Athens and the Acropolis

Monday, October 26 2015

We sailed overnight and returned the the Port of Piraeus just as we were waking up. This morning was a bit hectic as we had to pack up all our stuff so it could be put on the bus and eventually be delivered to the Metropolitan Hotel- the same place we stayed a few days ago.

We were back on the road by 8:00 for a bus trip around Athens, with a new tour guide, who was very knowledgable but also long-winded. The weather today was spectacular!! Bright blue sky, temperature in the 70s - awesome! It turns out that during the three days we were away from this area they had huge rainstorms and flashflooding - we missed it!

Our tour this morning took us to the Acropolis, Mars Hill and the Parthenon. It was a long steep climb (more steps!) so Linda stayed behind with a couple of the other ladies (they went shopping and enjoyed a peaceful coffee!). The first stop was Mars Hill, with a fantastic panoramic view of Athens to the north. This is the place where Paul told the authorities about Jesus Christ. Most of them rejected the idea but a few followed. Refer to the Book of Acts.


Then the long slog up the hill to the Acropolis (every Greek city has one - it means high city). There we see the amazing Parthenon, built around 450 B.C. It is currently under restoration which will take more years than it took the Greeks to build it in the first place! The size, engineering and detail are hard to imagine.

After our tour of the acropolis we returned to our bus for another sightseeing ride around town and then to our hotel by about 1:00 PM. Just to check in and make sure our stuff was there. Then back on the hotel bus for a trip to "Old Town" for authentic Greek lunch and shopping for the rest of the afternoon. We ended up at a little cafe called "Acropol", as recommended by our guide Yiannis. The highlight was an appetizer called "Baked cheese", which was deep fried feta. Awesome!

After lunch we continued walking through the old town and down into what they call the "Athens Flea Market". Narrow alleyway, bustling shoppers and everything you can imagine to buy!

Back to the hotel for dinner and a closing "service" with our group. Next wake-up call will be 3:30AM to get to airport by 4:30 AM for our flight home.

Athens is the busiest port in the Med

Mars Hill

View from Mars Hill

Zeus Temple

Parliament

Athens flea Market

In the 1990s this church was badly damaged by an earthquake.Engineers haven't figured out what to do with it - all the scaffolding is to keep it from falling down.

Fried Feta