Athens Day 2, Mount Lycabettus, Anafiotika, and Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Tuesday 7/1/2025

Day 2 in Athens! Because we did so much yesterday, I wasn’t exactly sure how to fill our entire day. One thing I knew I wanted to do was visit Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in the city. Some people choose to hike up, but there is also a funicular option that we took. Fear not, if you do want to hike, the walk to the funicular was a trek in and of itself, so I was happy to get a little bit of both.

We did fuel up for breakfast beforehand, another fully vegan restaurant my mother so willingly went to with me. We split scrambled tofu and a hazelnut croissant. They also gave us free samples of their halva bread, and they also are known for their house made nut butters. The bread was an interestingly wet and gritty texture, but it was sweet, and even more so when I added the hazelnut chocolate nut butter on it. I was filling up quickly on this halva bread before we even got our main meal. The scrambled tofu breakfast was massive, sharing it with mom was even more than I needed. So, when that plate was cleared and the halva bread gone, I looked at the croissant defeated because I was so full. But, I did want a little try of it, and when I saw mom finish it, and I thought about the logistics of trying to save it, I sought to view it as just a few more bites left and then no more food until dinner. So, I cleaned the plate and was surely feeling the effects of the feat. I was so grateful we had to climb up the hill a bit to get to the base of the funicular so I could burn off the excess calories I just put back.

The funicular to the top of Mount Lycabettus was simple and just like that we made it to the top. I could not believe how big the city was. We really only walked around the Plaka neighborhood yesterday but the city was so so much larger than that. On top of Mount Lycabettus was a restaurant, a viewing area, and a church. We took in the view, pointing out Acropolis, the Olympic Games Stadium, and the ocean. We waited for the church to opened so we could take a look. It opened up a bit late, and it was so small. I had no idea it would be so tiny, but it makes sense as there was very limited space on this hill.

We continued looking around the Hill, hoping there would be a new corner or crevasse that we can explore, but it was really only the restaurant, church, and viewpoint up here. Not keeping track of time, we suddenly decided we were ready to go back down, so we walked to the funicular, and could not believe our eyes when at that very moment, it turned on began its descent. Let this be known, it runs every 30 minutes. We were stuck. No serious complaints as we definitely should’ve been watching the clock, but fate decided that we needed to spend a bit longer admiring the city.

I took the time to sort through photos while my Mom truly did stare out and take in what was in front of her. I respected her for being so precent, positive, and grateful for where she was and recognizing how fortunate we were to be here. I said this a handful of times while in Greece, that we were on people's dream vacation right now. It's such a privilege that I sometimes overlook when traveling, but this trip reminded me of the fact that I am beyond lucky to be here, have the opportunities I do, and the banked experiences that I already have as a 23 year old.

We caught the next funicular down, and the walk back to the city center was much easier compared to the hike up. Our next adventure was exploring a different neighborhood near Plaka, Anafiotika. It was up a hill, again, and it was only getting hotter outside, but we persevered. It was a small area or maybe we didn’t fully explore it, but we did stumbled on one beautiful road, and that picturesque place alone was worth the countless stairs up there.

We made our way back to Plaka and went to Lyra, a restaurant that Mom got a sweet treat at to tide her over until dinner at a rooftop. For the culture, she got a greek yogurt bowl, love. We enjoyed the moment to sit and rest, and time for me to figure out what to do next. I felt as though I ran out of ideas that both my Mom and I would enjoy doing before our dinner plans. So, we just walked back in the direction of our place, and ended up just hanging out there, resting for a couple hours before our packed night. In hindsight, it was smart to hang low and recover from the heat, but I was a bit restless to get back out there, to do and see as much as I possibly could while in Athens.

We ended up heading to the rooftop dinner early, Thea Rooftop, to get extra time to enjoy the view. The restaurant was pretty empty which was a shock to me as it had such a lovely view. The rest of the group soon joined us. First, Gretchen and Scott, then Wendy and Karen, and finally, Taylor and Roxanne. We had a solid crew. For context, our reason for traveling to Greece was to attend Colton's wedding (Wendy's son). Wendy is one of my Mom's best friends, along with Gretchen, work best friends for many years, and now they are reunited in Athens at a rooftop restaurant overlooking Acropolis. Taylor is Colton's sister and Roxanne his cousin, so I was truly with the core wedding party!

We ordered drinks, bread and dip, and finally put in order. I was happy there was a vegan option, the beetroot pasta, but the tough part was that I was quite hungry from skipping lunch, and my meal turned out to be so small. But, when we were pressed for time because we didn’t get our food until 7:30pm and our concert started at 8pm and it was a 15 minute walk away. I easily downed my meal, and Roxanne, Taylor, and I headed first to the venue, speed walking in order to get in before the start time. We were ahead of the adults and thank goodness we were because when we got to the gates and they told us they made a mistake and the concert didn’t actually start until 9pm, in which I immediately called mom to give them some relief from their dead sprint here. Because it did start later, we had time to get a drink, cool down, walk around the venue, find our spots, take some photos, and get ready for the performance.

Going to a concert in Athens at Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an ancient site within the Parthenon, was one of the coolest things ever. I was overjoyed how this was a blend between multiple interests of mine. Both history, traveling, and music, a big three in my book. Even though it was a classical performance, it fit the vibe and I was obsessed it. The performance went from 9-11:30pm and there was two different sets. One was mystical and magical and the other was a bit darker. We stayed in our original seats for the first half, but the after intermission we found new and better seats, adding to the already incredible experience. We got to watch the sunset over the ruins and it was one of the most incredible sights. I was so so happy and really wanted to see the end of the performance. There was the violin, viola, and cello in addition to a piano. A talented group of people. And the second half even had a reader that was quoting excerpts from Franz Kafka’s diaries, a book I recently picked up after being inspired from visiting his museum while in Prague.

Wendy and Karen stayed til the end with my mom and I, enjoying it just as much as we did. Since the night is still lively this late into the evening, we walked back feeling the joy and magic of this lovely city. A great end to Day 2 in Athens, Greece.