Greece: Athens in 24-hours

Only one relatively easy day of travel (tram, train, plane, taxi, feet) stands between Italy and one of the most beautiful places we've seen: Greece.

Having learned to expect the unexpected, Amy and I leave plenty of time to allow for difficulties while in transit between point A and Point B. It's not a straight line EVER and it's not the quickest, but with luck, it's the cheapest.

A mere 8-hours after closing the door on our apartment in Rome, we set our bags down in yet another youth hostel in Athens. Honestly, our part of town was a relative ghetto, but it was only a short metro ride to the good stuff and cheap (which is all we care about). The Placa District is the neighborhood below the Acropolis and it's beyond charming. Normal streets open up on to ruins and quite literally, they have built their lives and businesses around history.

Our only night in Athens left just enough time to find a rooftop restaurant under the Acropolis and our only day was filled with walking the streets, exploring the Acropolis and then hoofing it back to the hostel to pick up our bags and catch a plane to Santorini. We lucked out, however, because the one day we were in Athens ended up being a holiday (no mention of this in the guidebooks, however) but for once, a holiday was a blessing - free admission to everything.

More time in Athens would have been great, but I think we both feel pretty good about having used our time wisely. And with the itch to lay in the sun and see the Islands, Athens was 24-hours well spent.