Our first day in Athens started poorly and ended well.  We disembarked with approximately 200 other passengers for our Athens extension with Holland America.We boarded the provided transportation and were shuttled to their contract hotel. Any excursions or activities were on us to arrange.

When we arrived at the  hotel there were huge lines because, not only did Holland America use this hotel, but at least two other cruise lines did as well. We were able to pre-check-in after about an hour but our rooms wouldn’t be available for several hours. They would keep our luggage for us but the large room where they put luggage had very little monitoring.  I didn’t care so much about the luggage but we didn’t want to lug around our technology in shoulder bags to go out and about. They probably would have all been fine but we didn’t feel confident.    So we waited with many other people doing the same thing we were. 

An experience isn’t wasted if we learn from it which we did.  Don’t do this again!  We should have arranged for private transportation to a boutique hotel that wouldn’t have hundreds of people checking in at the same time.   Then we could have checked in, left our luggage if needed, and gone about our day in Athens.

We did eventually get our room and were able to find our way to our evening destination. We had booked a food tour!  That would be no surprise for those of you who have been reading for a while. 

We found our guide, Pascal, and were joined by other couples from the US, England and Brazil.

Our first stop was for pork gyros and chicken souvlaki.  They were both delicious.   

During conversation we learned that, in Greece, their main meal is lunch. It is served sometime between 1-4.  Dinner, served from 5-8, is a lighter meal.  Thessaloniki and Crete are considered the best Greek foodie cities. 

We walked through an area called Little Kook.  It is decorated five times a year.  Most recently it had been Alice in Wonderland but was now Halloween.  Next would be Christmas.  It is a neighborhood effort for both locals and tourists.

Our next stop was a very cool looking restaurant for Greek pies.

We had pies with spinach filling and some with a type of ground meat.

Our next stop was for a Greek pizza called Petnirly.  This food tradition came to Greece with workers from the Black Sea. Notice the boat shape. Petnirly have a variety of toppings and are eaten at any time of the day.   

After all those snacks we were off to dinner. This was served to us at a restaurant that used to be a famous coffee shop in the 1840s. It was an important gathering place after the Greek revolution.

We had moussaka, calamari, and a dish similar to moussaka made with pasta. We also had greek salad and tomato stuffed with rice.

We also had a view of the Acropolis from our tables.  There is almost always a view of the Acropolis from anywhere in Athens!

Our last stop was for Loukoumades!  

These are a deep fried doughnut type dessert with various coverings.  What a way to finish!

We were in Athens on October 1, 2023.

Next up:  We tour Athens and visit the Acropolis.