Chasing Boys in Athens

When you live in a country like New Zealand, and come from a relatively immobile family like mine, Europe is a fantasy. Being in Ireland meant that I could live my fantasy of hopping around Europe and catch Pokemon. Or gain life points for myself at least. However, being a travel noob who is pretty much scared of anything and everything, I elected a companion to go with me so that if I get mugged I can run for it while she fights the thugs off, and together we planned a 9-day trip to 5 cities.

With my trusty travel companion by my side, we set forth to our first destination, Athens, the capital of Greece.

In Athena's eyes...

Athens in January is quiet, cool, and calm... actually it's flippin deserted. But the great thing about that is you can roam the streets like you own the damn place. The Acropolis Museum is amazing and free for students so make sure you go there - you will worship the Ancient Greeks for being so incredibly talented and every part of the museum is absolutely flabbergasting you can't help but take pictures despite not being allowed to. (This, I found annoying, because I was sure I could take pictures without flash - each staff member told me something different.) I was caught since there were no body else in the museum except me, my trusty companion, and twenty five security guards and was made to delete pictures on the spot. So I'm afraid no sneak peeks here but the mystery makes it better, right? Since now, you really must go and see for yourself.

Unfortunately January is the big renovation month for the Acropolis, so we could only admire it from afar. The Acropolis may be worth another visit to Greece when it is warmer and sunnier, in sandals and a sheer Grecian summer dress. :)

The view from a cliff. Couldn't help but think we were missing out.

The museum and the walk to Acropolis was intentional, but the other sights were stumbled on, influenced by a messy tourist map and two very handsome occiputs.

The pair of good-looking occiputs belonged to two Japanese guys whom we spotted at Starbucks cafe. (By the way, when you're in Greece, don't waste your money drinking normal coffee like Starbucks - Greek coffee is PRECIOUS.) We tried ridiculous methods to attract their attention but they would not give us a single glance. We sat on the table next to them, a-hemming, ka-chooing, then wheezing and sneezing as if to spread the next round of the plague (creepy, much?). But no. We'd walk to the bathroom and back just to pass their table but we sorta overdid the staring bit because they started shifting in their seats rather uncomfortably before throwing away their half-empty frappuccinos and bolting for the door.

But my trusty companion and I were not going to give up that easily, oho no no. We ran straight after them, and when we saw the two black occiputs turning left, we pranced after them like two kittens after noms. Along our way we saw some of this -

Changing of the guards in Syntagma Square. Yes, a guy CAN look awesome in a dress, tights, pompom, and tassels!

I knew I should have made notes about what this is...

... and this... 

... and this.

A thousand apologies for the lack of information. I have a habit of taking pictures of nice things and not remembering what the hell it was. "Garden in Athens with building with Greek flag and white columns" does not work on Google either. If you know what these photos represent, please leave a comment below.

Long story short those two boys kept dodging us like red laser dots, finally jumping onto a train headed towards the airport. We called it a night and decided to drink our sorrows away, pondering this short meaningful relationship we had and its rejection.

Although it didn't feel like it, Athens is meant to be one of the safest cities in the world. So even if the impression is dodgy, explore the city as much as you can for beer, food, and cheap markets, especially in Monastiraki square. There are many stray dogs but they are extrememly gentle, and the people - although may look fierce, are friendly too. We only stayed for one night, and I guess that was not enough to get a proper feel of the city, especially since half that time was spent on driving two Japanese boys out of the country (oh god why). So go in the summer, and stay for more than a day, and your Athenian enjoyment will be tenfold.