Our last few days of the trip were spent in the scorching hot Greek capital, Athens. A lot of people told us Athens wasn't worth seeing or it was way too dangerous at the moment due to the economic crisis/riots/protests etc...
 |
| no clue what it says, but love me some greek writing |
We actually loved Athens! Not in the way we did Istanbul, but just in the fact it generally seemed just like any of the cool bustling European cities we have visited. Yes, it was very apparent there is economic strife. Everywhere you turn there is graffiti laden alleyways and buildings, streets of dilapidated buildings and broken windows and red paint splattered all over the main plaza. To be honest, we have seen these sorts of sights in other cities and never once felt threatened or scared while wandering the streets of Athens...In fact, we wished we had more time there.
 |
| standard sight |
 |
| not fans of police |
 |
| we skipped this fruit booth (!) |
 |
| art? |
 |
| famous square where demonstrations/riots occur |
 |
| wandering the marked up alleyways |
Being the last couple of days on our trip, we had no real itinerary in Athens, except the Acropolis and a few other ancient structures. Slept in for once and by the time we got to the Acropolis it was packed with tourists and the heat was so intense people were clamoring for any tiny bit of shade a rogue olive tree had to offer. None of this though took away from the spectacular structures we laid our eyes upon and it was very fitting to end our final days of the trip in the historical center of Greece.
The Acropolis is perched high above the city and has the best 360 degree views of the massive city below.
 |
| ancient seats |
 |
| inscribed pillar |
 |
| yanni once played here |
 |
| large-scale construction |
 |
| the only structure not being renovated |
 |
| view from the top |
 |
| theater of dionysos |
The highlight for us was the Parthenon. Even though it had a ton of scaffolding and cranes in the midst of restoration projects around it, it truly was a sight to see. I mean this thing has been around since sometime in the 430's BC and it's just so gigantic and I have no clue how something so elaborate was made so long ago and still is standing (in pieces obviously).
 |
| parthenon |
 |
| nice tourist took this |
Funny side note, there was a lot of inscribed marble posts with phallic symbols engraved into them???
 |
| hairy mons |
The rest of the time we just wandered the Plaka, and the National Gardens and soaked in our last little bit of Greece. Jimmy swore he saw Scarlett Johannsen so we stalked a store front like sicko paparazzi would only to discover it was not her of course...
We happened to stumble upon the changing of the guard in front of the Parliment building. It was a combination of bizarre and silly to us, but I am sure there were very important historical reasons for wearing those outfits and while doing odd marching movements.
 |
| takes his job serious |
 |
| tomb of the unknown soldier |
 |
| great accuracy |
 |
| cute socks and skirts guys! |
Capped off our last night of the trip with our final traditional al fresco Greek meal and then some late night ouzos on the rooftop of our hotel checking out a lit up view of the Acropolis in the distance.
 |
| cheers babe! |
 |
| why thank you! |
 |
| looks much cooler in person |
So that is all she wrote as they say...This trip was honestly way to much fun for us, I can't even put it into words really. The amazing food, people we met, sights we explored and experiences we had were just dreams come true for us and reaffirms our love for all things European!
THE END...(until the next trip we are currently brainstorming about:)
 |
| muah greece! |
