When the rain comes, museums call...

Heavy and unrelenting rains paired with our holey footwear led us to postpone our scheduled walking tour and tour museums instead. 

The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology was a hidden but delightful gem that showcased the forward thinking and innovative technologies that the Greeks devised so many years ago.  Exploring hydraulics, time and clocks, astronomy, steam, pulleys and lifting machinery, robot servers and even some pretty impressive party tricks, the Greeks were clearly ahead of their time.

The Benaki Museum, on the other hand, was so popular that they ran out of room in the coatcheck by 11:30am.  This museum explored Greek culture through the ages.  Perhaps a few too many plates and pots to really get us excited, we were intrigued by evolving traditional dress and the paintings that showed the development of the Acropolis and the city over hundreds of year.

With the sun finally surfacing late afternoon, we walked across town to one of Athens’ many wonderful vegetarian restaurants.  This one – Avocado – was highly rated but turned out to be less of a favourite.  Nonetheless, it could not dampen our respect for the city’s cuisine.  A few of our favourites included:

•  Peas – Offered lovingly homemade seitan, tempeh and tofu sandwiches.  We couldn’t agree more with their tagline “Give Peas a Chance!”
•  Hytra Restaurant – A Michelin starred restaurant with a gorgeous vegetarian tasting menu.  Elegantly located in the Onassis Arts Center and spiced up with views of strip joints everywhere around it.
•  Vegan Beat – A hole in the wall kitchen where the food is made fresh and the seating so relaxed you could literally recline and fall out the window. Just don’t need to use the toilet, as you will need a map to find your way back.
•  Strofi Restaurant – Divine zucchini balls, rock music played by a classical pianist and, when the windows all come off in the summer, the most amazing view of the Acropolis.
• Praka – While slightly more touristy, the quaint restaurants and beautiful backdrop made for wonderful dining. Unfortunately, we learned to our dismay that “flaming cheese” is a North American invention and not a traditional Greek dish.

We were also surprised (by ourselves as much anything) about how enjoyable the bar scene was, with inviting and energetic vibes and delicious drinks (served always with a glass of water and some snacks!).  A few notables include:

• Noel – a huge, packed bar with “royal themed drinks” and a sensory decor overload
• Amber – An urban resto bar where they don’t have drink menus but they have every kind of alcohol you can imagine
• Any bar with an outdoor patio overlooking one of the city’s many churches.  Always the best vibe.  Ironically.