Thursday
On returning to the city from Aegina on Thursday, we had time to fit in a visit to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, also known as EMST. This is housed in the striking FIX Building, which was once a brewery. Later, to mark our final night in the Greek capital, we decided to go out for sushi at Umami Panda, just a few steps away from our front door.
Friday
We only really had Friday morning available for a final bout of sightseeing in Athens. By mid-afternoon, we would have to be on our way to the airport, in good time to catch our return flight to London. We began at Syntagma Square, timing our arrival to catch the weekday version of the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside the royal palace. We had both seen this before, but who can resist a repeat of such an unusual slow-motion, balletic performance?
When the ceremony was over, we walked through the National Garden towards the Olympic Stadium, Zappeio Hall, Hadrian’s Arch and the ruined Temple of Olympian Zeus. We finished a successful morning – and indeed a successful visit to one of the great European capitals – by having an al fresco lunch adjacent to the Acropolis Museum, so familiar from earlier in what had proved to be a surprisingly fast-moving week.
