We visited the Acopolis on our first day in Athens before flying to Santorini, but we hadn’t really seen anything else in the city. Day 6 was the day to be a straight-up tourist in Athens.

We had found a cute bistro the night before that wasn’t even a block away from the Airbnb, literally called “Just Made 33 Unique Sandwiches and Coffee.” It was SO GOOD, so we headed there again for breakfast (I had a Greek yogurt with fruit, of course), then took our explorer shoes to the streets.

The first destination was Monastiraki Square, which ended up being my favorite neighborhood.

It was beautiful, there was shopping, and there were restaurants with flowers and plants strewn about on the patios.

It was nice to people watch in the square itself. I watched a kid chase pigeons for a good 10 minutes, and he thought it was the greatest activity ever.

We wandered through the streets and shops, and I took the entire day to decide what gifts to buy for my family.

I’d heard so much about Plaka, and I was excited to explore there next. It seemed very similar to Monastiraki, but slightly quieter. We walked up the famous Plaka stairs, which are full of more beautiful restaurants.

Another difference I’d noticed between America and Greece was how Greeks actively recruit people to eat at their restaurants. We’d just eaten, but we couldn’t walk 5 steps down the street without someone trying to pull us aside to look at their menu, to give us business cards, or to make us promise we’d come back later. I suppose with so many restaurant options and competition, you have to be aggressive to stay in business!

We started walking toward Syntagma Square and landed in the National Gardens. I assumed there wouldn’t be much in bloom in September, but it was still very green and lush.

We chatted with a sweet English couple for a bit, who unfortunately had been the victims of pickpockets that morning. I’d read about how crafty thieves were with tourists, and how that was the biggest crime to worry about in Greece. The couple said one thief bumped into them and distracted them, while the other quickly unzipped the pocket of the husband’s cargo shorts and took his wallet. Just like that, they were out a couple hundred euro. It was a sad story, but we all agreed that it was an eye-opening learning experience.

We left the gardens and went back toward Syntagma Square to catch the changing of the guards. We were a little late, but they walked right by us on the sidewalk around the corner!

We hung out in the square for a bit, and I admired the fountain. A man pulled out an electric guitar and amp and started playing.

There was one more touristy thing I wanted to do, which was to see the Panathenaic Stadium. The first modern Olympics was held here in 1896!

After watching other tourists stand on the awards box, we wandered back along Ermou St., dodging mopeds and motorcycles. It never ceased to amuse me – they drive anywhere and everywhere, including on sidewalks.

I finally decided on bracelets as gifts for my sister, nieces, along with my friend who was watching CL while I was gone. I got one for myself, too. ☺

The next day was the final day in Greece. I was starting to feel satisfied with the trip and was almost ready to be back in Fresno with CL.

This last day was one of the best. We got on a bus that would take us 2 hours west of Athens, past the bungee jumpers off the Korinth Bridge, to the Peloponnese peninsula. Our destination was Nafplio.

Wow. If you’re ever in Greece and want to take a day trip, I highly recommend Nafplio. In fact, I would have gladly cut back time in Athens to spend more time in this little city.

It’s a port city with the Palamidi Fortress lurking high on a hill. The town itself is rich in history, charming, clean, and quiet.

We arrived very hungry, and walked toward the water for food. We ate at either Elatos Tavern or Veto Taverna. They seemed to be the same restaurant with different menus. Since I make waffles most Saturdays at home, I got a waffle with pralines. Heaven.

We walked out to the dock and spotted a “fried egg jellyfish,” which was unlike any jelly I’d ever seen. It looked like it had little poms on the end of its tentacles. I’d say it was cute!

A school of needle fish swam by, along with other little guys. Little known fact – for years I’d planned on majoring in marine biology. I even went to a marine science summer camp in the Florida Keys (shout out to Seacamp, coolest/nerdiest camp ever)! I still love marine life, and could have stared down into the water from that dock for hours.

We kept walking along the seaside trail, past a random water polo section, and around a little mini peninsula that juts out from the city. It was such a beautiful walk, surrounded by trees and water.

We ended up at Arvanitia Beach, and there was a seaside bar playing music. People were lounging and swimming. Did I ever wish I had my snorkle and more time to spend here!

I wanted to walk up the 999 steps to the fortress, but time was a constant limiting factor with a bus to catch back to Athens.

We snaked our way up and down the streets through town, then it was time to go. I so wish we’d done an overnight in that town!

Back in Athens, we grabbed a quick take away meal, then packed up. We had a LONG day of traveling back to the US.

I want to say it was more than 35 hours of travel from the time we got on the airport bus in Athens, to time I got home from SFO.

What a trip! Bucket list item checked off.

It was so great to see CL. At the time of my writing this, I’ve been back for almost 4 weeks. CL is still more needy than ever – he won’t let me forget that I abandoned him for a week. I raised him to be very independent, but I won’t lie – I don’t mind the extra snuggles.