses in the the neighbourhood according to typical Cycladic architecture, and even today as you walk through the neighbourhood you feel that you are on a Greek island. The houses are typically white with different shades of blue and grey decorating the windows and doors, and bougainvillea flowers are lined around the entrances.

In 1950, archaeological researchers partially destroyed the neighbourhood and in 1970 the Greek state started buying the houses. Today about 45 houses remain unaltered through time, on the unnamed streets. Walking through the neighbourhood you can still see many elements from the past such as ceramic tiles on the steps forming part of the artwork. 

The easiest way to access this unique small neighbourhood situated on the North of the Acropolis, is by the steps right next to "Ai-Giorgis of the Rock". When you start climbing them you will think that they lead to a dead end - keep going up and you will be rewarded with the best view of Athens! 

Photos follow below!

View of Athens and Lycabettus Hill from the top of Anafiotika

Anafiotika #5 - one of my favourite houses in the neighbourhood

The colourful entrance to Anafiotika #4

Walking through the houses

Detail of Marble Drawing

Afternoon siesta by the doorstep

Home entrances...

...and more home entrances

Home garden

And yet another entrance with tiles and plants

Grey vs Terra cotta shades

Day trip to Nafplio

Nafplio is a picturesque seaport town located in the eastern Peloponnese. It was the capital of the First Hellenic Republic between 1823 and 1834. According to mythology the town was founded by the Greek god Poseidon's son, Nafplios. The town's architecture is strongly influenced by the Frankish, the Venetian and Turkish conquerors.

It is about an hour and a half drive away from Athens, making it very accessible for a nice day trip away from the city.

Strolling through the streets in the Old Town

What to see: 

- Walk around the old town, between the narrow streets and head to the Plateia Syntagmatos (Constitution Square) where you will be able to see well preserved neoclassical buildings.

- the Palamidi Castle, which in order to reach it can you either walk 999 steps(!!) leading to it, or you can drive to it. The views from the castle of the town and port below are simply breathtaking. Theodoros Kolokotronis was held prisoner in the castle. 

- the Bourtzi, is a small Venetian fortress on a tiny island right across from Nafplio. You can access it by boat - there are regular departures from the port. 

View of Nafplio and Bourtzi from the top of Palamidi

Where to eat: 

- Savouras Tavern is excellent for fish and seafood.
Bouboulinas St. 79 (by the promenade)
Tel: +30 27520 27704

- Vasilis Tavern is known for its traditional fare ranging from lamb in the oven to many vegetarian dishes.
Staikopoulou St. 22-24
Tel: +30 27520 25334


- Antica Gelateria: for dessert head over to this gelateria which is famous for its authentic Italian gelato.
Farmakopoulon 3 & Komninon St.
Tel: +30 27520 23520

Visit to the Dragon's Cave in Kastoria

The Dragon's Cave was discovered by a local resident in the early 1940's and it is located by the Kastoria lake on the north side of the city. The entrance resembles that of a dragon's mouth and legend has it that the cave was a gold mine which was guarded by a dragon that spewed fire from its mouth to protect the mine. 

The inside of the cave is beautifully decorated with stalactites and stalagmites spread throughout ten different rooms, and there are seven underground lakes making it one of the most unique caves in Greece! A state of the art air recycling and temperature maintenance system has been installed allowing the cave to have a stable temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius and humidity reaching 90%.

There is a guided tour which last approximately 20 minutes and the trail is about 450 meters. 

For more information as well as visiting hours you can visit the website: 

http://www.spilaiodrakoukast.gr/index.php 

Tsukiji Fishmarket - a post midnight visit

The Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, located in Tsukiji, central Tokyo - very close to the Ginza shopping district. It consists of the inner market which is restricted to visitors, and the outer market which consists of restaurants and supply store and is a major attraction.

For me (as for most tourists) there were two main reasons to visit the market - first to go watch the famous Tuna Auctions which take place before sunrise and the sushi breakfast after!

The opening hours to get tickets are at 3:30 am, but I suggest you get there at 3 am if you really want to go get in, because there are only two sets of 60 people allowed to watch the auction and it's on a first come first served basis.

No visit to the fish market would be complete without a sushi breakfast at one of the local shops after you watch the tuna auction. There are a number of places to eat in the market, but since all the signs are all written in Japanese, it is safe to assume that the place with the longest line is the one you should go to. My favorite was Daiwa - Zushi, but Sushi Dai is also quite popular.

Finally, to complete your visit to the fish market there are many small stalls in the outer market, as I mentioned above, selling everything from fresh and dried seafood to plates, cutlery and other specialty items. You can find great gifts there for friends and family as well as for yourself.

Restaurant Locations:

1. Daiwa-Zushi

 Tsukiji Market Part 6 Bldg. 5-2-1 Tsukiji-shijo, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; 81-(0)3547-6797

2. Sushi Dai

Tsukiji Market Part 6 Bldg. 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; 81-(0)3547-6807

 

Specialty items on display in the market stalls

More market stall displays

Crowds waiting for an early sushi breakfast

New Travels in 2015

So it's been a little over two years since my last post, but in the last three months I have traveled so much that I thought I would share my travel experiences with you. I started in the beginning of October with what was supposed to be a "long weekend trip" to Chicago that quickly turned to a 15 day trip to the United States with stops in Miami, Chicago and New York. After that came a long weekend in Rome for my friend's bachelorette weekend, and finally one week after I left to go to Asia for work and visited Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.
I am finally back home (in time for the holiday season!!) and ready to share my adventures with you!!

Day trip to Melissani Lake in Kefalonia

Even though Kefalonia is one of the islands I visit every summer, this was the first time I went on a tour of Melissani - and I have to thank my friend Regina for taking us there! 

For those of you who may have never heard of it before, Melissani is located in Karavomylos, approximately 2km from the town of Sami and it is a unique cave structure with stalactites and a lake inside going down 39 meters in depth. A large section of the cave roof has collapsed allowing the sunlight to permeate and transform the water into the most enchanting turquoise hues. 

 

The cave is open daily from 9 am to late afternoon and you can take a guided tour inside the cave/lake on one of the small row boats - I suggest going there early in the day in order to avoid possible waiting time due to its popularity with the tourists!

Here are some pictures from our boat tour inside the cave - although they don't do much justice to the "live experience!" 

International Museum Day - May 18th

Since 1977 every year on May 18th International Museum Day is organised worldwide. 

Participating museums usually have free admission on this day, are open until late in the evening and have various tours and activities organized in an effort to raise awareness on the importance of  museums in the development of society.

If you happen to be (or live) in Athens and haven't already visited the Acropolis Museum (www.theacropolismuseum.gr) I highly recommend you take the opportunity to do so.

It will be open from 8 am until 12 midnight with free admission for all visitors and at 9 pm there will be a performance by the Orchestra of the Center of Arts and Culture of Dion in the Museum's courtyard by the entrance.

For more information on the day's events you may visit the museum's website:
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/content/international-museum-day-acropolis-museum-celebrates

Furthermore you can visit the Museum of Cycladic Art (www.cycladic.gr) which is participating for its 6th consecutive year in International Museum Day and will be open from 10 am until 12 midnight with free admission.

You can find a complete program of the museum's tours and events below:
http://www.cycladic.gr/frontoffice/portal.asp?cpage=RESOURCE&cresrc=3271&cnode=22&clang=0

Enjoy!!