From the Acropolis to Candlelight

We caught the last warm, sunny days before winter. My girlfriend and I finally went to Athens, a city we'd been dreaming about for ages, then flew on to Malta for another taste of the blue Mediterranean.

Athens

As the birthplace of ancient Greek civilization, Athens had been on my list for a long time. It's also one of the most famous tourist cities in the world, and even in October the crowds showed no sign of thinning.

I knew Athens was hot in summer. I didn't expect it to be this hot in October, well into autumn. I hadn't checked the weather before we left, so I packed all the wrong clothes. I should have brought more shorts. We were sweating every day.

Day 1: The Acropolis

Our first stop was Syntagma Square. Before we even got there, we saw a huge crowd packed around it, and it took ages to squeeze in. We later found out that the 11 o'clock changing of the guard that day was a bigger ceremony than usual. We really are lucky. We always seem to catch the big moments.

We stood at the edge of the crowd in the sun for a long time until the guards finally marched in. I found a gap with a decent angle and could see the whole ceremony. I still think the way the soldiers march looks a bit funny.

The second stop had to be the Acropolis. It's the most famous sight in Athens, so you need to book ahead. I bought tickets online a week early, but the early-morning slots were already gone. I thought about a midday slot, but the guides all said the sun is brutal at noon. In the end I picked a late-afternoon slot, close to sunset. That turned out to be the right call. Even at 4 pm, when we went in, the sun was fierce and the heat was hard to bear.

The queue wound around several corners. There were lots of Chinese tourists, probably using the National Day holiday to travel abroad, just like us. We'd hit peak season.

The Acropolis sits on a hill. I honestly wondered if the hill was man-made. Otherwise, it's strange for a hill to just pop up in the middle of a flat city.

After a hot climb to the top, we could see all of Athens. The highlights up there are the Parthenon and the Caryatids. The Caryatids on the hill are copies, though. The originals are in the Acropolis Museum, and we saw them the next day.

Day 2: The Acropolis Museum

We hadn't actually planned to visit the Acropolis Museum. I've never been that into museum collections, and I knew most of the pieces were stone sculptures. I prefer classical paintings. Plus, the tickets aren't cheap.

But we hadn't planned the trip very carefully either. We'd already seen the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora on the first day, and nothing else seemed worth the time. So we went to the museum since it was on the way. The highlight is, of course, the original Caryatids. Photos didn't seem to be allowed, but no one stopped anyone, and everyone was taking pictures.

I also noticed that Europeans seem to love tossing coins into water and making a wish. One ancient well was piled high with coins. I've lost count of how many wishing wells we've seen on our travels.

Day 3: Lycabettus Hill

On our last day in Athens, we went up Lycabettus Hill for the sunset. It faces the Acropolis across the city but stands even higher, with a view over all of Athens. That makes it a classic photo spot.

Just as we expected, the top was full of Asian faces. We Chinese really do love a crowd. Luckily we got there early and grabbed a good spot. From there we could also see the Olympic stadium in the distance. We took some nice photos in the evening breeze.

Malta

From the start, we wanted to see the sea on this trip. It came down to Sicily or Malta, and we picked Malta. The main reason was that the island is easy to get around. You don't need a car, and you can see most of it in a few days. It was even hotter than Athens. Packing all those warm clothes was a real mistake.

Day 1

On the first day we went to Valletta, the capital and the cultural heart of the island. The old buildings are made of yellow limestone blocks, and centuries of sea wind have left them worn and weathered. From here you can see the blue coastline and look across the water to the Three Cities.

Day 2

On day two, we took an hour-long bus ride to the Blue Grotto. Once again, the boats weren't running because the sea was too rough. The higher the hopes, the bigger the letdown. That's the second time we've missed a blue grotto. Last time, in Capri, it was the weather too. A small regret.

We had a lovely seafood lunch, then spent the whole afternoon by the sea, enjoying the breeze. A slow, easy day like that was nice too.

Day 3

On the last day we planned to visit Gozo. But we took the bus in the wrong direction and ended up back in Valletta. We didn't feel like spending another hour on a bus, so we just explored the old city again. First, we got tickets for St. John's Co-Cathedral, which we'd skipped on the first day because the queue was too long. We learned about Caravaggio's life and saw his paintings. What a legend.

In the evening we wandered over to the Three Cities and, to our surprise, ran into a traditional local festival: the candlelight festival. Candles lined every street in town. There was a big celebration that evening. We ate freshly roasted pork at a street stall, drank beer, and listened to live music. It was lively and fun.

After dark, all the lights in town went out, leaving only the flickering candles. Strolling through the little lanes in that glow had a charm all its own.