New Year's in Athens, Greece

KALH XRONIA! (Happy New Year) 

How appropriate to kick off the new decade in the place often regarded as one of the most prolific and influential places on earth.

Fireworks

Not sure exactly who is responsible for putting on the shows, but multiple sites had aerials go off that we could see from our home in Pireaus. 

Rodini

Rodini is the Greek word for Pomegranate and you'll seen them commonly wrapped in foil and lining the streets during New Year. Part of the Greek custom is to smash it for good luck on the first day of the year. You can even see people picking one up at the Athens airport.

Layer up! It’s cold here in Plaka (behind me Lykavitos)

Gotta start off 2020 with no diet!

Weather

Don't be fooled, it's freezing in Athens during the winter. Expect to see snow capped mountains in the same blink as the ocean.  When we went, we flew through London, which was amazingly  warmer than Athens in comparison. Athens was in the low 40's everyday, even with sun, and dropped even lower at night (also factor in a few days of windchill, rainchill). You will need a thermal layer, another warm layer and a winter coat. It's possible that some winters are milder, but be prepared in case you're visiting during a harsh one! 

What's Open? 

Gotta love these Greek hours. Many bakeries are open on the festive days, and they're even open later than expected! We picked up a series of desserts around 6 or 7 pm on New Year's Eve.