slothis · English

Exploring the Zappeion and National Garden in Athens

2017-05-28 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

I wandered around a lot today, but my ultimate destination was the National Garden. Looking at the map, the massive green space reminded me of a map of Sydney. I arrived with high hopes, expecting to see exotic flowers and trees like in Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden, and looking forward to watching puppies and babies out playing.

A wide plaza surrounded by lush trees with a statue on a high pedestal in the distance.
A bronze equestrian statue erected on a high stone pedestal against a blue sky.
Upon arriving, I saw a statue of a man who looked somewhat Turkish. I figured a country that has suffered thousands of years of invasions must have plenty of heroes. I looked up the history and found out he's a Greek independence hero named Theodoros Kolokotronis. They say he defeated an enemy force of 35,000 with just 8,000 troops, making him the Greek equivalent of our own General Kim Jwa-jin (a Korean independence hero).

I entered through what seemed like a side gate rather than the main entrance, which might be why I couldn't get my bearings and wandered around lost. Though, honestly, I probably would have gotten lost even if I had used the main gate...

A park walking path lined with lush green trees.
A small fountain statue of a boy reaching one hand upward among green trees.
A boy-shaped statue holding an object in one hand and reaching upward, seen up close.
It looks like it used to be well-maintained (probably around the time of the Athens Olympics), with various fountains and statues, but hardly any of them are working now.
A wide plaza in front of the Zappeion lined with flagpoles under bright sunlight.
The entrance of the Zappeion building lined with white columns and a Greek flag flying on the roof.
The front of the Zappeion building with yellow exterior walls and white columns, with a Greek flag fluttering under a blue sky.

After walking in circles, I finally arrived at the Zappeion. I'm not sure if it's pronounced Zappion or Zappeion, and I had even less of an idea what the building was actually for. It's way too grand and majestic to just be a park management office. I looked it up and learned it was used as the headquarters for the modern Olympic Games. During the Athens Olympics, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the games, it was used as the fencing venue.

A yellow building lined with columns and a fountain seen across a green lawn.
Regardless of its history, the surrounding area is a graffiti paradise. Seeing graffiti in a place where it clearly doesn't belong definitely cheapens the vibe.
A park landscape with a walking path enclosed by a black iron fence and lush green trees.
The trees are so grand and lush, making it a wonderful path to walk along.
A light blue pond surrounded by rocks and a white statue standing next to it.
Turtles living in a broken fountain.
A person riding a bicycle and a person standing on a tree-lined park path.
People who want to act like they know Greece without ever visiting often share the stereotype that Greeks are fat and lazy. I don't know about lazy, but they seem to take strict care of their bodies because I hardly saw anyone with a potbelly. In this park alone, it's full of people cycling or jogging like their lives depend on it.
People sitting on mats on a lawn and an old stone column.
In true European fashion, there are no ridiculous signs telling you to keep off the grass.

I must have walked for about 20 or 30 minutes. A pungent smell of poop started hitting my nose, reeking so badly I wondered if there was a farm nearby. Thinking, "What is this?", I kept walking and stumbled upon a small zoo. The locals probably see these animals every day, but coming all the way from the edge of East Asia, I was so excited I couldn't stop taking pictures.

Two green parrots hanging from a wooden box inside a wire mesh birdcage.
I thought something looked off, and it turns out one of them is outside the fence?!
A goat eating from a wooden trough and two goats sitting in front of it.
Mountain goats? Something like that, I guess. There seem to be about twenty of them. These guys are the source of the smell.
The face and neck of a goat with a black beard seen up close.
They aren't even scared when people get close; they just keep fighting among themselves.
Two goats standing in front of a small stone cave.
A photo of a baby I managed to snap after endless waiting and coaxing. It's cute, but it looks pitiful surrounded by all those irritable, bearded, and horned adults.
An information board with descriptions of ancient ruins in the national park.
Read it if you can.

But as nice as it all is, it's just too hot. It's so hot I'm on the verge of dehydration, but there's no drinking water in sight. I can't find anywhere in the park to buy water or food, and I don't want to leave yet because I haven't seen everything. I finally understand why the joggers had such deathly expressions on their faces, as I'm making the exact same face. Ah, it really doesn't seem easy to gain weight in this heat.

Anyway, I was desperately searching for water and spotted a few water taps here and there! But when I pressed them, not a single one worked. Please do some maintenance ㅠㅠ I know the country's economy crashed, but how can they just leave it like this?

Then, I finally found a working tap!!!!

A hand blocking a stream of water spouting from a crevice in a rock.
I was so moved that I actually sat there taking a picture of running water.
An offline map app screen displaying a map of the Athens National Garden.
The current location inside the park displayed on the Google Maps app.
The location is roughly here. It's actually much closer to the entrance than I thought. Let's just carry a water bottle instead of suffering like this.

Expenses

Total Expenses €10.0

Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 47,999 RUB + $639.96 + €547.07