An Honest Review of Athens, Greece from qocsuing's blog

An Honest Review of Athens, Greece

After this last trip, I feel like this blog will be renamed, Man flying to Greece, because I have so much information to share. Spending tens days in the country, with four in Athens, Greece (6 in Santorini) I saw a lot in the relatively short time we were there. The Holiday Paradox was in full effect, because it was like my wife and I had been gone for months. Greece is an amazing place and surprised me on many levels. I didn’t realize just how much I would love the country. Yes, as usual, I ate my way through it, leaving octopus fleeing for their lives. In many Greek restaurants in Athens there were warning posters of me. I ate a ton of food in Athens, Greece, but the country has a lot more to offer than just great food.To get more news about athens review, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

Athens was interesting, intriguing and often awe-inspiring, as it seemed to encompass a lot of the best and worst aspects of many other cities. It felt foreign, yet comfortable and familiar. I tried to see as much as I could in the first four days I was there (and the last night). I strapped on my cargo shorts and fanny pack and walked around like a tourist (actually I wore neither of these things). I wanted to hit as much of the city on foot as possible to get a feel for it. First things first…I had to eat.
There is only one (hyphenated) word I would use to describe the food in Athens, that is mother !#@!@ delicious. The other word I would use is “fresh.” The fish were so newly caught their families didn’t even know they were missing yet. We only ate at Greek Restaurants in Athens, Greece…you don’t go to the beach to snowboard. Therefore, we weren’t going to any Italian, English or American establishments in Greece. Once again, I am going to whip out my soap box: who are these people eating pizza or McDonald in Greece. I guess if you have eaten so much calamari that you’re growing a tentacle you might need to deviate, but not me.

The realization of how fresh the food was started with the first meal at the restaurant Atlantikos in Athens. After being starved and deprived of water by British Airways we arrived at this literal hole in the wall, tucked away in an alley. The small menu had almost nothing on it but seafood. We were warned that the liter of wine and numerous requests might be too much. The owner didn’t know how hungry we were for real seafood. Everything we ate was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the sardines, something we just can’t seem to get right here in the United States.

The freshness of the food made it a pleasure to eat daily. I hit all the obvious things, starting with a Greek salad (news flash: it does not contain lettuce) at every meal, lamb and tons of seafood. I also had rabbit, trout and as many other species as I could get into my mouth.
Athens Central Meat and Fish Market encompassed all the best qualities of the food. With meat and fish being peddled by what seemed like hundreds of vendors. It was clear from the look and taste that these creatures were gleefully living hours earlier. I had shrimp that followed the correct path, from the sea, to the market, to the grill, to my mouth in the time span of a few hours.

The fruit was so fresh it was as if it was grown in my mouth (I may or may not have plucked fruit from a tree..). The vegetables had the same taste. I feel like I finally understood what produce was suppose to taste like. Overall, I will be updating my post for the best cities for foodies. Greek food jumped to the top of my list, and there wasn’t even a slice of pizza to be had.
The people of Greece, for the most part, were some of the nicest, most helpful people I have encountered in the world. It was like I received all the smiles of those in Istanbul, without ending up in a lamp shop. In Athens, Greece we stayed at the Athens Status Suites, where Ellenia who worked the front desk was wonderful and incredibly accommodating, offering advice, anecdotes, flowers in the room and a warm welcome at every encounter.

When we switched locations staying at the Athina Luxury Suites in Santorini; the hotel manager Sara was also amazing, as was the rest of the staff. I am from New York, when I go back to stay at hotels there, I feel blessed that the staff didn’t spit on me.

Restaurants were also more than accommodating. We visited one (the only one I saw) inside the fish market, to our disappointment he didn’t have fresh calamari on the menu. Instead of just being happy we ordered, he literally disappeared to the market and brought back a squid the size of a cat that he was happy to grill for us. That kind of service was shown throughout Greece. Athens, Greece (along with the rest of the country) is possibly the most welcoming area I have ever traveled.