#Vouliagmeni Point

[sergeantsporks]

In-Between Realms

Rating: Gen, General Audiences

Series: Part 10 of Camila is Hunter’s Mom Now

Trying to find a way to get back to the Boiling Isles proves a little harder than Luz originally thought-- and involves a few more giraffes than she'd imagined.

Ao3

“Hunter. Hey. Hunter.”

Hunter didn’t look up from his homework. “Mhm.”

Luz flopped backwards on her bed so that she was upside-down, staring at him. “You helped build Belos’ portal, right?”

“Hm. Not much. He didn’t really want me poking around in there.”

“Yeah, but Amity said you knew a bit about the titan’s blood—how much do you know about interdimensional travel?”

“A little.”

Luz clicked her tongue. “Wanna help me build a portal?”

“I’m doing algebra homework right now, Luz, maybe later.”

“I am trying to achieve interdimensional travel. I am trying to build a PORTAL to ANOTHER REALM, and you are doing algebra.”

Hunter paused mid equation. “Good point.” He pushed his homework to the side, and Luz rolled off of her bed, snatching up her phone and plopping down next to him.

“Okay, so I’ve been looking for weird things, right, like, Phillip said that there were lakes that… reflected odd trees, or water that boiled. I’ve found a few spots like that, but I want your opinion on what could be a portal—a titan’s blood leak.”

“Jumping through a wild portal seems… dangerous, to say the least.”

“I’d be careful,” Luz promised, “I wouldn’t go all the way in—just enough to figure out where the leak was, and then we’d come back through, and I could get a message to the owl house so they could get more titan’s blood.”

“How are you going to get her coordinates on your… thing?”

“I’m… not too sure.”

A smile twitched across Hunter’s face. “Not thinking things through again?”

She stuck her tongue out. “Alright, smart-alek. I’ll figure it out, but for now, just give the places I’ve got a look, and tell me what you think is the most likely.” She held up her phone. “Yellowstone.”

“What?”

“Boiling water.”

Hunter shook his head. “Volcanos. I’m not sending you down into a geyser.”

“Yeah, okay, that’s fair. Here.”

“Voul—voulia—that’s not a word, Luz.”

“Vouliagmeni lake,” Luz said perfectly, “thought to be bottomless, legends that an evil fairy at the bottom would kidnap you.”

“Okay, maybe. If it’s bottomless, how are you supposed to get through to the Boiling Isles?”

“I figured you could make a shield bubble with Red and send me down.”

“You’re putting an awful lot of faith in what my limited palisman magic can do.”

“Red’s a strong little guy, I believe in it.”

Red chirped in agreement from its nest on the dresser.

“Bottomless Lakes State Park, New Mexico. Legends of monsters.”

“Again, bottomless.”

“Llyn Dulyn. Black Lake.”

“Interesting.” Hunter clicked his tongue, looking at his choices. “If there were this many wild portals, there would be more titan’s blood veins in the demon realm. Maybe they were at some point, but veins dried up back in the boiling isles—there won’t be many now.”

“Okay, so which—”

“I don’t know. And testing them all… doesn’t seem plausible. What you need is another opinion, from someone who’s been through a wild portal, or has heard stories of wild portals. That would give us a place to start.”

“Where are we going to find an expert on wild portals?”

Hunter grabbed his algebra homework again. “Which would you prefer? A series of teleportations halfway across the world that might leave us stranded if Red gets too tired, or a minor misdemeanor that could get us arrested?”

“Whoof. Uhhhhhh minor misdemeanor?”

“Fantastic. That gives me enough time to finish my algebra.”

Xxx

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why are we breaking into the zoo?”

“We’re not breaking. No breaking involved.” Hunter held a hand out for Red. “We’re just going to… bypass security.”

Luz pushed his shoulder. “Okay, fine, why are we ‘bypassing security’ into the zoo?”

Hunter grinned as his palisman shifted into a staff. “This isn’t the first time giraffes have been incarcerated.”

“Wh—”

Hunter touched her shoulder and warped the two of them inside of the zoo walls. “If you thought we were going to be breaking in, how did you convince Camila to let us do this?”

“Wait, you thought I asked for permission?!”

“…Fair enough.”

“Vee’s covering for us.”

“How’d you convince her to lie to Camila?”

“I asked. Nicely. You could try it some time.”

Hunter stuck his tongue out at her. “I will warp out of here and leave you for security.”

“Rude. Okay, I remember something King said about giraffes being demons, but… do you really think they’ll know anything?”

Hunter shrugged. “Worth a shot, right?” He warped them into the giraffe enclosure, lighting up the tip of his staff. “Alright, you lousy criminals, we want to talk. I see you got jailed in this realm, too.”

The two giraffes blinked placidly at him.

“You’re not fooling anyone.” Hunter pulled his hoodie down, revealing his ears. “I’m from the Boiling Isles, too. I know what you are.”

The massive creatures moved slowly towards them, still saying nothing.

“Hunter,” Luz hissed, “I think they might just be regular animals.”

“Quit pretending you can’t understand me!” Hunter demanded, “I know you know what I’m saying!”

“Oooo, the witchling thinks he can boss us around,” one of the giraffes said in a gruff voice. Luz yelped, jumping backwards.

The other one snorted at them. “Guess what, little witchy? We’ve got our own place here, and we don’t need you messing with it.”

“We just want to talk,” Luz tried.

“You brought a human along?! You told her what you are?! Are you trying to expose us all?!”

“She’s been to the Isles. It’s not a problem.”

“She went—so there is a way between again!”

“That’s why we’re here,” Luz started again, “We’re trying to find a way back to the isles—or, at least, I am.”

The first giraffe snorted at Hunter. “Fell in love with the human realm, didja? It’s softer here, sure. Doesn’t look like the Boiling Isles were too kind to you, eh, witchling?”

Hunter tugged his hood back up. “I’m here to ask you questions, not the other way around. Where did your ancestors come through?”

“Geeze, I don’t know—”

“Liar.”

The giraffe huffed, rolling its eyes. “Pushy, aren’t you?”

“Please,” Luz broke in, “I have friends, a teacher, a girlfriend—I just want to get back to them.”

Oh, good cop, bad cop, good plan.

The giraffes glanced at each other, then back at Luz. “Look, we… all we know is that our ancestors emerged in Africa, and then the portal… disappeared.”

“It ran out of magic,” Hunter supplied, “It dried up, that’s—”

“No, it moved,” the giraffe insisted.

Luz frowned, the light of Hunter’s staff flickering on her face. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think we know?! It’s a story, for Titan’s sake, I don’t know what happened, or where it went, but it didn’t dry up, it just… shifted.”

“You’re not very helpful,” Hunter grumbled.

“Not like we get anything out of this. If you ask me, those witches back home moved it, or blocked it somehow.”

“Moved it,” Hunter murmured, the wheels in his head clicking, “Bottomless lakes—Luz, I think I can find a link to where we might be able to find a portal!”

“Hey! Is someone in here?!”

Luz winced. “Whoops.”

“Time to go!”

Hunter grabbed Luz’s arm, and warped, dousing his light as they appeared outside of the zoo. He pulled them right back home, and handed Luz her phone. “I need a world map, pins, string, and a list of every location there’s ever been a legend of a bottomless lake or a portal lake, plus the approximate date the legend started.”

Footsteps thumped towards them and the light flipped on. Hunter winced, slowly turning to face Camila, who was standing with her arms crossed, Vee looking sheepish behind her.

“Sorry, guys,” Vee said in a small voice, “She figured it out.”

“Where have the two of you been?”

“Sorry,” Hunter said in a small voice.

“Sorry, Mom,” Luz echoed.

“Where?”

“Aaaaat the zoo?” Luz said with a wince. “We needed to talk to the giraffes.”

“Red?” Camila thundered.

The little bird sheepishly came out of its staff form, perching on Hunter’s shoulder and ruffling its feathers. Camila held a hand up as a perch, and the palisman cast a regretful look at Hunter, then flew to her hand. She lifted the bird so that they were making eye contact.

“No helping them sneak out in the middle of the night,” she ordered the bird, “Yes you can warp and get around doors, but that doesn’t mean you should. Got it?”

Red chirped an apology, and Camila gently launched it back up. The palisman fluttered back to Hunter’s shoulder.

Camila tapped one foot. “I’m guessing this has to do with the portal?”

“Yeah,” Luz said dejectedly, “Giraffes are originally from the Boiling Isles, so we thought…”

“That you’d sneak around behind my back? Both of you?!”

Hunter flinched. “Sorry,” he said again.

“Luz?”

“I’m sorry, Mami. I just…” Luz heaved a frustrated sigh. “I want to see them again. They’re my friends, Amity is more than my friend, I… I miss them, Mom.”

Camila adjusted her glasses with a sigh. “I know. Mija, I know, but sneaking off, using magic out where people can see it—it’s dangerous. I know things were different on the isles, and you got in a little more danger, but… it’s not the same danger. There are other people like Jacob Hopkins out there, smarter, more dangerous people who will try to hurt you, or Vee, or Hunter. You can’t do the same sort of thing here that you’d do there, okay?”

“Okay,” Luz grumbled.

Camila turned to face Hunter. “And mijo, I know you want to help, but please make sure you ask first. I need to know where this whole portal thing is at—I can’t have Luz disappearing on me again. Or you, which could happen if you fall through somehow while you’re trying to help Luz. I need to know about the portals. I don’t want to restrict your freedom, but I also don’t want to be up in the middle of the night worrying about where you are. No more law-breaking. No more sneaking out. Understood?”

Hunter gave a short, relieved nod. “Understood.”

“Good. Did the two of you find out anything from the… the giraffes?”

Luz waved a hand. “Ehhhhhhhh. Hunter thinks he might be onto something. He needs a map, though. And the mythological record of everything forever.”

“Not everything, just bottomless lakes.”

“Tomorrow,” Camila said firmly.

“Ah, Mom, c’mon, I—”

“Tomorrow,” Camila repeated, “Hunter and Vee have school tomorrow, they need to get some sleep. It’s midnight. You can do this when they come home tomorrow.”

“We’re going to be too wound up to sleep!” Luz protested, “We can’t fall asleep on the verge of a huge discovery, we’ll be awake all night!”

Hunter shrugged. “I can sleep.”

Luz shot him a dirty look, but Camila nodded. “See? Bedtime. You can work on it tomorrow.” She started for the stairs, shooing Hunter and Vee in front of her.

“Eda wouldn’t make me go to bed,” Luz grumbled.

Hunter and Vee both froze. Camila’s head whipped around.

“I’m not Eda,” she said softly.

But it was a dangerous kind of soft.

Hunter scooted back, terrified to watch, too morbidly fascinated to look away.

“I’m sorry that you miss your friend. I’m sorry if Eda gave you more freedom than I do. But maybe I care about the health of my children more than she did. How many times did you end up hurt over there again? Weren’t you captured by Belos and hurt badly because she left you alone on a mountaintop?”

“I never would have been able to rescue Hunter if I hadn’t been!” Luz yelped defensively.

I think I did most of the rescuing, Hunter thought, but kept his mouth shut.

“Leave Hunter out of it, Luz!” Camila took a deep breath. “Hunter, Vee, go to bed. Please.”

Hunter made a ‘good luck’ face at Luz, and shot up the stairs, Vee on his heels. They ducked to the side at the top, huddling together and straining to hear Camila and Luz.

“Luz. I know I’m not perfect. I know we’ve had our struggles. But I think you’re—” Camila heaved a deep sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just jealous of Eda.”

“I didn’t mean it, Mami,” Luz said in a small voice, “I’m sorry.”

“I know you had more freedom on the isles. But I am your mother, and I want to make sure you’re safe and healthy.”

“It was just—Eda let me make decisions and she didn’t…”

“Luz. Mija. You’re growing up, I know that. But you’re still a kid, all of you are still kids, and if I don’t want you up at all hours of the night and morning breaking into zoos and god knows what else, well, I think that’s reasonable. You can build a portal, you can homeschool instead of going to public school—do you think you could please not argue when I say you need to go to bed?”

“It’s not about the bedtime, Mom, it’s…”

“It’s about freedom, and making your own choices. Mija, I know, I was a teenager too, once. And I want you to have freedom, and I want you to make your own choices, but I need you to know that there are still some things that I get to decide, because as much as you might have grown, you are still not an adult, and I am still your mother. Has Eda never made a decision you didn’t like?”

Luz rubbed her arms. “She has. Once or twice.”

“And was it usually for your own good?”

A heavy sigh. “Yeah.”

“Okay. So can you trust that the decisions I make that you don’t like, I make to keep you safe and healthy?”

“Yes, Mami. I can.”

“Okay. Good. Now go tell your siblings to stop lurking at the top of the stairs and go to bed.”

Hunter and Vee scrambled for the cover of their room, ducking to stay out of Camila’s sight. Hunter could still hear Camila, though, as she called after her daughter.

“Goodnight, Luz. Te quiero con todo mi corazón, mi carina.”

“Goodnight, Mami.”

Xxx

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to do algebra homework again.”

Hunter grinned as he dumped his backpack on his bed. “Depends. Did you already get me the list and the map?”

Luz waved a paper around with a smug look on her face. “I did, actually.”

“Theeeeeen I guess not. Let me see.”

Luz handed him the list, then scurried out of the room, coming back with a globe, some pins, and a string. “Are we making a conspiracy board?”

“No.” Hunter grabbed the list and put a pin in the first location, tying one end of the string to it. “We are trying—to figure out—if there’s a pattern—to the portals. Lots of portals—not too many leaks—so what if—it’s all the same portal—shifting across the globe?” He frowned, double checking the list. “You have the first place twice.”

“Resurgence in myths.”

“Huh.”

Hunter looped the string back to the first pin, then stuck in the next one.

Luz peered at the globe. “What makes you think there will be a pattern?”

“The giraffes think the witches moved it—and to do so they’d need a spell—and spells always follow predictable patterns. Or, if it changed naturally—well—there are patterns in nature, too—”

“Like the glyphs being found in constellations, or on leaves or snowflakes.”

“Exactly.” Hunter stabbed a couple more pins in, tying off the ends, then stepping back. “Okay, we just need to—”

Luz yipped. “It looks like a glyph!”

Hunter frowned. “Doesn’t look like any glyph I’ve seen before.”

“I mean, there are combos we haven’t found, but—I don’t know, it just looks like one.”

“You’ll see any bunch of lines in a circle and be like ‘oooooh, let me try dangerous experiments with this’ won’t you?”

“Can’t test it here, anyway. Glyphs don’t work in the human realm.”

“Huh. Weird that this… shifting leak is making one, then.” Hunter tapped the globe. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“What?”

“No legends within the last… well, since gravesfield, really. The portal was making a lot of short time jumps, and then it just… stopped.”

“Eclipse Lake dried up,” Luz said softly, “Maybe the portal finally just… died instead of shifting.”

Day of Unity

Need titan’s blood

Need portal door.

“No.” Hunter shook his head. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Nope. Uh-uh. Not doing it.” He retreated into the closet, shutting the door and pulling his hood up. “Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, I don’t know, I don’t want to know, I’m not going to think about it.”

Luz’s face appeared in the gap between the door and the floor. “…Hunter? Buddy? You okay?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

She flopped on her back outside, keeping her face turned to the door. “You wanna come out?”

“Nnnnnope.”

“Okay. Whatcha thinking about?”

“What Belos may or may not be planning. Nope, actually, I’m not thinking about it. Mm-mm. Nope.” Hunter tugged on his hood, chewing on the strings.

“What?! That’s like—you think you know?”

“I maybe have part of an idea that could possibly be something of a plan, but I’m not getting involved. No.”

“What about everyone who could get hurt?!”

“It doesn’t matter. He can’t find Titan’s blood, he doesn’t have—well—whatever he wanted me for—it’s fine. It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine.”

He said that it would be difficult to find a replacement, a little voice in Hunter’s head whispered, not impossible.

It didn’t matter. Belos didn’t have the blood, and even if he could find a replacement, Hunter doubted he could do it in time, because he would have done that instead of coming all the way here to take Hunter away the first time.

Still.

Even if he doesn’t come to take me back, if he completes his plans—would he find me for revenge?

Hunter tapped his fingers against his arms, thumping his head against his knees. “Mmmmmmm.”

The closet door opened and closed, and Luz plopped down next to him. “Hey,” she said softly, “Okay, you don’t have to talk about it right now. We don’t even have a way to do anything about it right now anyway, so there’s no point stressing yourself out. You’re right, it’s just a maybe, but you did know him better than anyone else, sooooo your maybes are probably closer to the truth than the rest of ours. But if you want to take a breather before you talk about it… why don’t you do something else to take your mind off of it? Go do your boring algebra, leave this whole portal thing for a bit.”

Hunter took a deep breath. “No. No, I can do this.” He rubbed his eyes. “Uh—yeah—s-so—the next portal—if one opened up—it would be—it’d be the completion of the circle around the glyph, it would be a repeat portal. But since it doesn’t seem to be opened up, then—then either the portal’s done, or it’s still here in Gravesfield, where those two guys got pulled in.”

“I’d have noticed,” Luz protested, “I’d know if there was a magical portal in my hometown.”

“Maybe you just missed it, or…” Hunter paused, looking up at Luz. “Is there anywhere around here that’s been shut down for weird reasons?”

Xxx

“Yeah, when I was a girl they shut down the local swimming hole because uhhhhh the water was getting weird. Something about hallucinations, toxic waste—they never did figure out what happened, but no one was allowed to swim there anymore.” Camila set down the book she was reading. “Why?”

Luz winced. “It… might be an interdimensional portal?”

Camila hissed in a deep breath. “Okay, but it might be toxic waste.”

Luz nudged Hunter. “Hey, can you do a shield bubble thing?”

“…yeeeeees? But I said I wouldn’t do magic in public, Luz.”

Luz bounced up and down. “It’s the only lead we’ve got, please, Mom?”

Camila sighed. “Okay, okay. But I’m coming too.”

Xxx

“You’re sure this will protect us from toxic fumes if this isn’t it?”

Hunter tilted his hand back and forth, clutching Red tightly and praying that the shield would stay up. “Eh. Never tried it. Should be fine, though,” he added hastily at Camila’s panicked face, “Should be fine.” He eyed the water of the old swimming hole. “Doesn’t look toxic to me.”

Luz crouched at the bottom of the bubble, making it wobble. “There were illustrations of Eclipse Lake in the journal, descriptions of what a titan’s blood lake looked like in the human realm. There was—” she gasped. “There!”

“What?” Hunter leaned in, and the bubble disappeared as he lost focus. “Whoops—hang on—”

“It’s okay, it’s magic, not toxic. I saw red trees reflecting in the water—it’s the boiling isles, the portal is here!” Luz tugged off her shoes and socks, splashing into the water. “I’m going in.”

Hunter grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her away. “Whoa, you can’t just jump in there!”

“Absolutely not,” Camila agreed, “You could get stuck again.”

Luz kicked at the water. “How deep is it? We could try a rope, that’s what we did with my experimental portal.”

Hunter let go of his staff, and it turned back to its palisman form, Red perching on his shoulder and eying the water. “It doesn’t work that way—it’s not like the portal door, the portal door was made to stabilize the effects of Titan’s Blood. It might get you into the Isles, but then you’d probably be stuck there, with no way back until you finished the portal door. Plus, you’d probably drown waiting for the titan’s blood to kick in, or to swim deep enough for the leak to take effect. I can’t shield you if I can’t see you, I don’t know how.”

“We’ll figure out another way, mija,” Camila promised, “We know where the—the titan’s blood?”

“Yeah.”

“We know where it is, and from what I’ve heard out of you and Hunter, that was the hardest part to find back on the Isles, right? Why don’t we try building a portal on this side?”

“I don’t know if I can,” Luz said miserably, “I don’t have all of my notes, and the door we did build didn’t work very well.”

The red bird on Hunter’s shoulder chirped that it could get through. Hunter blinked at his palisman. “Uh—no,” he whispered, “You can’t do that.”

It responded that it could just sink to the bottom of the lake, dormant, until the portal activated. “Okay, let’s rephrase that, you’re not doing that.”

Red nudged his face, and he scooped the bird up. “No. Don’t act cute.”

Luz tilted her head at him. “Uh—Hunter? Is everything okay? Does Red know some palisman thing we don’t?”

“No.” No need to tell her, because Red wasn’t going.

The palisman chirped that it could help, that it would stay away from the keep—it would only go to the owl house. Nowhere near Belos.

Hunter shook his head. “No, I need you.”

The little bird nestled down in his hands, warbling reassuringly.

“…Hunter?” Camila asked softly.

Hunter clutched his palisman tightly. “Red could do it,” he said softly, “Red could get through.”

“I can’t ask you for that,” Luz said immediately, “It’s your palisman—I can’t take it from you. Thank you, Red. But you belong with Hunter.”

Aaaaaaand now he felt guilty about it. Great.

Luz and Camila have done so much to make you happy, a little voice whispered in his head, Can’t you do this one little thing for them?

But it wasn’t a little thing, if anything happened to Red-!

Red gently pecked at his fingers until he let it go, then fluttered up to his shoulder. It chirped softly to him, reassuring him. Nothing would happen to it—that was a promise. And he didn’t need it as much anymore—they were still witch and palisman, and they always would be, but now Hunter had Camila, and Vee, and Luz. What Hunter had needed when Red had come to him, more than a way to do magic, was a new future. And a friend. And now he had those things, even if Red went away for a little bit. He didn’t need Red all the time, Red was confident he could do this—that they should do this, that it would be good for the two of them to learn to be apart for a bit.

“What if they can’t open the portal, even with more titan’s blood? Then we’d be separated for—for forever!”

Red chirped that it would fight its way back through the keep and open Belos’ door to get back to him if it had to, but it wouldn’t leave him forever.

“You don’t have to do this,” Luz started again.

Red butted Hunter’s face with its head, and Hunter leaned into the touch, gently holding the bird. Then he scooped the palisman up, taking a deep breath. “Red can do it. A-and it’ll just be for a little bit.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. But—your friends can’t talk to Red.”

“I’ll write a letter. I’ll explain, we can seal it up.” Luz grabbed Hunter in a tight hug, squeezing until he thought she might break his ribs. “Thank you so much, Hunter. I know what it means to let your palisman go.” She let him go. “And, thanks Red, of course. I’m going to write the letter—thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She bounced off, and Hunter felt a hug from behind. Camila turned him around to face her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, mijo?”

Hunter chuckled. “I think Red would probably just jump in if I said no, so…”

“Seriously, Hunter, if you don’t want to do it—no one is making you, and no one will think anything bad if you say no.”

“I’m okay with it. Red is—Red’s right, we’re… we’ve been really codependent on each other, and… maybe learning to be away from each other for a bit will be good. I mean, I can’t keep taking them to school, right?”

Camila ruffled his hair. “Right. Thank you. This… it means a lot to Luz, and I wish I could let her go, but…”

“You want to be able to stay in contact,” Hunter finished, “And you’re scared that she won’t be able to find a way back.”

Some of his worry must have crept into his voice, because Camila bent over and kissed his forehead. “If anyone would be able to get back without a portal, it’s Red. That little guy would fly through hell to get back to you.”

Red chirped an agreement.

Hunter swiped at his eyes. “Y-yeah. You’re right. I know.” He frowned at the lake. “Wonder what would happen if we put Titan’s blood in Luz’s phone.”

Camila laughed. “One crazy experiment at a time, mijo. I don’t need to be having exploding phones on top of everything else.”

Luz game tearing back with a little bottle on a string, a piece of paper tucking inside. Red held out a leg and patiently waited while Luz tied it on.

“Okay, I’ve explained that you’re here to help, and that you know where titan’s blood is. Thank you, Red.”

Hunter bumped his forehead against his palisman’s. “I’m going to miss you, buddy. Come back soon, okay?”

It chirped an affirmation, and then Red’s soft feathers turned to hard wood. Hunter took a deep breath, and gently set the wooden creature in the water, floating him out into the middle of the lake. The water flashed, Hunter could see red trees reflected, and then Red was gone. He blinked back tears as Camila wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“He’ll be okay,” she promised.

“I know.” Or, at least, he should keep telling himself that.

The water flashed again, and Hunter could see the reflection of a sky that wasn’t the color of the sky above him.

And the speck of a red bird soaring through it.

And then the water went back to normal, just a swimming hole.

No sign of red trees.

Or a red bird.

[gemsofgreece]

Hellinikon: thoughts

Hellinikon is a vast area in the southern suburbs of Athens where the old airport used to be. After the international airport was relocated, the area was used for sports venues during the Olympic Games in 2004 and then as a refugee camp. The area  was eventually abandoned which essentially turned Hellinikon into an expanded dead land. There have been a lot of discussions for investments in the area throughout the years, which were delated because privatization has traditionally not been well received in Greece (I both agree and disagree with this negative sentiment) but recently the land‘s been bought by LAMDA Development which belongs to Greek multi-billionaire Latsis family. LAMDA Development has publishized all the plans for the urban regeneration and the environmental upgrade of the area for quite a while. Despite not being familiar with the region, I was always interested in the developments of the Hellinikon issue and I thought it would be fun to just lightly rate the benefits and flaws of the huge project. And it is huge indeed, I recently found out the whole region is three times as big as Monaco and twice as big as Central Park in New York. Or, maybe, Monaco is that small. Well. Nevermind.

The Marina

Features: 

A marina that accomodates 337 moorings up to 80 meters.

A 6-star hotel in front of the marina.

Retail shops and entertainment venues. 

Thoughts:  Okay, a marina is not a big deal, especially amongst the (how-many?) marinas that Attica has. To my understanding, this one is going to be a large and particularly upscale one. Entertainment venues are to be expected but I am a bit sceptical about the retail shops. However,  YES to the 6-star hotel. I don’t mean Greece should be flooded with 6-star hotels - not at all - but the country relies on tourism so much that having at least one self-acclaimed 6-star hotel is probably good for the... prestiggggge XD  

Rate: 4 / 5

The Integrated Resort

Features: 

high-rise hotel 

state-of-the-art Gaming and MICE facilities

Thoughts: A luxe hotel just behind the 6-star hotel? Is there a crying need for it? I’m not that against it being high-rise and a Casino though. The Casino in Loutraki is somewhat far and the Casino in Mt Parnetha doesn’t cater to sea lovers. And this one will surely be a brand new posh thing so if you want to lose your money by the sea, this will be your new dream place I guess lol

Rate: 4 / 5 

The Marina Residential Tower

Features: a high-rise tall building with 200 apartments

Thoughts: It sounds stupid and unimportant but I actually like this one. If non-Europeans read that, well long story short Greece (and most of Europe) does not have skyscrapers for reasons that are associated with the region’s historical monuments. But if this building is not visible in the horizon from the Acropolis (most likely, it’s quite far), then I like it and I am all for it. 

Rate: 4,5 / 5

The Beach

Features: free-access 1km long beach with 50 m average width

Thoughts: A beach in Greece, a drop of water in the ocean. However, it will be free-access (who would save them from the wrath of the nation if it wasn’t? XD) and it’s surely a long beach (I still prefer our trademark coved bays though.) I can’t think of negatives, it’s what you’d expect. 

Rate: 5 / 5 

The Aquarium

Features: the new “world class” Aquarium, some sources say it will be the largest in Europe and part of it will be underwater

Thoughts: The only decent aquarium Greece has is in Crete island and still it cannot compete with the good aquariums around the world. Should Greece, a country so deeply associated and dependent on the sea, lack a proper eligible aquarium? Okay, it depends on what someone thinks of aquariums. If it’s more like what you’d call a wildlife sanctuary, I support it. Let’s take for granted that it will fit all criteria for health care, endangered species preservation (when needed) and ideal conditions for the hosted sealife as well as have primarily an educational purpose. The site says that the Aquarium will complement the existing Ocean Centre of Research & Technology. It sounds hopeful and sensitive.  If these are the actual designs, I freaking love them.

Rate: 5 / 5 just don’t disappoint me make it good and eligible 

The Seafront Area

Features: 

Beach villas

Luxury hotel

Marina for small boats

Thoughts: ...What...more luxury hotels?!  I assume the large marina will be suitable only for big boats (for super rich dudes) but somewhat rich dudes have rights too. This corner is kept for somewhat rich dudes. 

Rate: 2 / 5 it would be 1 for pointlessness but we stan somewhat rich dudes

The Exhibition Precinct

Features: 

transformation of the old airport into an Aviation Museum

renovating the Eero Saarinen building of the old airport to an Exhibition Center

Thoughts: The renovation is definitely needed but I don’t know what good a vague exhibition center will do for Athens with its already existing exhibition centers. Maybe I am wrong though, this whole area aims to be upscale so they ‘ll probably have plenty exclusive exhibitions. The Aviation Museum is a HUGE thumbs up, I love that they respect the history of the place and they incorporate it to the new project.  BTW this sculpture in the design is from another country and I hope they WON’T bring something like this here too, no offense

Rate: 4 / 5  

The Metropolitan Park

Features: supposedly the biggest park in Europe and one of the biggest coastal parks in the world and will include lakes, arable land (?!), thematic regions and interconnection with all other areas. 

Thoughts: This is of course necessary at the least. Athens needs some greenery badly. Urban areas lack large parks. I hope it will indeed be as expanded as they claim. I also hope Latsis will have a guard in every corner though. Urban green places sadly don’t have a lot of luck in Greece and I am already pessimistic. 

Rate: 4,5 / 5 because of my pessimism

The Sports Facilities Complex

Features: what the title says

Thoughts:  I don’t know, I technically can’t be against sports facilities but what Athenian will get out of their way to reach Hellinikon to play sports... IDK I may be thinking with my provincial mind. Obviously, they target wealthy tourists more than Greeks anyway which is what irritates me.  It says they will host professional teams and international events though. They will also restore the Olympic facilities that are located there which was absolutely necessary. Hmmm I don’t know, I am as indifferent for this as I am for sports in general, so maybe don’t listen to me.

Rate: 3,5 / 5

The New Urban Innovation and Business Centre

Features: 

educational facilities and research institutions

student campus and housing

model business park

residential developments

hypermarkets, biggest shopping center in Athens

hotels

Thoughts: Yes, yes, ok, meh, no, no. The thing with the hotels starts becoming a joke. Does Athens need a bigger shopping center? I would replace the shops and hotels with simply more park. The campus and research institutions save this. 

Rate: 3 / 5

The Mall at Vouliagmenis Avenue

Features: Another Mall

Thoughts: The site calls it “Shopping Center” so I just hope it is the aforementioned one, simply in a detailed description because I don’t dare imagine two massive shopping centers next to each other. Again, it’s a no, even if things work a little differently in Athens, overall I would say that Greek people and “hypermarkets” and malls don’t get along very well. Greeks always prefer their local shops downtown or even the posh shopping streets but hardly ever the Malls. (Or, at least, a curse seems to have fallen on nearly all these shopping complexes in Thessaly.) Thus, this shopping center that is quite far from Athens downtown and also has Glyfada’s upscale shops right next to it (and the future retail shops in the new Marina) will have a lot of competition to face from the locals. Too much ado about nothing.

Rate: 1 / 5 one point if they make it pretty 

Let’s see if they pull that off...

[getawaymakers26-blog]

Greek Vacations Fundamentals Explained

Below are a few of Greece's finest beaches to aid you select! The Shipwreck Beach (also called Navagio), on the Ionian Island of Zakynthos The Balos Lagoon in Crete Myrtos Bay, on the Ionian Island of Kefalonia Elafonisi Beach in Crete Simos Coastline, on Elafonissos Island, Peloponnese Sarakiniko Coastline, on Milos Island, The Cyclades St Paul Bay, on the Dodecanese Island of Rhodes Lalaria Coastline in Skiathos, The Sporades The Network of Love (likewise known as "Canal d'Amour") in Corfu Voidokilia coastline in Peloponnese You will certainly observe that I have not discussed Santorini's 2 most popular coastlines: Perissa Coastline and its volcanic black sand, and also the Red Coastline.

So, what will you consume throughout your keep in Greece? Let's check out the traditional recipes you have to try throughout your journey! Tzatziki is a Greek sauce made with goat's (or lamb's) yoghurt as well as cucumbers. The one we consumed also had a great deal of garlic! Greek salad: cucumbers, olives, feta cheese, peppers.

Fasolada, a standard bean soup. Souvlakis and also gyros: a pita full of hen or pork, a yoghurt sauce, salad, tomatoes and fries. To tell you the reality, it was our daily lunch! Greek Yogurt is not just a tale. You will certainly locate it in every dining establishments, as well as it's frequently offered for desert with fruits as well as honey.

If you don't like Oranges, you can constantly attempt the (as scrumptious) lemon one. It's plainly my preferred Greek desert! Ouzo, an anise-flavoured alcohol, functioned as a digestif. Greek Salad On Voyagetips.com, I give you all my finest pointers as well as plans to plan your journey to Greece on your own. ( All my Greece short articles are below) Nevertheless, if you favor to book a Greece tour with a travel bureau, I advise you to examine the 10 ideal Greece tours by clicking the switch listed below: And also you, currently that you understand what to see: where do you wish to go as well as what do you want to see in Greece? Discover all my write-ups about Greece : All my short articles to assist you intend your trip to Greece are listed there.

Making good friends in the healing waters of Greece's Lake Vouliagmeni. Anthony Grant Greece might still be fiscally sagging however it's toning up to be among the globe's most popular locations this summer. In recent times Athens has emerged as a fantastic city break location and also the country in its entirety still uses far better value for your money than other Mediterranean hot areas like Spain as well as Italy.

Right here are 10 top spots you'll desire to scoop up on your following trip to Greece. 1. Athens As the birth place of freedom and lively capital of Greece, Athens is a world unto itself and also probably the first area you'll see on your trip. And also you might easily invest all your time in Athens, but that would suggest missing out on lots of various other fantastic points to see in the nation.

That will additionally leave you with time to roam the vivid streets of the Plaka and also Monastiraki communities, as well as soak up the ambience of the hilly area of Kolonaki and also a lot more. A sight of the Acropolis from the Areopagus hill. Anthony Grant Mysterious Lake Vouliagmeni is simply 15 miles outside Athens yet a world apart.

For anybody accustomed to Yosemite's El Capitan, include a beautiful thermal spring-fed lake full of recovery waters and a windy outside restaurant as well as you get a suggestion of the extraordinary natural setting. The waters of Lake Vouliagmeni have restorative value as a result of the high concentration in salts and also ... [+] minerals.

Thessaloniki Greece's seaside 2nd city was developed in 316 BCE and was called after a half-sister of Alexander the Great. There is a hill of history in this soulful metropolitan area: Roman and Byzantine ruins, Christian heritage (Apostle Paul brought the very first message of Christianity here) and also an abundant as well as fascinating Jewish background, as well.

You can look into the city's main travel page right here . There are several flights a day between Athens and also Thessaloniki; the flight time is about an hour. Summertimes can be warm and damp in Thessaloniki, however do not stress: there are outside followers for that. Anthony Give 4. Milos Island Okay, so Milos is most famous for something that isn't even there-- the Venus de Milo statuary sits in the Louvre-- however I'm mosting likely to inform you a key: this Cycladic island astonishment is where several Greeks take place their honeymoons or just to avoid everything for a couple of days.

The unique geology has granted the island with a wide range of lovely beaches, including Sarakiniko with its unique white landscapes. Milos has to do with a three-hour ferry trip from Piraeus (examine Seajets for timetables). White volcanic landscapes shaped by the sea on the north coast of Milos Anthony Give 5. Paros If you're searching for wonderful coastlines, great food, a tip of allure and also excellent value for cash then look no more than the Greek island of Paros.

The multicultural town of Naoussa has lots of fantastic seafood restaurants and tavernas and also is near an array of penalty, uncrowded coastlines. A quick ten-minute ferry flight takes you to little Antiparos, which has more great coastlines (and where Tom Hanks has a h 0use). 6. Crete (north side) Long a preferred location for Europeans seeking beach climate for six months out of the year or more, Crete is not just the biggest of the Greek islands but in numerous areas one of the most incredible.

The north is where you'll discover some of one of the most fascinating cities, such as 25th of August Street in central Heraklion, Crete. Anthony Give 7. Crete (south side) The south side of Crete is much much less developed than the north, which is good news for those who appreciate significant landscapes and coastlines.

[gavriilux]

Dinner is served Ft. @fsathens with a stunning set up and view at Pelagos (greek for ocean) seafood restaurant. Design: @m_b_d_s_ Lighting: @lightdesint Massive thanks to whoever parked their yacht at that exact point. Perfect background to my seaview photo 🙏 #fourseasons #resort #peninsula #Athens #vouliagmeni #summeriscoming (at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxNrdmYBs8x/?igshid=1m6pto9lfnwky

[apostoloskanakisphotographer]

Hire Bridal Photoshoot At Vouliagmeni

Wedding arranging can be a particularly scary errand, and one of your tasks is picking a bridal photographer. When taking a gander at a photographer's work, take a gander at their whole collection of work. Try not to make a speedy judgment dependent on the bits of workmanship brought to a marriage show or the photographs on the photographic artist's site. Those photographs are the most elite, the best of thousands of pictures.

All things considered, visit the picture taker's blog or Facebook page. See pictures they've posted from every individual photoshoot they've done over the recent months. You don't need to return years, since picture takers develop and improve throughout the long term, however taking a gander at late photoshoots will show you if that photographer reliably delivers the kinds of photographs you would be glad to flaunt and take a gander at for the remainder of your wedded life. Since your companion, a companion of a companion, your auntie, or your cousin has a "pleasant" camera doesn't mean they are a decent photographic artist. Photography is in excess of a camera.

Bridal photoshoot at Vouliagmeni have spent innumerable hours presenting couples, picking the correct lighting circumstances, picking the correct camera settings, and picking the correct point at which to shoot the photograph. Having a pleasant camera set on programmed won't create a predictable style of photography. Your companion may take great previews on her excursion; however that doesn't mean she will realize how to catch the feeling and every one of the exceptional minutes that will be your wedding.

Truth be told, we picked the modest path at our wedding years prior, before I turned into a bridal photograher, and we have thought twice about it from that point onward. We can never return and reproduce that day to get photographs that will endure forever. Photography is an interesting item that empowers you to remember recollections all the more distinctively for quite a long time to come.

Since wedding days are so loaded with activities, numerous brides and grooms don't have the opportunity to absorb everything on the big day. Your photographs are what will bring back every one of the sweet minutes to your recognition. Try to pick Bridal photoshoot at Vouliagmeni, as they are expert in offering best photography.

[unwindword22]

Top 13 Things To Do In And Around Athens

OVERVIEW The city capital city of Greece is dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks and the beautiful coastline on the south. This bustling and modern capital city is home to some of the world’s most relics dating back more than 3000 years. It offers numerous viewpoints an beaches to soak in the scenic beauty.  Moreover the city also serves as a fantastic base to visit the nearby beautiful Greek islands and many other beautiful places.

The following list mentions top things to do in Athens and the top day trips from it.

LIST

1. ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS

This is this most iconic site in Athens, and it is safe to say that it represents Athens. The architecture of this site is considered one the mankind’s greatest achievement. And this dates back 2500 years, simply fascinating! The history of this site is as intriguing as it can get. And then the view of the Athens city from there is simply cherry on the cake! The whole experience will take your breath away.

The site opens at 8 am. You could either buy a ticket just for Acropolis or you can buy a ticket that allows you to see this and the other major archaeological sites like the Theater of Herod Atticus, Theater of Dionysious and the Ancient Agora and even Keramiekos.

2. ACROPOLIS MUSEUM

This museum exhibits all the artifacts related to the huge history of Acropolis and Greece in general. All the artifacts are marked with their corresponding  detailed descriptions. We recommend taking a guided tour to understand the history better.

Being one of the visited spots in Athens, line-ups can be huge in peak seasons. Also the prices and working hours differ as per the summer and winter season. For all the updated details on hours, price and buying the e-ticket, please click here

You can also opt for an all inclusive ticket (turbo pass) which covers a lot of other places too . since the line-ups here can be huge, so we suggest you purchase your ticket ahead of time. Click here to buy the Turbo pass.

3. VOULIAGMENI LAKE

Distance: 25 KM’s, around 30 mins drive from city center

Vouliagmeni Lake is a hidden gem just on the Athenian Riviera. The waters of this thermal pool are rich in salts and minerals and has a temperature between 22 to 29 degrees all year round. The waters are continuously refilled both by the sea and the underground thermal springs which offers a natural and unique thermal spa experience. There is a cafe around the Lake shoreline which provides a great view of the lake. It is free for access. To go further and enter the main lake area you need to pay the entrance which is around  8 Euros on weekdays and 10 on weekends. Goes upto 15 Euros in peak seasonsaround the Lake’s shoreline. Sunbeds and umbrellas are included in the entrance cost.  Lifeguarding/medical services, Parking, Cabins, Lockers, Showers, Accessibility, Wi – Fi, Kids corner, etc. are available.

4. CAPE SOUNIO AND THE TEMPLE OF POSEIDON

The beautiful Cape Sounion is home to the Temple of Poseidon. As soon as you arrive, you will be able to see the ruins of this magnificent temple and the breathtaking view of the Aegean sea from it. The temple of dates back to the 5th Century B.C. If you want to understand the history better than we recommend taking a guided tour. We recommend coming here at sunset. Personally i felt the sunset from here was one of the best i have ever seen! Opening hours of the temple are generally from 9AM to sunset. Entrance fee is 8 Euro for adults. There is also a cafe located at the start of the 5 min hike to reach this place. The cafe offers a view of this Temple.

5. LYCABETTUS HILL

Lycabettus Hill is one of the topmost hills in city of Athens. To get to the top, you can either hike up a forested slope or there’s a convenient cable car to the top. The cable car generally operates from from 9:30 am to 2:30 a.m. and runs every half an hour. The cost for a round trip ticket is 7.5 Euros and 5 Euros for a one way ticket. As the operating hours and prices can change over time and season, please refer to the official website before going. The best offers one of the most magnificent views of the Athens city. Apart from the view, there are many other things to do up there.  There’s a gourmet Greek restaurant with probably the most scenic terrace in Athens, a beautiful whitewashed church called St George and obviously a café. There is also a open-air theater built on other part of the hill. Concerts are held here in summertime.

6. CINE PARIS

I am sure you have heard/experienced wine with a view. But have you ever heard of watching movie on the big screen with a view? Well, Cine Paris is the name. This is basically an open air theater where you can watch movie with the view of Acropolis. To get the best of this unique experience, we recommend going at Sunset. Since the theater is open air, it is open only in Summer time. For reservations, movie list and other details, visit the official website.

7. SHOP IN THE PLAKA

The Plaka is one of the most beautiful and iconic areas in Athens. It is located below the Acropolis. It offers pretty cobblestones streets with chic roadside cafes and shops selling jewelry, local ceramics and clothes. Most of area is a no traffic zone. Thus it is a great place to away from the city bustle and just relax. Cine Paris is also located here if you are in mood for watching a view with the Acropolis view.

8. SMASH THINGS AT LIMBA RAGE ROOM

Well this is not your touristy site. If you are feeling enraged and you want it out, or you are not and just want to do something unique, Limba Rage room is the place. The ticket includes package of plates, bottles, a tube TV and glasses. So you basically buy this stuff and smash them. As i said, it can be stress reliever or just the unique thing you did that day.

9. DRINK AT BRETTOS BAR

This bar is one of oldest distillery in Europe. It’s decoration with numerous colorful-lit bottles sets it apart.  This bar serves classic alcohol – all crafted using old family recipes. The place is an old-fashioned distillery bar with a great vibe. And this is also located in Plaka. I will recommend going here for a drink or two.

10. TAKE A DAY CRUISE TO 3 ISLANDS-HYDRA, POROS AND AEGINA

Athens has many nearby small boutique islands. Out of them, regular cruises are operated to the three picturesque islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina. Hydra is beautiful island with a vibrant harbor. The harbor has numerous restaurants, cafes and contains the main vibe of the island.There are numerous view points where you can look at the whitewashed and red roof houses and the endless sea. The islands of Poros and Aegina very similar. The island is built around the main harbor which act as the center. Not only for a day tour, but you can also choose to spend a day or two on these islands if you are looking to spend some time on a boutique island. The approximate starting cost of this tour is around 90 Euros.

11. A DAY TRIP TO DELPHI

Delphi was of the most of the important site to the ancient Greeks. This site was the seat of the highest priest or their religious head. The ancient Greeks considered this site as the center of the world. If you are into history, you should definitely take a guided tour of Delphi.

12. DAY TRIP TO METEORA

Meteora is a huge pillar like rock formation housing various monasteries on the top of this rock. This rocks are located near the town of Kalambaka and Pindus Mountains in Greece. The most popular monastery to visit here is the Monastery of Great Meteoron and is known for its stunning red roof.

13. SAILING ALONG THE COAST

Sailing along the coast is Athens is a fantastic idea if love spending in the sea. You can take yacht ride along the coast of Athens and spend the day sunbathing and snorkeling in the Aegean sea. Such yacht rides are arranged by various operators. Generally lunch is also available on the yachts.

[abroadinrennes]

Fall Break 2019: Budapest, Athens, and Bucharest

Two weeks ago, we had our fall break here in Rennes. In fact, the whole country had that week (and younger kids, the week before, too) off. Being in Rennes, it’s sometimes a little bit harder to travel with classes and having to get to Paris first. (There is an airport in Rennes, but it’s much more expensive to fly out of.) But this week off of classes, was the perfect opportunity to travel. So I packed my backpack and set off for the week to explore an entirely new part of Europe. 

My first stop was Budapest, Hungary and it was also my first time ever travelling alone. I got to the airport and quickly made my way to the airport shuttle that would take me right to the hostel (thank you inter-Schengen travel for no passport control!). My time in Budapest mostly consisted of making new friends, hitting up some cool backpacker hotspots, and getting in some sight-seeing too. Definitely one of my favorite places I’ve ever been and I definitely want to go back. 

Here are some photos I took there: 

The next stop was Athens, and after a long 5 months, Clare (Todd) and I were finally reunited! Unfortunately, I was a bit sick at this point but we still got to do a bunch of cool stuff. The first night was there we went to one of Todd’s favorite bars and she convinced me to try this like lemony peppery thing? 10/10 would recommend that, the other traditional Greek drinks she had me try on Halloween, not so much. But the next day it was nice and warm so we went to the beach about an hour (on the metro and bus) south of Clare’s apartement. The next day it POURED. We walked around an outdoor market in the rain and, once it let up, walked up to the Acropolis and did some typical touristy things. On the way up we made a new tortoise friend. 

the beach in Vouliagmeni 

some frickin’ old buildings

Todd and Miguel in Greece!

Athens from above

our new friend on the way up to the Acropolis

Our last stop of the week was Bucharest, Romania, which was kind of a “why not?” decision but turned out to be a great time. Upon arriving at our hostel, the guy at reception asked us why we were there, and the only real answer we could give was “why not?” But we ate A LOT of Romanian pastries, which were delicious, hit up some nice coffee shops, and saw the second largest building in the world. Our last day, we saw the Eternal Flame and the monument accompanying it in the park. There was also an open mic night at the hostel which was really cool. Overall, Bucharest was really cool to see, but if I go back, I’ll definitely take a day trip to Transylvania to see Dracula’s castle. 

Some delicious Romanian pastries

the whole building couldn’t even fit in one picture!

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame

[godlessgeekblog]

My novel acquire on Athens! Greatest-selling creator Victoria Hislop’s guidebook to the Greek funds

Even after a thing like 50 visits to Athens, I nevertheless locate the geography sometimes baffling.

However, which is component of the allure of this beautiful European town, and, the for a longer time you shell out there, the much more you realise just how much there is to explore.

By all indicates visit one particular of the spectacularly glamorous shoe retailers on the major searching street, Ermou, and devote in some thing teeteringly superior as a memento of your keep.

Star: Even following close to 50 visits to Athens, writer Victoria Hislop states she ‘still finds the geography sometimes baffling’. Higher than, a perspective of the Acropolis

But most of us individual at minimum one particular pair of trainers, and they’re undoubtedly the suitable footwear for checking out Athens. It truly is a town that can only really be understood and liked on foot. Unfortunately, for a lot of Britons, Athens is basically a quick stopover on the way to the islands or the Peloponnese. Most readers to Greece get a short tour of the Acropolis and its neighbouring museum and then leave. 

For me it deserves so much a lot more. Athens is a dynamic town that deserves at minimum many days even to see a portion of its museums and delight in a compact sample of its lively nightlife, gastronomy and shops.

I’ve invested a large amount of time there about the earlier decade-and-a-50 percent. Slipping totally under its dusty spell, I have witnessed the periods it was thriving, the yrs of crisis and now, ultimately, indications of its revival, obvious in the number of energetic bars and places to eat popping up in unpredicted locations.

My new novel, Individuals Who Are Liked, is encouraged by modern day situations and mostly set in Athens, partly in an place called Patisia (some 30 minutes’ stroll from the centre) and all around Syntagma (Constitution Square).

I often feel of the latter as the epicentre of the town, a position exactly where locals have extensive collected to socialise, busk and demonstrate — the Athens’ equivalent of Trafalgar Sq. if you like. Syntagma is also home to my favorite place to remain, the Athens Plaza Resort. A place with a view over this fast paced public room will expose every single component of Athens lifestyle — from socialising to political demonstration.

PILGRIM’S Progress

If you visit the Parthenon, the previous temple on the Acropolis, really don’t miss the neighbouring amphitheatre, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (pictured)

Whether you might be staying for a 7 days or a pair of days, it can be not seriously optional to take a look at the historic citadel of the Acropolis — it’s obligatory. This is a location of pilgrimage exactly where you go to worship the points that the Historical Greeks still left for us all to stay by — notably the ideal proportions of classical architecture.

The Parthenon, the previous temple on the Acropolis, is wonderful and majestic, and one particular of the terrific advantages is that it can be appreciated from a distance. So you will not have to climb that hill to enjoy it. 

It is a landmark constantly seen towards a gleaming blue sky or gloriously floodlit at night in opposition to the inky black. Don’t overlook the neighbouring amphitheatre, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

If you are likely to make the climb, it is value scheduling in advance. Some tutorial books say ascending from the Monastiraki Square side is the greatest selection. But beware, since you might be starting up from reduced in the town, it can be exhausting in the warmth.

Considerably better to enter from the Acropolis metro station facet — you happen to be starting off from a higher altitude and it truly is a more light ascent. I have only climbed the Acropolis twice, while, I have been to the Acropolis Museum, located below the south-japanese slope of the Acropolis hill, a dozen instances considering the fact that it opened a 10 years in the past.

The crystal waters off Vouliagmeni, a seaside suburb some 12 miles or so south of the city centre. It is property to a extended sandy seashore lined with bars and cafes

With approximately 4,000 objects exhibited around an spot of 14,000 sq metres, it deserves a very good fifty percent a working day at minimum. But I love it just about every little bit as much for the architecture and the glass walkways demonstrating you that, not considerably beneath your ft (and most likely in the whole of central Athens), lie the traces of ancient instances.

Almost everywhere you go you stroll in this spacious museum you can gaze upwards to glimpse the Acropolis to be reminded of exactly where everything you are viewing exhibited originated. The relationship is quick and the context satisfying.

If the warmth does get as well significantly, head south out of the metropolis and two truly great encounters await. In minor additional than half an hour you can be on the beach front swimming in crystal waters off Vouliagmeni, a seaside suburb some 12 miles or so south of the city centre. A extended sandy seashore lined with bars and cafes can make it a person of my favorite spots.

6 OF THE Ideal MUSEUMS 

1 The Acropolis Museum

Peerless. Excellent modern-day architecture of metal and glass showcasing historic history. Open every day. (theacropolismuseum.gr)

2 National Archaeological Museum

Just chic: the most significant museum in Greece and 1 of the most important in the planet. So large you can frequently escape marauding packs of tourists. Open up every day. (namuseum.gr)

3 The Museum of Countrywide Resistance

Commemorates the bravery of communist resistance fighters throughout the Nazi occupation. Iro Konstantopoulou 16, Kaisariani 161

4 Benaki Museum

Dwelling-developed artwork moreover foreign influences, all housed in a splendid family members mansion. (benaki.org)

5 Museum of Cycladic Art

This homes the selection of the tremendous-prosperous super-collectors Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris who started out amassing art in the Sixties. (cycladic.gr)

6 Theocharakis Basis For The Good Arts and Music

New music recitals and so considerably far more in this tasteful neo-classical setting up. (thf.gr)

Impressed: The Acropolis Museum 

Another 30 or so miles south-east is Cape Sounion. When the solar is beginning to go down, you need to make for the awe-inspiring Temple of Poseidon, hunting out around the Aegean Sea at just one of the most spectacular sunsets conceivable.

It was from right here that I first caught sight of Makronisos, the as soon as-notorious jail island that grew to become the setting for some of People Who Are Loved.

Historical & Contemporary

In 10 minutes’ walk of the centre of Athens, there are 3 perfect small museums, and I love them all: The Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki, and the Theocharakis Basis For The Good Arts and Music, each individual of them with frequently transforming exhibitions as well as long-lasting collections.

Out of all of them, the Cycladic is my favourite. When I gaze on the mysterious, minimalist sculptures that are virtually 5,000 yrs previous and motivated Picasso and Modigliani, the idea of any gulf between ancient and contemporary melts absent.

A additional considerable assortment is the National Archaeological Museum which residences some of the greatest of historic Greek artefacts which includes a everyday living- sized bronze racehorse galloping at entire velocity. It has a little determine of a boy-jockey perched precariously on prime, urging the animal on, and is astonishing — all the more so when you realise it was crafted extra than 2,000 yrs in the past nonetheless displays these effective emotion.

In coincidentally close proximity to this bronze, is another far more contemporary piece of metal which, at initial sight, could be mistaken for a fashionable sculpture.

Entry is no cost for a close inspection, but you can peer via the railings of the Polytechnic to see it, and I have finished so quite a few dozens of situations as an act of homage. Lying on the floor are the outdated gates of the Polytechnic which had been crushed by tanks for the duration of a demonstration towards the armed service dictatorship in 1973.

The dying of a lot of college students served bring an finish to military rule and this is remembered each and every November 17 when educational facilities shut for the working day.

The Acropolis is often cited as the position the place democracy was born, but these mangled gates are a reminder of the value that quite a few Athenians paid out to get back it. It by some means symbolises to me that Athens should not be observed by guests and holidaymakers as a position just to examine the historical world.

It is a town packed with reminders of modern day history much too, and new museums are now opening to remind guests (and Athenians) of this.

I found one concealed away on my very last stop by to the japanese suburb of Kaisariani (a taxi trip from the centre of city to reduce melting in the heat). The Museum of Countrywide Resistance data the acts of communist resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation from 1941 to 1944, and also has a spectacular and shifting monument to several hundred innocent men and women of all ages who ended up executed by the Germans.

Truly feel THE PULSE

A perspective of the energetic Monastiraki neighbourhood. The cocktail bar and restaurant, A For Athens, boasts a see of the floodlit Acropolis

Athens is not only about record, of class. It is a town that life for the moment as do many of the Greeks on their own. It is full of energetic cafes, bars and dining places.

The pleasures of taking in, consuming and listening to tunes are what preoccupy the common Athenian — the concerns of these days are, after all, extra pressing than the past. In point, the phrase Hedonism arrives from the Historical Greek word for enjoyment, which they regarded as the rightful aim of lifetime.

Just one of the busiest areas for bars and cafes is Platia Irini which buzzes working day and night time with lots of locations to sit exterior, most of them open up right up until the early hours.

An additional of my favorite regions is Kolokotroni Road and there is a particularly unique bar referred to as 9 (which is its handle). It is a e-book-lined place the place the proprietor/specialist bartender lovingly serves his cocktails in sophisticated retro eyeglasses. 

A far more conservative region is Kolonaki (five minutes’ walk from the trio of museums I pointed out earlier).This is the spot for the additional traditional establishments (most of them serving foods as nicely as drink), notably Da Capo, with its eco-friendly awnings that seem not to have altered for a long time, and Minnie the Moocher, where by the design and style is impressed by Prohibition-era The us (even if the alcohol does circulation liberally).

Victoria Hislop’s new novel, All those Who Are Liked, is mostly set in Athens

There genuinely is some thing for everyone in Athens in terms of taste, new music and decor, but the spots everyone agrees on are these with a look at of the floodlit Acropolis. There are numerous, all really worth a stop by: A For Athens in Monastiraki (lively and with a younger crowd), the rooftop bar of Refreshing in Omonia (where there is also a pool) or even the Roof Garden at the Grande Bretagne (for the final luxurious).

For my taste, the most glamorous of them (and I confess to becoming a standard) is the Galaxy Bar at the Hilton Resort, also a good spot to keep if you can bag a area overlooking the Acropolis.

It has a extensive balcony that runs throughout the total of the entrance of the lodge on the 12th flooring, and at night, the whole city appears to be to sparkle under you, with the Parthenon glowing on the horizon.

It is magical, and reassures me that Athens has unbelievable vitality and daily life, and is at least as everlasting as Rome. It really is my top rated decision for ending a visit to this lots of-layered metropolis.

People Who Are Cherished by Victoria Hislop is released in hardback by Headline, priced £20.

The post My novel acquire on Athens! Greatest-selling creator Victoria Hislop’s guidebook to the Greek funds appeared first on BestSellers.

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We were lucky enough to be offered Nick’s cousin’s summer flat for our summer holiday with the triplets in Greece. Vouliagmeni is one of the desirable suburbs of Athens down by the coast and popular with Athenians for beach days and holidays. The flat was just one block inland from the beautifully maintained private Vouliagmeni beach and needless to say we spent quite a bit of time here during our week away.

A Gramable Underpass

The beach may have been just a few minutes walk, but it involved crossing the main coastal dual carrigway road and I didn’t trust the kids to look the right way for oncoming traffic. Thankfully there was also a subway which to the kids delight was covered in Graffiti and in their words was “gramable” for their Instagram profiles so they were happy to cross this way and we were happy for them to come and go from the flat on this basis.

Vouliagmeni Beach

There is everything you need at the beach for a day there without leaving if you are visiting from further away. You have to pay to enter but it is only a few Euros and so worth it. Once inside the sun loungers and umbrellas are free, the whole place is clean and litter free and  there are many more facilities including cafes, loos and showers. With large open grass areas, flower boarders and even courts for ball games it is a very comfortable day in beautiful surroundings.

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Safe swimming

Vouliagmeni beach is very gently shelving with little wave typical of the Mediterranean. In early June the water temperature was perfectly warm and my kids spent hours in the sea just throwing a tennis ball to one another and keeping cool. There are lifeguards at either end of the beach for added safety. 

Anyone for Bat Ball?

Their other great love became the Greek Bat Ball. After watching the locals all play we bought  a set and had a go. It is so much harder than it looks and we were so obviously the clueless foreigners. The locals managed to keep rallies going for minutes while we only managed seconds. Jed is my naturally sporty one and he spent most of his time perfecting his technique on each one of us.

Not completely unplugged

The flat had no WiFi and very little mobile signal so the kids were truly unplugged most of the holiday. That said there was beach WiFi, all be it with a very limited signal strength, this kept the kids up to date with their friends at home via Snapchat from their sun loungers. After catching up on the chat there was always time for more swimming and a little siesta.

The Free Beaches

There are many free beaches in Vouliagmeni and all along the coast to Glenfada. Here you pay for the loungers and umbrellas or sat on the sand for free. However by the time you paid for our loungers and umbrella the price is much the same as the one we used. Most beaches were supported by tavernas, which we made a point of trying each night.   

The Verdict

We all had a lovely relaxing week in Greece and were very grateful to Nick’s cousin for the use of their flat. We wouldn’t hesitate to go back, there are plenty of hotels in the area and it all felt so clean and safe. The beaches themselves are still not a patch on our Cornish beaches, but we can’t compete on water temperature and guaranteed sun and it was blissful to swim without a wetsuit; something I rarely do in Cornwall. 

 Tips for visiting Vouliagmeni Beach

Entrance price is 4 euro kids, students and OAPs.  6 euro adults. Payment is for a full day and their is no late admission discount. OAPs and students need to supply valid ID, even my 82 year old Mother in Law was not trusted at face value as being old! 

Prices go up at the weekend (8 Euros for adults) and the beaches are overcrowded with Athenians as are the carparks and local streets. There are not enough sun loungers to go around on Saturday and Sunday, these days are best avoided. 

Toilets and open showers are free

2 cafes stock drinks, ice creams and hot snacks. There is seating there or you can take away.

Across the road from the beach is a supermarket if you’d rather take in your own picnic

Bat ball courts are provided though they are very busy at weekends and any spare space is used.

The Beach has 2 Lifeguards all day. Free beach wifi but very patchy to actually use as demand way outstrips supply. The beach is litter Free with plenty of bins and staff to tidy each day. In fact this was true of all the beaches. 

  Vouliagmeni Beach Athens Our Verdict We were lucky enough to be offered Nick's cousin's summer flat for our summer holiday with the triplets in Greece.