Athens Greece

Sorry about not posting yesterday, but given it was a sea day, and after three intensive port days in a row, we vegetated.

On to Athens. First, let me say that one day in Athens does not even begin to touch on things to see. We had a private tour booked and were picked up at the dock at 8am as soon as we got off the ship. In order to beat the crowds we headed directly into Athens and the Acropolis. Arriving there at around 8:20 we were some of the first people to go in. And was it ever worth it. We spent about 45 minutes there and by the time we left, it was already getting quite crowded and talking with others from the ship who got there later, it got really packed later in the day.

In addition to the Acropolis, in the same area is the Propylea (the huge entry gate), the Temple of Athena Nike, the Roman Agora of Athens, and the Parthenon. Words cannot describe the sights you see here. Suffice it to say that the pictures you may have seen do not come close to doing it justice.

In addition to the Acropolis area, while traveling around we saw the Temple of Zeus and went into the Archaeological Museum, which housed numerous artifacts from all over Greece.

Once again we had a fantastic lunch at a small local restaurant that locals go to and was recommended by our guide. Fortunately he went in with us and made some suggestions for lunch and assisted interpreting for us as the staff there spoke very little English.

After lunch we made a quick stop by the Plaka (one of the main shopping areas) where we picked up some excellent Greek olive oil and a bottle of wine.

One interesting thing we noted about Athens was the number of what we thought were stray dogs wandering around, even in the Acropolis. When we asked our guide about them, we found out that they are fully supported by the city. They capture them, spay and neuter them and then release them. After that the city feeds them and takes care of their vet needs. Talk about a dogs life!!

Tomorrow we arrive in Istanbul around 4pm