Last Day in Athens

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My most dysfunctional day yet. I had a strange urge to by-pass the bus to the Cape this morning, mainly because I wanted to stay in the city on my last day. And, the guy at reception downstairs spoke so poorly about it, saying it was basically just one giant tourist trap, I didn't feel too guilty about it. The problem, though, was what to do when I was supposed to be at Sounion?

I liked the area behind Syntagma, where I went yesterday, so I headed back there, mainly to go to the National Arts Gallery. While it was open, only one floor was for viewing, and not the best works at that. Disappointing. So headed to Kolonaki but didn't feel like it after all, and ended ultimately with a Big Mac at McDonald's. This was my low point in Athens. Tired anyway because of the heat, and frustrated with my gone-wrong day, so caught an afternoon nap back at the hotel.

Set out around 3ish with the only goal to relax and read. So I went to Starbucks. Very nice Starbucks too. In Europe they tend to go all out, and this one had 3 different floors! Then decided to go on a really long, aimless walk, and take some last minute photos. Went okay but somehow I went in a complete circle. Pulled the plug and had some musaka for dinner, which is basically Greek lasagna. Walked aimlessly again afterwards, grabbed a Greek yogurt for dessert, and just ended it by coming back to the hotel.

Definitely time to get out of Athens. It's mainly all of the tourists that are so frustrating and annoying. I need a small town by the sea, which is perfect because tomorrow I go to Nafplion, a small town by the sea.

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Photos

The National Gardens
Nice place to relax on a hot, dysfunctional day.

Small Church
Athens has many beautiful, quaint churches.

Starbucks
My American refuge where I go to relax.

Cafe Chaos
Great cafes, but sometimes way too many of them.

Where the flea market starts
A guy sits with an amped up guitar every night on that marble slab in front and plays classic rock songs. He's really good, but a little creepy.

Aimless Wandering Photo 1
This is my favorite path I've found yet. It wanders up between the hills next to the Acropolis.

Aimless Wandering Photo 2
Farther up the path. Acropolis in distance. These are great cafes to get a drink at. They are less touristy, and you can actually attempt to speak Greek here.