48 HOURS IN ATHENS

ATHENS

37.9838° N, 23.7275° E

Athens

Europe’s classical capital beckons with an electrifying blend of urban grit and ancient grandeur, delicious food and sweeping vistas.

Athens is where the ancient and modern worlds collide to create something utterly spectacular. Centuries old Byzantine churches and classical buildings line cobbled streets, and sprawling neighbourhoods play host to buzzing bars, restaurants and cafes, where people pour out into the streets and bask in the heat of the day. The city’s art scene has abounded in recent years, with commercial galleries like The Breeder and Goulandris Foundation favoured hot spots for art enthusiasts. Athens exudes a charming energy and chaos, and at its heart, the gleaming marble of the Acropolis, which sits on a hill and is visible from almost all corners of the city – an ever-present reminder of the country’s age-old history.

Go online: Visit viking.com for more information on cruises that go to Athens

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

If you’re headed to Athens you’ve no doubt got The Acropolis on your list. This ancient citadel is located on a rocky outcrop above Athens which contains the remains of several buildings of great architectural and historic significance. This UNESCO site offers spectacular views of the city.

Then there’s the Parthenon, an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Athena which dominates the hill of the Athenian Acropolis. Completed in 438 BC, it is considered one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.

While deep in discovery, pay a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, home to some of the greatest collections of antiquities in the world, including the treasures of the royal tombs of Mycenae, the Linear B tablets and the enigmatic Cycladic marble figurines. Be sure to visit Anafiotika, a charming Cycladic village clinging to the northern slopes of the Acropolis. Cats snooze among the geraniums and whitewashed houses reflect the sun’s golden glow. The National Gardens, tucked away in the heart of the city, have offered a serene retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city since the 19th century.

WHERE TO SHOP

Ermou Street has everything from commercial chain stores to independent boutiques or head to the Kolonaki market district for upmarket fashion and jewellery from Greek designers. The Monastiraki Flea Market is an essential part of any visit to Athens. You’ll find everything from furniture and crockery, to leather goods and quirky bric-a-brak.

WHERE TO DINE

After shopping stick around in Monastiraki for your fun fix of rooftop bars, buzzing restaurants and cafés or stop by an authentic taverna to sample meze, with a taste of ouzo or a glass of wine. The historic Plaka district with its winding streets lined with neoclassical architecture was built around the ruins of the city’s ancient marketplace, today, it is a delightful cluster of cafés and shops.

Clockwise, from

left: Porch of the Maidens, Athens; Acropolis Museum Gallery; Parthenon; Athens Parliament; Brettos Bar.

An artistic journey of the MEDITERRANEAN

Kate Armstrong uncovers her sense of curiosity on an artistic journey of discovery through the Mediterranean from ancient Rome to Barcelona that brims with vibrant Catalonian culture.

I am neither especially clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very

curious. – Albert Einstein

Three decades ago, with the ink barely dry on my university degree and a passion for history and fine arts, I bought a one-way ticket to Europe and headed off on an extended backpacking trip. Looking back, the journey was an unglamorous version of the Grand Tours of the 18th century, when impressionable Brits would venture to Italy with knowledgeable chaperones to learn about the classics and antiquities, from ancient ruins in Rome to architecture in Florence. In my case, I was travelling alone.

But what I lacked in companions, I made up for in curiosity: I vowed to get up close and personal with those Italian Renaissance artworks that I’d only ever seen via slides projected onto the wall of a university lecture hall. I was a girl obsessed. And it was thrilling.

I think of this as I board the Viking Sky, delighted that my itinerary – an eight-day Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Barcelona – includes many of the locales of my backpacking adventure. This time, I’m about to luxuriate in Viking style. But that’s not all.

What tickles my neurons is that Viking promotes their trips as a “thinking person’s cruise”. I’m intrigued by what that means in practice. After all, my cruising wish list is long: I fancy learning new things and I want to polish up a few facts that have long gone rusty in my memory bank. By nature an inquisitive soul, I want my curiosity both aroused and sated. Can Viking deliver my tall order? It doesn’t take long to find out.

On my first evening, I relax in the ship’s smart theatre and soak up

an evocative delivery about the Italian Renaissance, the main theme of my cruise. An entire year of my university fine arts course, it seems, is packaged neatly into one hour. I’m stunned. Luckily for me, such themed lectures are presented daily by resident historians and experts. I can’t get enough of them. And I’m not the only one learning.

Over dinner, I hear passengers eagerly discuss their newfound knowledge – Michelangelo’s artistic habits (he likened his work to setting a prisoner free from a marble block) and the reasons for the Italian Renaissance (in part, the bubonic plague). I go to bed dreaming of new lands. And there’s more discovery to come.

Every day, on arriving in a different port, I head off with a group on an onshore excursion with local guides. These passionate individuals share their expertise, insights and enthusiasm for their patch.

One morning I’m standing alongside our guide, Mario, grasping the engineering intricacies of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The next afternoon I’m wandering with our Florentine guide, Silvia, through the paved squares of Florence, soaking up the city’s Renaissance legacy and the splendid cathedral complex: the Baptistery, Giotto's Campanile (bell tower); and Brunelleschi’s Duomo (dome). I think it can’t get better. Yet it does.

The following day, I’m surrounded by more beautiful works, this time by French artist Matisse in the Musée Matisse in Nice. We absorb the details of his life and art as our Modernist art-loving guide explains how Matisse’s style transformed from still life portraits to the shapes of dancers in his “drawing with scissors” pieces.

By the time we disembark at Marseille, I’m happy to “go solo”. I meander along the old port, a quay lined with upscale yachts and wooden rowboats. I take shelter from the wind in a small bar where locals insist I try a glass of pastis, a local liquor. They even launch into a spontaneous rendition of the French anthem, La Marseillaise, which originated in this port city. For local encounters are integral to the trips. And Viking can arrange these, too.

Viking’s immersive experiences including the “kitchen table”, “local life”, “working world” and “privileged access” tours – provide the opportunity to do everything from cook breads and French desserts to chatting with oenologists and spice producers. On my trip, a small group of fellow guests are hosted by the owners of Villa Rothschild, an Italianesque pink palazzo with gardens in Saint-JeanCap-Ferrat. On returning to the

ship they chat excitedly about décor and historic garden design. And it doesn’t end there. Each Viking ship itself is a treasure trove for curious individuals. Many features of the vessels have been designed to enhance your thinking, from the incredible art works (more on this later) right down to the passengers’ daily newsletter, the Viking Daily. The publication’s fascinating snippet, “Nautical term of the day”, covers common expressions that derive from sailing. (My favourite? “Under the weather”. When a crewman is standing watch on Above: Viking Jupiter taking in views of deep-cut fjords along the pristine Norwegian coastline Horse riding on a deserted beach had been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl hacking out ponies on weekends in the UK. I never thought the day would come and the “weather” side of the bow, he’s subject to the constant beating of the ocean spray.) As for the library in the Explorer’s Lounge? I love browsing its eclectic mix of titles – from art history to explorers’ biographies – I’d never imagined it would happen that have been selected by in Norway. Yet, here I was riding independent London bookseller Silfri, a sweet-natured Icelandic Heywood Hill. And there’s no horse whose name described his more comfortable place to read tufty silvery blonde mane, along a than in one of the library’s stylish stunning white-sand beach. I was Scandinavian-style chairs. in Hov, on the tranquil island of And, whether you’re an art Gimsøy in the Lofoten archipelago, where less than 200 people live. Since falling from my horse just over a decade ago and breaking two ‘wing’ bones in my lumbar aficionado or not, take time to view the vessel’s extraordinary art collection. Remarkably, all the pieces – sculptures, oils, digital spine, I hadn’t ridden at all. It works and photography – are had resulted in six weeks of life original. Most of the featured artists altering bed rest and I became too are Norwegian and many of their frightened to ride again for fear of works pay homage to Viking’s

risking a similar injury or worse.

But when I read about Viking’s horse riding excursion on the Into the Midnight Sun cruise, I felt it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity too good too miss.

It was then that I realised how a cruise experience can offer you just the right level of adventure, exploration and relaxation for your needs. I wasn’t ready for official riding lessons at the local equestrian centre or a full-blown adventure holiday, but since discovering a passion for trail running earlier on in the year, my fitness and confidence had increased considerably, so it felt like the right moment to finally face my fear.

The ride would only take a couple of hours, I’d told myself, so even if I couldn’t overcome my anxiety I wouldn’t have to be in that situation for long. Afterwards I could relax on the new and luxurious Viking Jupiter.

The morning brought a panoramic tour of Lofoten, which included sightseeing to spellbinding Haukland Beach, one of the most picturesque beaches in Norway, and to Ballstad, a scenic and traditional fishing village.

Later that day, with the dramatic setting of Lofoten’s mountains behind and the beach to ourselves, I learned that one of my fellow riders hadn’t ridden a horse since she was in her twenties. She felt excited to be on horseback again and was so moved by the experience of riding in the beguiling seaside location.

We also rode trails that showed us more of this wild island, from the fairy tale-like Norwegian turf

Left to right:

Vasari Corridor, Florence; Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

SPRING 2020 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 49