Leonidas Monument and Greek Food: Road Trip from Athens to Meteora %

Leonidas Monument and Greek Food: Road Trip from Athens to Meteora

Author: Janice Vazquez | Last updated: June 4, 2023

In December 2022, I traveled with my family (mom, dad, and brother) to Greece. We spent a total of 20 days visiting different cities, sightseeing, eating Greek food, and learning about Greece’s history and culture.

We landed in Athens International Airport at 10am. Surprisingly, it only took 15 minutes to go through customs. Afterwards, we headed to the baggage claim area to collect our luggage. Once we had our belongings in hand, we made our way to Hertz to pick up our car rental, which was located inside the airport terminal – in Arrival Hall (between Terminal Hall A and V). All of the car rental companies (Hertz, Sixt, etc) were in the same location.

Once we had our keys, we left the airport, and made our way to the rental car lot. We followed signs indicating the direction of the rental car area and eventually spotted a yellow and black Hertz flag, situated towards the back near Budget and Avis rental lot. It took us about 5 minutes from the key pickup location to the Hertz lot.

Once we were all settled in the car, we embarked on our four hour journey from Athens to Meteora, Greece. Along the way, we made a detour to visit Leonidas Monument in Lamia, Greece. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any traffic during the drive, apart from a brief queue at the toll booths to pay the toll fees. We passed through a total of five toll booths, which added up to a cost of 15,65 euros.

Lamia

The Leonidas Monument was on the side of the road and had ample parking spaces available. This monument, aka the Leonidas Statue, serves as a memorial dedicated to the King Leonidas I of Sparta, a legendary figure in ancient Greek history.

*The personification of Evrotas, the river crossing Laconia*

The Bronze statue of King Leonidas at Leonidas Monument — *Bronze statue of King Leonidas*

*The personification of Taigetyos, the highest mountain in the Peloponese*

Upon exploring the monument, we crossed the street and hiked up Kolonos Hill to view the Kolonos Hill Memorial marker. The hill was pretty steep, so I had to catch my breath once we reached the summit. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see at the very top, so after reading the commemorative stone we made our way down the hill.

Next, we headed to the information center to learn more about King Leonidas I’s leadership of the Spartan warriors during the Battle of Thermopylae. Here, we learned about how King Leonidas’ successfully held off a much larger Persian army for three days. This battle symbolizes bravery and heroism in the face of impossible odds.

The information center's entrance, located next to the Leonidas Memorial — *Information Center Entrance*

The information center's lobby displaying large banners and portraits — *Information Center Lobby*

*TV in the Information Center displaying the Battle of Thermophylae*

Once we left the information center, we were a bit hungry and decided to stop at a gyro place in Lamia. I bought two gyros to split between the four of us. Purposefully, we didn’t order four gyros because we wanted to save room for dinner. Following that, I drove for two hours until we arrived in Meteora, Greece. The drive was pretty smooth and uneventful, and we came across only three toll booths, which amounted to a total cost of 6,30 euros.

Upon reaching Kalambaka, I noticed a big difference in the roads, they became narrow and rough, which made the drive challenging. Carefully navigating the steep and narrow paths, we eventually reached our Airbnb, which was located on the top of the hill.

The Airbnb in Meteora has a courtyard, garden and fence — *Exterior of Airbnb in Meteora*

Taksimi Tavern

After we dropped off our bags, we walked for 15 minutes to Taksimi Tavern for dinner. We arrived around 7pm and were seated promptly as there was only one other family dining.

The taksimi tavern's cover menu is made of faux wood — *Taksimi Dinner Menu*

We ordered a Mythos Draft (500ml), which is a very light lager beer that reminded us of a Bud Light. The beer came with a complimentary small plate of pork souvlaki. Additionally, we ordered grilled octopus, lamb souvlaki, moussaka, and grilled pork belly.

Mythos beer with a small plate of pork souvlaki. — *Mythos beer with a small plate of pork souvlaki*

Grilled octopus served with salad on a blue plate — *Grilled Octopus*

Lamb Souvlaki served on top of french fries, lemon wedges and cream — *Lamb Souvlaki* on a bed of fries and lemon wedges

Moussaka served in a brown colored bowl and with a spoon — *Moussaka*

The portions at the tavern were quite generous for each dish, and our server was very friendly and kind. We noticed many locals at the restaurants, relaxing and enjoying their meals and drinks. Everything was delicious! Our favorite dishes were moussaka and grilled octopus! The dinner was super cheap, only 26,41 euros!

Night Walk

Following dinner, we took a leisurely stroll along the street Trikalon. As we walked, I was captivated by the stunning blue lights that lit up the center of the road.

The walk was delightful, as there were numerous dining options available including restaurants, fast food outlets, bakeries, and grocery stores. For dessert, we popped into a pastry shop called Ζαχαροπλαστείο, where we ordered two slices of cakes: ferraro and almond cake.

The Pastry Shop called Ζαχαροπλαστείο sells chocolate, cakes, and more! — *Interior of Pastry Shop*

We didn’t have water in our Airbnb, so we stopped by the supermarket to buy a case of water. We also bought crackers and croissants for breakfast and afternoon snack. The cost for 12 bottles of water was 2,50 euros.