A god’s blunder
After our little trip through history at the National Historical Museum, we decided to get provisions for a climb far above the city. The provisions in question came in the form of loukoumades, which are a kind of donut (served as tiny balls), covered in honey. I was dreaming about them before ever trying them, I can’t express the degree of transfixion my brain has suffered ever since the last time I had them. For our first try of these little spherical wonders, we stopped by LUKUMAΔΕΣ (or, Lukumades), where they serve a veritable bonanza of these pastries, covered in and filled by about a million different things, ranging from chocolate sauce to gelato. We opted for the traditional honey-bathed loukumades, since it was the first time we had them, but trust me — simple did not disappoint.
Thus began our climb. Trust me, I was not happy about these stairs, or about this sunshine on my back as I suffered said stairs, and this isn’t even the proper hill itself. Luckily, the hill itself is equipped with this technological device — life-saving, really — called a funicular. So while there’s still a struggle of a toll to pay, at least there is hope in sight the closer you get.
Λυκαβηττός / Mount Lycabettus
The hill in question is Mount Lycabettus, a Cretaceous limestone hill reaching up 277 meters (908 feet) into the sky, making it the highest point in Central Athens. Easily reachable by funicular since the 1960s (thank you, Greek Tourist Organization), the climb is completely underground, so you don’t get to see anything as you climb (unlike the funiculars in Paris or Budapest), but hey, it gets me places without having to make too much of an effort, so I’ll take it.
There is a legend that says the name of this hill comes from being the refuge of wolves (“lykos” in Greek), so that it would be “the hill walked by wolves.” Mythologically, it is the handiwork of Athena — she carried a huge chunk of limestone from the Pallene peninsula for the construction of the Acropolis, but she dropped it where it now stands after receiving some shocking news. Talk about dropping the hill.
The views are, as you can see, absolutely spectacular, and Mount Lycabettus makes a great spot from which to watch the sunset.
Gold Colored Fox 