2 posts tagged with "2024"

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

But anyway, here I was, Syntagma square, baby.

Ever had that urge to just go some place, do nothing but eat, chill, have a few walks with some coffee in between. Well, folks, how about some Athens in February? After enjoying Madrid and Malaga in January and December, I developed quite a passion for Mediterranean destinations during winter. All I wanted was some place that was still warm, not that crowded but still offering relevant stuff to do. And Athens really hit the nail in the head on this one.

Also, as a side note, notice that I'm writing about my February trip at the end of September. I'm quite behind on this little travel blog I have going on, and I decided to cut my articles short. I'll focus only on the good stuff, throw some of the best pictures and I'll wrap it up sooner than expected. I'm not going aiming to turn this blog into the Song of Ice and Fire.

Athens Food & Walks​

So, Athens. A very short flight from Bucharest. The train from the airport to the city center takes longer than the flight, and it's even less enjoyable. That says a lot considering I travelled low cost. But anyway, here I was, Syntagma square, baby. I took my bags and went by bus to Koukaki, this popular neighbourhood right next to old town, with more restaurants, bars and cats than you can count. So, what's so special about the place? Well, it's the chill place full of stuff to eat and drink that I was looking for. Found the local coffee shop, Caffeine Dealer, and realised that Espresso Freddo and Iced Flat Whites are a thing. Completely changed my life, this. As for eating, hmm, I would probably say Karimino, Neratzia and Bite Box are quite nice, with both brunchy things but also late meals.

Building on the Acropolis	View of Athens from the Acropolis

There's also a nice Turkish place just next to Koukaki, Cappadocia Grill Cafe, where you can enjoy a good old Adana Kebab or some chicken if you prefer lighter meat. However, probably the best place to get something to eat is the city center. There's Usurum Brunch & Cocktails, with one of the best pancakes in the world. There's Choureal, with, well, you can figure this one out. And Dope Roasting, with coffee and some quick bites that are also healthy. This place is also quite popular to work remotely. Right next to old town there's also Coffee Joint, where you can eat the most civilized omelette, have an orange juice and be on your way, no fuss included.

But, Silviu, Athens is a great cultural spot, one of the most relevant cities of the Antiquity, with so much to offer in terms of culture and history and much much more. Yeah, I've been to the Acropolis, it was nice, quite well preserved. Oh well, visiting sights and museums was not the point, so I did not bother that much. Anyway, there was another sight, sort of, that I visited as a recommendation from a friend, and that was the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Apparently, some naval shipping tycoon built this place and, when I first saw it, I was not sure if I was still in Athens. It seemed like a building you would find more likely in Oslo. It's quite huge, with huge glass windows, and with greenery on top of it. Really fancy, I loved it. I also loved the walk from Koukaki to this place, all (ALL) the way throguh all (ALL) of Kallithea. It was refreshing to walk through a neighbourhood that does not probably make the top list of visiting.

View of the Acropolis from a nearby hill	The garden and a view of Stavros Niarchos

I had some other nice walks as well, like the ones in the Athens National Garden, next to the Syntagma square. Or the ones around Kallimármaro and Kolonaki. Overall, the city has that special something, you can feel it has personality and that it has been around for a while. And that brings me to the part where it's falling apart in many places, with so many ruined buildings, unkept streets and sidewalks. You can feel that, from the economical point of view, it's still struggling.

Even with the last downside, I loved my trip to Athens, it was exactly what I needed at the time, and I'm actually looking forward to return soon.

View over the lake in Parco del Rotiro.

If you think you know already the meaning of tasteful luxury, visit this place and reset your standards.

Today, damas y caballeros, we stay in beautiful Spain, but this time we leave the sunny South for Mardrid, the capital of football, culture and, well, Spain. It was a long time coming, and I was super excited to start 2024 travelling season with this one. I had high expectations, given the reviews I received from my friends, and, honestly, I was still amazed by what the city had to offer.

Royal Palace and Surroundings​

If you like your trips cultural, you're in the right place. We started the trip with the Royal Palace of Madrid, and, Dios mio, what a start. I've seen palaces and museum, and quite plenty, until that point, but the Royal Palace of Madrid exceeded my expectation by far. If you think you know already the meaning of tasteful luxury, visit this place and reset your standards. Every single piece of furniture, tapestry, design and artwork was exactly where it was supposed to be, and the level of detail for every single one of them was incredible, from engravings to finishing touches. They don't let you take pictures inside, and it's really a shame, as it's probably one of the most exquisite places you could feast your eyes upon.

Catedral de la Almueda	Room inside Royal Palace of Madrid

We left the palace exactly when it was closing time, so there was no more time left to visit the Almueda Cathedral unfortunately, but we did enjoy a very nice walk around Plaza de la Almeria, and took some pictures with Campo del Moro in the background. Quite close to the palace there's the Mercado de San Miguel, which is quite a great place to stop by for an hour or two and enjoy some empanadas and cervejas. Back to the hotel and ready for another day. We stayed at the Room Mate Alba Hotel, which is located in the city center, but in a very quiet area, and the hotel itself is quite nice. Between the Mercado and the hotel we passed through Plaza Mayor, which is another landmark worth checking out, given its surrounding buildings, coffee shops and vibrant atmosphere.

Prado Museum, El Rotiro Park, Food and Coffee​

Prado Museum is probably a must go if you're going to Madrid, and for good reason, since it boasts such a vast collection of art pieces from artists such as Francisco Goya and Diego Velazquez. You could spend a few days here without a doubt, but we also had some other places in mind so we were happy to be done in just a few hours. Outside, there's the beautiful park El Retiro, with its signature pond decorated with the colonnades of the Alfonso XII monument. It was a great walk to bask in the sun and forget that it's the middle of January for a few hours. Right next to the park there's also the botanical garden, which would have been a better pick in any other season, but we still enjoyed the impressive collection of bonsai trees.

Monument of Alfonso XII	Madrid Street at Dusk

After leaving the botanical garden we went for a stroll through the upscale Goya neighbourhood. It's nice over here. All buildings are very, very well maintained, and they are simply beautiful and elegant. The city is just amazing, I don't think I encountered anything that was either bad or at least "could be better". Maybe the coffee was not as great as in other places, but there were some coffee shops that were quite good, for instance the Norah Coffee & Brunch in Goya. Don't forget to try the sweets. Another great option is Pascal Specialty Coffee & Brunch, which was closer to the hotel, and features a brunch selection more on the healthy side. If the coffee could have been better, the food was actually amazing. Spain has great food, without a doubt, and other places we could recommend in Madrid are Los Porfiados, for a cozy dinner, or Fiaschetteria La Saletta, if you crave Italian. Other coffee options worth mentioning are Alchemy and Dale.

Santiago Bernabeu, Sorolla Museum and Gran Via​

I'm not much into football, but when I watch it's most probably a Real Madrid game, either in La Liga or Champions League. Visiting the Santiago Bernabeu was something I really wanted to do, especially now with the updates it received. From the outside it's quite a piece of art, I love the facade with its gray shiny blades. On the inside, well, it's huge there are lots of big screens everywhere and a retractable roof, letting you know that it's proudly representing the 21st century. We could not enter the locker rooms, which was quite a shame, but at least we saw the hall of trophies, and there are a lot of them. This team knows what winning is about.

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium	Gran Via

After we left the stadium we went back towards the city center by foot and we stopped at the Sorolla Museum on the way. It's actually the former house and studio of Joaquin Sorolla, who travelled throughout Spain in order to create a considerable collection of paintings. The art pieces inside the museum are organised in a timeline manner, so we could follow along his interests and favorite places as he aged, from his home city of Valencia, to the Spanish countryside and the capital of Madrid, where he was very passionate about his garden. The garden itself is a great place to relax on a bench, looking at the pond and enjoying the shade of the trees.

Sorolla Museum Garden	Sorolla Museum Interior

The last but not least landmark I would like to mention is the Gran Via, and I would not miss it especially during the night, when I believe it really shines. Both the buildings, the landmarks and the street itself are spoiled by huge amount of light and it's a great way to end the day with a stroll to the shops and just enjyoing the vibrant heart of this otherwise amazing city. It's trully a great city, and probably one of my favorites so far. It's amazingly beautiful, it does not seem to be that crowded, the people are friendly, the food is great, the weather is pleasant and there are so many things to do. I would definitely come back here one day, definitely on a Real Madrid match day. Looking forward, hasta luego!