Although Disney's Hercules prepared me for ancient ruins crumbling at my feet and chariots racing around the city's cobbled corners, aside from the obvious slapstick humour, Walt had it pretty much on cue.
Staying a 15 minute bus ride from the hustle and bustle of the city centre at the Poseidon Hotel at Edam Beach, I was only exposed to the ancient essence of Athens merely a day before having to bid it farewell.
To save you from myself, instead of outlining the significant details (how cheap food and booze is) insignificant details of my 'get her to the greek' adventure, in no particular order I present some of the top must do's when in Rome...Athens.
You wouldn't travel 25 294km across the world and not visit the several ancient historical sites that have stood the test of time. Starting at the Temple of Zeus you are given time to explore the site, create typical tourist showreels and shortly pass out from heat exhaustion. What's left of the temple is magical, and your imagination can only begin to wonder what it was like when complete. Buses then ferry you up the hill of the Acropolis (no Jess, not the apocalypse), and allow you to begin the real adventure. Until you've climbed well over 102 stairs (after that things became hazy) you are completely unbeknown to the progress you've made. There is no better feeling that having a 360ยบ panoramic view of anything, let alone the ancient city of Athens.
Consuming what should be an illegal amount of gyros is only normal when visiting Greece.
(Gyros: delicious meat roasted on a vertical spit, wrapped and packed with all sorts of goodness including lettuce, onion, tomato, an unnecessary yet necessary amount of tzatziki and potato filled frites; all compacted quite perfectly into a swiftly wrapped pita.)
A few days in, garlic breath paranoia subsides and you begin leaving the breath mints at home. Ordering a gyros from a restaurant does not count, you haven't tasted your first gyros 'til you've bought it from a street stall. Preferably, your first time shouldn't be heading home from the club half tanked, you'll want to appreciate it.
Whether you're staying at Poseidon Beach Hotel or not, everyone should escape from Athens and visit Edam Beach. During the week soak up that mediterranean sun, European style, on a scalding hot sun-bed in peaceful surroundings. However come on a weekend and you may feel like you've won a mini escape to Bali with endless market stalls of 'raybans', beach balls and sombrero hats on offer.
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