February in Athens

Although the weather the last two weeks of our four week stay was a bit less glorious than the first two, we pushed through the rain, wind and 40 degree days to pull out a very enjoyable trip in Athens.

Athens is a great big city, with lots to see and explore. Unfortunately due to the rain, we didn’t get to do a few of the items on our list – but we were able to get to most of them. And well, now we have an excuse to come back, right?

It was glorious. It was magnificent. I have memories that I will never forget (and pictures to assist when the memories fail).

I was a bit apprehensive about taking on Athens in the winter. I didn’t want to be bundled up; cold and miserable, taking in wonderful ancient sites. And we lucked out! We were spoiled with great weather for our first two weeks – high 50s and low 60s, abundant sunshine and deep blue skies. Coming from snow, ice and freezing temps, we were like kids at Christmas filled with excitement over the warmer weather and sunshiny days. Although it cooled off our last two weeks, the 40s were still pretty decent in which to explore the city.

My highlights include:
Parthenon & Acropolis - So much history! It was amazing to walk around the Acropolis and explore this ancient wonder.
The Temple of Zeus - Originally 104 columns that were 6 ft thick – it was massive! Plus its cool to see the one that fell down and examine that the jig-saw puzzle pieces of each column.
The Ancient Agora – The marketplace – the senate meeting house – the gathering place of ancient times.
Plaka – Fun neighborhood with nice architecture and lots of shopping.