Day 10 - Breakfast -> Changing of guards at Parliment House -> National Gardens -> Monastiraki Square & Flea Market -> Rest -> Dinner at OROSCOPO

Today is our last day in city Athens. Cooked our own breakfast -soft boiled eggs with bread and jams to go, Yummy.


After breakfast, visited various ruins. Roman Agora



Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens

Enroute to Synatmac Square to witness the grand changing of guards


A very quiet Ermou street on sunday morning

Parliment House/tomb of unkown soldier at Synatmac Square - Before 11am, crowds had already gathered to witness the grand changing of guards.



The guards worn special traditional military uniforms for this occasion.


March past by the guards


Marching toward the tomb of the unknown soldier



Change of guards

Some parade on-going at the end of the square

Syntamac Square





After that, we walked back and settled our lunch at bnb. Lunch was maggie mee with egg, mushroom and ham. There were also salads and banana too.

View from balcony

Monastiraki Square


Flea market






Had a break and gelato



We visited the National Gardens which was very ordinary and not spnear to syntamac Square briefly after roaming Monastiraki Square.



Syntamac Square

Back on Ermou Street


Bakery


Bought 2 crossiants which costed 2.60€ from the shop - they became our lunch the next day


Rested a while and then decided to take dinner at Oroscopo which had very good reviews on Tripadvisor. It was 2 stops away from Monastiraki Square and was in a residential area. Single trip costed 1.40€ per person. We were early so no reservation was required.

Restaurant

Ambience was pleasant and it had a high class feeling. Service was very good and fantastic. They offered complimentary soup and desert! Food were tasty. Desert was greek yogurt and hubby loved it!
Table Setting

Water

Bread & dips - 2.20€

Complimentary Soup on the house

Hubby had lamb shank, which was very tender and tasty, recommended by the server. 22.50€

I had fish - the fish here is similiar to ikan kembong but it was fresh. 17.80€

Yogurt as desert - also on the house

Total Bill : 43.50€

Enroute to subway

Subway tickets bought over the counter

We discovered that there were some ruins at the Monastiraki Station. Interesting!


Out from the station

Day 9 - Parliment House -> Synatmac Square -> home cooked Lunch -> Bathhouse -> Arch of Hadrian -> Anafiotika -> Philopappus Hill -> Dinner at BYZANTINO

We walked downhill and looked for the Carrefour supermarket. Shopped for groceries and went to watch the change of guards (happens every hours) at Synatmac Square at the tomb of the unknown soldier. The grand changing of guards happens every Sunday at 11am.
Parliment House & the tomb of the unkonwn soldier


Guard at Parliment House



From the parliment house/Synatmac Square , Ermou, a shopping street stretched all the way to our airbnb but frankly, nothing struck or fancied me. The big department store near Synatmac Square was closed the next day and we did not realise till the next day! All shopping centres and supermarkets are closed on Sundays in Athens.


Midway, Church of Panagia Kapnikarea in the foreground


We cooked our own lunch - we had bread, salad, mushroom and ham bought from Carrefour. Yummy and refreshing! The pineapple was super expensive at 4€!


After lunch, our mission was to hunt for the often photographed street in Anafiotika before ascending Philopappus hill to see sunset. En route, many bakeries/restaurants near our apartment. Many people were dining, drinking and eating.


En route, ruins

En route, passed by the bath-house of the winds




Many people are dining and drinking at Plaka restaurants

St Nicholas Church - the steps beside this church will lead to Anafiotika


Houses and clobbered pathways in Anafiotika

Asked around and finally found the postcard picture location. A wedding couple was posing here too.




Another house

The next destination was Hadrian's Arch. Enroute, Agia Aikaterini Church

Hadrian Arch

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Enroute to Philopappus Hill, Acropolis Museum

A very easy walk to the top of the hill. You will be rewarded with a great view of the Athens city. This one reminds me of the San Francisco city view from the twin peaks


Monument

You can view the Parthenon from here


City before sunset



Sun is setting


After sunset, we descended and saw Socrates' prison at the foot of Philoppapus Hill


We then headed towards Plaka to have dinner at BYZANTINO restaurant.


Restaurant interior

Hot Garlic Bread

Hubby had fish and rice

I had cuttlefish

Not too bad a dinner. Pretty tasty food. Total bill was 32.30€. En route back to bnb after a satisfied dinner - Busy street of Adrianou

Day 9 - Breakfast -> Walk to Mount Lycabettus -> Hike up to Mount Lycabettus -> Shop at Carrefour

Hubby took pictures of Monastiraki Square in early morning when everyone was still asleep


Ruins



Church of Panagia Kapnikarea, a Greek Orthodox church and one of the oldest churches in Athen.




Church of the Pantanassa or of the Dormition of the Theotokos, a 10th-century katholikon of a now-vanished monastery in Monastiraki Square


Monastiraki Square

We cooked maggie mee and had that as breakfast

The church of St Irene rings the bell every hour at the hour

Church of St Irene near our apartment

En route to Mount Lycabettus

It was not a very difficult hike to the mount. We can see Acropolis from here





Finally, we reached the top- Church of Agios Georgios - a very tiny Greek Orthodox Church




Breathtaking views of the whole city at the top!


Parking area

One can take the funicular if one does not want to walk up.


Enroute, downhill