Athens - Harsh place. Worth it All !

Athens is the place you will love and hate. You can't get one without the other. 

These days some places are really troubled. Many abandoned buildings, too many strikes, not so good public transportation and way too many cars. You'll lose too much time to go anywhere. Services don't function that well. You will need lots of Patience and Flexibility.

But then (...) You'll be welcomed by extremely warm people. The locals. You'll also be among people from all around the world who came to enjoy. The people will give you the best experiences. You will climb the Acropolis and see the Mediterranean horizon, snorkel in relatively warm waters all year-round. And the landscapes are as you see in pictures (perhaps not in Athens, but from there you can go anywhere). MOVE AWAY FROM THE CITY CENTER TO HAVE THE BEST TIME. Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmenis, Sarodina, Varkiza (...)

The islands are amazing. Surprised me for the better.

You will climb the Acropolis and see the Mediterranean horizon. Snorkel in relatively warm waters all year-round. I was swimming long distances until the end of December (just stopped 'cause I moved back to Portugal), some days with some ice on the rocks outside. You can find the so called "winter swimmers". You will have the best sun rises (climb the hills to see it) and sunsets (go to the shore, the farther south the better). These things will make it all worth it.

If you want to get out of your comfort zone, Greece, in general, will be a place to go. There is no way around it. If you don't close yourself and stay open to the good things, Athens will surprise you in unexpected ways.