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Well, Greek President Karolos Papoulias may not be strolling in the Presidential Gardens on Sundays, but he has started opening the gate to the general public every Sunday (except holidays) from 10 AM until 2 PM.

I’ve often marveled at how I can just walk up to the fence and snap a photo from the sidewalk and how when I walk home along Vasilios Georgiou II that I often find the driveway gate wide open – giving me a sneak peak into the gardens beyond the high walls.  But I guess that wasn’t enough for the Greek President, he wanted me and others like me to have a chance to wander through his 6 acres of lush, green space.  The grounds, which were once the Palace vegetable because of the fertile nature of the soil in this area, are planted with over 140 types of plants, trees and bushes. Some of the trees are more than 100 years old.

The Presidential Gardens are located beside the President’s home on Herodou Attikou Street. The mainsion was the former Crown Prince’s Palace, which was designed by Ernst Ziller was completed in 1897.  It served briefly as the Royal Palace when a fire destroyed the official Royal Palace (today’s Parliament building) and has been the official home of the President of Greece since 1974 (although from 1924 until 1935, when the King returned, the President lived here as well).

By Athensguide

How does a little girl from Skokie, Illinois find herself in historical Athens, leading curious explorers through the winding streets of Plaka, down "pezodromos" to hidden ouzeries for tempting mezedhes and homemade barrel wine? The journey began more than twenty years ago, and regardless of whether the wanderlust comes from the spiritual and culture DNA flowing through my veins, or the alignment of the stars on that cold mid-December day this Sagitterian came into the world, I never seem to tire of exploring my adopted homeland of Greece. Here you'll join me as I explore Athens: be it the back streets of Psirri and Gazi, or through the National Gardens and Zappeio where a family of turtles makes their home, or down wide, treelined Imittou Street in Pagrati, which pulses with Athenian life 24 hours a day. And while Athens has stolen my heart, the rest of Greece vies for my curiousity and wanderlust. My two guys (that'd be the Greek God, Vasilis and our Greek dog, Scruffy) and I can often be found settling in for a long weekend in some charming mountain village, or a quaint fishing port on a nearby island, or learning how Greek vitners are producing wines that rival some of Napa Valley's finests productions, or celebrating a panayeri in Epirus or sharing in the festivities as a family of Cretan sheepherders come together to sheer their 1500 sheep in the spring ... And if you happen to find yourself heading to Athens, consider finding yourself a real home for your stay. Living amongst the locals, be it for 3 nights or 3 weeks, will offer you the chance to experience true Athens, beyond the Acropolis. Choose from one of our 5 beautiful penthouse and historical homes, and who knows, I may be leading you down that winding "pezodromo" to our favorite hidden ouzerie!