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Hello my dearies! How are you? How is the new year treating you so far? Any New Year’s resolutions that we need to know? I am so incredibly sorry that I haven’t written for over a month, but life has occurred and I have been remiss in updating this blog. But I promise you that nothing like that is going to happen anytime soon! I will resume posting as I have done previously and I will give you all the titbits from London life and beyond!
So, New Year, huh? For me it started with a bang, as I was in Athens to visit my other half’s family (and him obviously!). I have to say I was left utterly inspired by Athens and its life. I’ve only been to the capital of Greece twice and the first one doesn’t count! Come on, I was 15 years old, and it was a school trip! We only went to the Acropolis, the Greek Parliament and the market in Monastiraki. That’s it! We didn’t even go to Sounio for goodness’ sake!
The second time I visited Athens was some years ago (seven years to be exact), to see a very good friend of mine, who was studying at the time there. It was the first time I visited the Acropolis Museum (and I was left spellbound) and I strongly recommend it for everyone to visit! It is simply a jewel and probably worth more than one visit. During my time there with my friend we didn’t go out – I mean apart from those places of interest – so it was always my intention to go there and see what’s the nightlife about, places to go for coffee, and in general, have a semi-normal daily routine and in that regard I have to say that my darling didn’t disappoint!
Okay we saw the Parthenon (from afar, mind you) and we visited Syntagma square, but that’s it! One day we walked from the Acropolis tube station towards Plaka, I made friends with all the cats of the area, and even wanted to take one home. I didn’t though, but not for lack of trying! Unfortunately it started raining, and we didn’t have a coffee in Anafiotika, which I’d like to visit, as I have heard a lot of positive feedback about this area of Athens.
Another day we visited a terrific place, called Terra Petra, and had our breakfast there! Warm, extremely chocolatey pancakes with a latte for me and a cappuccino for him and some of the best views in Athens. Terra Petra is a very warm place, with a lot of stonework and wood, and the staff were very friendly, even though it was early in the morning (for Greek normals, and even holiday normals, at least)! If you are lucky and find a place near the front windows, you can see (almost) all of Athens, which is fantastic, for a tourist like me.
Of course Athens is all about nightlife as well! You can’t really go to Greece, visit Athens (or Thessaloniki, I might add) and not have a taste of the local nightlife! And I don’t even mean the well-known nightclubs and bars. You can surely find little diamonds all around Athens , as we did. The one that comes to mind is Half Note. This one is a jazz club, offering you a wide variety of live music events, not limited to jazz music. My boyfriend surprised me with two tickets for the Airlettes show there. The Airlettes are a swing trio from Germany, singing classic and top-of-the-charts songs with a swing and creative flair. We had a lot of fun there and for sure I want to be back.
Another venue that I found really interesting, but wasn’t able to get inside is the Little Kook. What, do you think that only happens in some places in London, like Barrio Central? Honestly, I cannot say how many times I wanted to get in with friends and we were only allowed in once! I mean why? Anyway back to Little Kook. The outside is simply fabulous, with hundreds of lights and miniatures and the inside is the same I am told. Fairytales play an important part in it, so it’s worth a try in my opinion! I definitely want to try their coffee, sweets and cakes as well, so hopefully I can visit it soon!
So, Athens! Do take the time to visit, but don’t limit yourselves to all the well-known (or well-advertised) places. Find local gems, go somewhere unexpected for coffee or a hot chocolate, and in general enjoy life! After all, Greece is the ideal place to do just that!
Till next time,
Sofia-Maria
It Happened Once 