My recent trip to Athens is unlike any of my trips to European cities so far because this time around I have some local hosts, Mirela and her family. As such I wasn’t expecting, and I didn’t get, the typical tourist visit which made for a nice change .

The usual photos, photos, photos.

Athens is Greece’s capital city and is one of the world’s oldest cities. I didn’t want to go to Athens with any sort of preconception so I tried not to read up about it too much. What I didn’t realise about Athens, however, was that in addition to being a coastal city (and therefore with a wide stretch of beach) it is also surrounded by many mountains including several ski centres which are only a couple of hours drive away. One of these is the region of Parnassos, more particularly, the village of Arachova where Mirela and her Dad took me for a little day/overnight trip.

Mirela and her family (including her very cute and sweet grandma) were great hosts and their kindness was most appreciated when I was halfway through my few day visit and I came down with some sort of virus which, to put it nicely, upset my stomach and other unmentionable parts of the body. Because of their care this took only a day out of my limited time in Athens. Oh of course I should mention Mili (Mirela’s dog) who also made sure to stay nearby when I wasn’t feeling well.

This is how they entertained me for the rest of the time:

On the day I arrived we started off by taking a tram into Plateía Síndagmatos (Syntagma or Constitution Square) which is the centre of the city though we got off before reaching the centre as instead we took a stroll around the base of the Akrópoli (Acropolis.) Lit up at night the Acropolis was truly beautiful but next time it will be nice to visit in the day to be able to truly appreciate its history. We also saw Athen’s version of the Portobello Market – Monastiraki Flea Market – which unfortunately was closing down so I didn’t get to experience just how busy it apparently gets.

Ermou Street is kind of like Oxford Street of Athens – long, lots of stores, in the heart of town, and busy. We stopped off to try some local coconut and chestnuts and miniature horses. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take any of them home as pet.

Photos of Syntagma and the Christmas Treet and decorations:

Its interesting to compare the “after hours” culture of the Greeks and the British. In England this time is normally spent in a pub whereas in Greece, or Athens at least, its all about the cafe. However, these cafes are not ordinary cafes and are actually cafe/bars. Very funky bars. Mirela took me to Balux Cafe right on the coast of Athens and only about 5-10 minutes drive from her home. I think it has been recently renovated and is absolutely massive consisting of lots of different lounge areas, a bar, a restaurant, a play station section, pool tables, bean bags, and pool tables. I guess locals come here to drink, smoke and just generally chit chat.

For the other couple of days in Athens we drove up to their winter season village – Arcahova in Parnassos. A couple of hours drive away up in the mountains I was extremely excited to see a lot of snow! It was so white and pristine and so thick on the ground. Mirela started a snow ball fight before I’d even gotten fully out of the car. I was hoping we were going to be able to build the biggest snow man ever but unfortunately I fell victim to that virus and couldn’t muster the energy. Still, whilst I was 100%, I could still appreciate how amazing it was to be up in the mountains and in the middle of the snow. Mirela’s family’s home in the mountain was very comfortable and cosy. Love their fireplace which we used to cook some sausages for a midnight snack.

The really gorgeous pics of the snow and mountains and sunset …

I had a fantastic time in Athens and I really have to thank Mirela and her family for giving up their time to show me around and look after me. Also I have to thank Mirela’s grandmother for all her cooking and caring.