Dining in Athens (Part II): Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato and Gyros

The warm weather that we so enjoyed in Athens was also the cause of curbed appetites due to the liters of water we gulped down while walking on the warm streets. Having climbed up the Acropolis and after having explored the Plaka in one afternoon, we weren’t up for any big dinner plans. We opted to take this opportunity to have our very first taste of gyros, these are pita breads filled with roasted meat, onions, tomatoes and tatziki sauce. Honey opted for the chicken gyros while I sampled the pork version. I found the pork version much better than the chicken one. These snacks are really good, not to mention very filling and gives good value for money.


After the very light dinner, the warm weather and the display of ice-cream in each of the scoopery we passed by were calling on to me. We decided to have our dessert on one of the ice-cream shops. Now this is where we haven fallen into the deep pit of tourist traps. The prices for the ice-cream were displayed on the scooping station, so we decided to order two scoops for each of us, according to the price matrix, two scoops costs €3.50. Honey ordered an additional glass of iced-tea and I ordered a bottle of coke light. The waitress gave us the bill even before the ice cream arrived and my eyes popped out, the total charge amounted to €18.50. Being the accountant that I am, I rechecked the bill and belatedly I realized that the soda and iced tea were a complete rip-off, totally overpriced. We were charged €5.50 for a bottle of cola light that costs €1.30 in a stall a couple of meters away from this ice-cream parlor and €6.00 for the glass of very bland iced tea. When I looked around, I noticed that none, as in none, of the diners ordered any drinks aside from the complimentary water. This definitely has nothing to do with money but more of the fact that I never liked the feeling of being ripped-off, it lingered with me while I was trying to enjoy the ice-cream. Oh well, charge to experience.



The following day for our snack, we decided to try gyros from another restaurant. Having armed with the ice-cream experience from the previous night, we knew better, we browsed through the dine-in menu and saw that they charge €8.50 for a gyro but when we looked at the vertical rotisserie where the meat was being grilled, there was a sign saying “Gyros for take out: €2.30”. Huh, what on earth was that? So a tip to all of you who are planning to visit Greece soon, try the gyros from the quaint shops (more like hole on a wall type of establishments), they will charge you far less than what a fancy restaurant would charge and they’re by far better.

True to our mission of finding the best Saganaki, for lunch, we decided to dine in another taverna in the Plaka, and ordered the fried cheese dish but to our surprise, there Saganaki was different, instead of fried cheese that we have been accustomed to, we were served with a tomato salad with chunks of white cheese of sorts. It was good but we craved for “real” Saganaki. And the entire meal was nothing to be raved about.


The most interesting meal that we had in the Plaka would have to be our last dinner. Honey chose this quaint traditional Greek restaurant, initially, I wasn’t too thrilled with dinner because in our entire stay and apart from the Saganaki, we didn’t make any food discoveries on this trip. But as the dishes were being served to us, three ladies stood at the center of the dining area and started to dance a traditional Greek dance. It was really entertaining. Apart from the unexpected entertainment, we have found in this taverna, the best Saganaki that we’ve tasted during our entire stay here in Athens.



Later on, as we waved goodbye to our server in this quaint restaurant, that Greek food is truly very simple but what makes Greek dining an unforgettable experience is the ambiance, the view and the conversation.

Dining in Athens (Part I)

Every time honey and I are visiting a new city, one of the things that we are looking forward to is sampling the native cuisine. I have always believed that a countries way of preparing their local food is a reflection of the evolution of the country’s culture itself. Each ingredient, method and technique used in the preparation of a local dish mirrors the uniqueness of the country’s ethos and way of life. With the Greeks, I have noticed that although their dishes are made up of very basic ingredients, it is prepared in so many various ways that produces different results each time. And (according to Lawrence Durrell) “apart from the food itself, a complete Greek dining experience also considers the ambiance, the view and the conversation” which makes every meal a highlight of the day.

Our first meal ever in Athens consisted of a saganaki (fried cheese), which was good albeit very salty for me (and even for honey who has very high tolerance for saltiness!), grilled burger (again.. I know first meal in Athens and we’re eating burgers! – our excuse: it was late and this was the closest restaurant to the hotel), and calamari. The burger came as a surprise to us though, the platter that was served to us had three humongous beef patties that were salty (I am not sure if it’s only because I have a low tolerance for salt), partnered with some greens and fries, no bread whatsoever. The calamari was again very salty for my taste. After our meal, I concluded that maybe the cook in this particular restaurant just had a saltier palette and since in spite of its saltiness we enjoyed the Saganaki, we thought that maybe other restaurants would serve a less salty version of it. It was like a flash bulb lit at the top of our heads, we immediately thought of starting our quest for the best saganaki in town.



The following day, while we were deciding whether to trek the steep path towards the Acropolis or continue our exploration of the Plaka, we passed by this restaurant that looked interesting so we decided that we should have lunch first before we make up our minds on our next destination. As it is a warm day, and the memory of the leftover we had on the previous dinner still lingers with us, honey and I decided to order lightly. We went for the mixed grill platter and of course, Saganaki. From the very first time I sampled Greek food, I can’t help but notice a similarity to those entrees that we used to enjoy from Arabic restaurants in Dubai. This meal in particular brought back fond memories of Arabic dining. When the ginormous platter of mixed grills coupled with pita bread (I’m not sure if that’s what they call that bread though) arrived on our table, honey and I knew that we made the right choice of ordering lightly. The grill included skewered chicken, pork, thin slices of beef, grilled meat patties and lamb. All the meat were grilled to perfection and matched well with the pita bread and the loaf of bread that was also served. I could have asked for a dip though (garlic sauce or hommus maybe), to cut off some of the saltiness. The Saganaki on the other hand was fantastic, it was not salty at all, nowhere near the saltiness of the first one we’ve tried and it blended well with the lemon, honey, who normally don’t eat cheese was hooked.



Our second taste of Saganaki intensified our drive to find the best Saganaki we could find in Athens and honey has found a favorite in Greek menu.

Plaka, authentic Greek experience

One cannot help but be amazed by this commercial center in Athens, the Plaka is synonymous to Les Rambles in Barcelona, it’s teeming with people from all parts of the world from different walks of life. The range of shops found in this center of commerce is as varied as it can get, there is a flee market that is opened everyday of the week selling anything anyone could imagine, souvenir shops having all sorts of knick-knacks to cater to all tourists, jewelry shops that sells high end brands like Cartier, Rolex and Bulgari, it was a crazy paradise for a shop-a-holic like me who is always on the look out for the best buys in town.


Honey and I were planning to roam around the Plaka in late afternoon/early evening on our second day in Athens thinking that we’ll have our dinner there anyway. However, on our way to the Acropolis, we passed by the Plaka and we were not immune to its charm. The eagerness of the peddlers and the enthusiasm of the tourists were all so contagious that we gave in and mingled with the crowd and postponed our trek. We were drowned with the enormous collection of souvenir items on display and we couldn’t decide which one to check out first. There were ceramic decorative plates, ref door magnets which, of course, we need to get some of, olive oil soaps, key chains, statues of all shapes and sizes, figurines of gods and goddesses most of whom I am not familiar with, head busts of all sizes and every imaginable keepsake a tourist could ever dream of.



Apart from rows after rows after rows of shops, the Plaka also nests a lot of restaurants, traditional Greek tavernas and ice-cream parlors that cater to every cravings of the palette and is as varied as the shops that surround it, from the hole in a wall gyro place to a fancy Greek restaurant, just name your pick.


The Plaka is an old neighborhood that reflects a lot of Greece’s history, it also helps that this village sprawls just beneath the magnificent Acropolis. Each of the shops, every taverna and all the peddlers that thrive in this village reflects the simple yet passionate take of Greeks on life. Surely, no visit in Athens will ever be complete without experiencing the authentic Greek culture that is the Plaka.

The Acropolis, Athens

Acropolis in Athens is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, spots in Greece and for good reason. It is a flat-topped rock which rises 150m (490 ft) above sea level, also known as the Cecropia after the first Athenian King, Kekrops (or Cecrops).

The very next morning in Athens, honey and I put on our walking shoes, applied lots and lots and lots of sunscreen lotion and headed off towards the towering splendor of the Acropolis. Equipped with a map, a traveler’s book and 3 liters of water (two 1.5 bottles), we hiked our way towards the “sacred rock”. From our hotel, we had to pass by the Plaka and we ended up getting side tracked and arrived at the Acropolis later than planned but it all turned out for the better. We started our uphill climb towards the site after a short rest from a hearty lunch thinking that it would give us enough fuel to hike up a seemingly enormous feat when looking up from the bottom.


We decided to climb up on a slow pace, we’re on holidays after all and there is really no need to rush, I wouldn’t think that the Parthenon will go anywhere (all these are excuses of course to justify our pace and give us more time to catch our breath). The hike was seriously very steep and the scorching heat of the sun didn’t make climbing any more comfortable, the refreshing gusts of winds were more than a relief to our sweating body though.

The beauty that we behold was more than enough compensation for the liters of sweat that were shed and the gallons of water consumed. Apart from the stunning ruins that are all historically and aesthetically rich, the view of the entire city from the top was simply wonderful. We entered through the Propylaea, one of the stunning ruins in Acropolis. According to Athens (a guidebook by E. Gouvoussis), of all the surviving specimens of Athenian art, Propylaea may be considered the most perfect and most characteristic, a genuine wonder to the whole of Greece rivaling the Parthenon itself. This building is truly impressive with its massive columns and almost perfect symmetry.


Walking past the grandeur of Propylaea, we beheld the ever-famous Parthenon, the temple of the Virgin Athena, the goddess of wisdom. This is rightfully well renowned for it is indeed awe-inspiring. Another ruin that caught our attention was the porch of the famous Caryatides on the Erechtheion. The intricate details accorded to each of the columns were simply beyond words. The Acropolis is indeed a jewel in the center of the Athens metroplis

Our journey to Acropolis is absolutely breathtaking. Both the climb and the Acropolis itself, and I haven’t decided yet which one took my breath away more. It was an amazing view to behold, wonderful beyond words.

Matching Spartan (the Greek Sandals)

Spartan was one of the most common slippers used when I was a kid. I remember that it’s my papa’s footwear of choice when he’s out on the garden to attend to his beloved shrubs. I think that the reason we Filipinos loved our Spartan is because of their affordability and durability. In my recent vacation back in Manila though, a new brand is taking the spotlight, Havaianas. It seems to me that this footwear is the same as the good old Spartan, the only difference is the variety in colors and the marketing strategy that turned havaianas into a fashionable and hip footwear, with the corresponding mark-up of course. Little did I know that I would find our very own unique “Spartan” sandals from a famous maker in Athens.


Before we went on our trip to Athens, I browsed through the internet for tips on which places we shouldn’t miss while we’re there. I chanced upon this entry from Marketmanila referring to a famous sandal maker in Athens, Stavros Melissinos. I got curious and listed the spot into our must go places. We decided to look for this shop before we continued our stroll in the Plaka.

We landed on a quaint shop that has been there for almost 50 years, nothing too fancy, nothing extra ordinary but when we entered, there were several clients trying on several pairs of footwear. Upon entering, I couldn’t help but notice the handmade sandals hanging on the ceiling that are all so pretty.


Honey grabbed one of their fliers which were stacked up on one corner and from there we looked through all the designs available. Each design on the flier is named after the famous person for whom the design was originally made for. They had a sandal named after Jackie Onassis, Aristotle Onassis, John Lennon and so much more. Honey couldn’t be anymore thrilled to find out that they have the strappy sandal that he has been looking for, for ages. And what do you know, it’s called Spartan. The thing that I noticed about the sandal maker (from what I heard he is the son of the original proprietor) is his meticulousness, he gives attention to each client, and every sandal that he sells is measured into a custom fit to the buyer. He would readjust the straps, cut the excess strings and recheck the nails so that he can assure that each sandal gives a snug fit to the feet of the buyer. His assistant was the one who helped us with what we were buying and since the sandal that we bought are the strappy kind, it needed fewer adjustments so I thought that “main man” wouldn’t have to help us. But as we were almost out the door, he called us back and said “let me just take a look at the sandals before you go, you see I always make sure that they are in the best condition and the straps and nails are perfect”. I was really impressed. No wonder this store is well-known, the sandal maker has passion and a certain degree of attention to detail that makes your visit truly worthwhile.

Oh and by the way, honey and I ended up buying the same kind of sandals so we have our very own matching Spartans.

Stunning Athens (Greece)

Greek mythology was one of the subject matters that fascinated me in school, who wouldn’t be with Zeus and his thunderbolt, Aphrodite - goddess of love and beauty, Athena – the patron of Athens and so much more fascinating tales. We’ve been shown dozens if not hundreds of pictures of the Acropolis, the temple of Zeus, the Parthenon. This fueled my interest in one day visiting the city that held witness to all these myths, Athens Greece.


Honey and I are celebrating our 2nd wedding (7th in total) anniversary this month and so he decided to finally bring me to Athens. We had to celebrate our anniversary earlier though coz honey has to go on a biz trip to Korea the day after our actual anniversary. He totally made up for it by choosing this destination to commemorate our special day. We arrived in Athens at around 9pm local time and in spite of the lateness of the hour, the summer breeze that greeted us as we stepped out of the airport was still too warm.

Honey made a great choice when he choose the hotel that we stayed at, there are areas in Athens that are too crowded in my opinion but the hotel’s location was just perfect, not overly crowded and yet just a minute away from the metro line which gave access to the entire city. As we walked out of the hotel trying to find a place to eat, I got my first view of the city.

At first glance, the city of Athens seems like an ordinary metropolis with the hassles and bustles of the busy streets, the shopping malls that abound every corner, towering buildings, hotels, tons of pedestrians trying to get on their way, taxis, cars, busses, trams and metro everywhere… At first glance everything seemed so common. Common… until you take a step back and look more closely, you’ll be left amazed.

It was a fun trip, memorable in fact. I hope I can capture the amazing places that we’ve been blessed enough to behold in to the written words (of course with the help of some pictures) in the next couple of days to share our wonderful experience in the stunning city of Athens.