Greece: Athens, The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herodes is a stadium theatre on the south slope of the Acropolis. It's still used for music festivals every year, having been restored in the 50s. How incredible would it be to be seated here during a concert? Epic.

Here's a panoramic view, which is not entirely accurate, but you get the gist, I hope.

Other panoramas: Boston from the Ebersol Suite at the Liberty Hotel + NYC's 30 Rockefeller

Greece: Athens, The Acropolis Museum

And so it begins. At the Acropolis Museum.

Sitting atop an archaeological site, which can be seen through glass floors, the museum opened in 2009. Designed by a NY City based architect, the museum houses 5 floors worth of ancient artifacts and excavated historic treasures. One of the highlights is its direct view of the Parthenon. Photography was not allowed inside the museum. Nor were chocolate bars. Museum entrance fee, 5 euros. Snickers bar, likely 5 euros. Eating a Snickers bar whilst looking up at the Parthenon? Priceless.

Greece: Athens, Plaka at Night

We arrived in Athens just as the sun was setting (note, NYC isn't the only city with yellow cabs, and Mercedes Benzes, no less), checked in and went out for dinner (getting our recommendation from a group of cops at a corner!). They were spot on; it was absolutely delicious! Walking around the beautiful shopping district of Plaka was surreal to me, as Greece has been at the top of my travel list, forever. Plaka is a lovely, albeit touristy area, with cobblestone pathways, darling open air restaurants and charming residences and shops. Athens reminded us a lot of Bombay, a bit busy, a tad grimy, but we loved it. It has the tastiest olives and the friendliest locals. Couldn't ask for much more, and I didn't even mention it's incredible history (yes, that's one of the corners of the Acropolis, that's nestled within Plaka that we spotted on our walk around Plaka). Could not even contain my excitement. More to come! 

Throwback Monday: Toronto Beaches

Summer '06, Toronto Beaches.

Throwback Monday: Distillery District, Toronto, 2006

Today's Throwback is to Toronto's gorgeous Distillery District, which, when these were taken, was still an up-n-coming neighbourhood. With it's beautiful cobblestone walkways, old brick buildings with delightful cafes and chocolate shops, this area is popular for brunching and birthday brunching (yours truly). These were taken with the Nikon Coolpix 5200 in 2006.