Traveling with the Grobmyers : Athens Greece

 We docked early in the morning in Athens, Greece.  We got a nice first look with a pretty sunrise.  This was the number one place that Joe wanted to visit on this cruise.  He watches videos all the time about Athens and the Acropolis and other places.  So to maximize our time in the city we went the private tour route. 

We got off the ship and found our tour guide for the day, Sophia.  Then we had to find our car and driver, Evangeline.  It was interesting that the guide and driver didn't know each other they were each assigned to us.  We had thought the guide might also be the driver, but after a few minutes in the car we realized it was a good thing it was two people.  The traffic is crazy there and I won't complain about our traffic for at least a couple of months.  He did such a good job of getting us places safely.

Our first stop was the Olympic stadium. The stadium was build on the site of a racecourse .  The stadium was excavated in 1869 and hosted the Olympics in 1870 and 1875. After being refurbished it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896.  It was used once again in 2004.  It is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon. It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place. 

Look at what we can see from here.

Several foreign embassies in Athens as designated by their flags.

This was a cool sculpture, Running Man, made out of glass.

We then made our way to the Acropolis/Parthenon. We wanted to get there earlier in the day before the crowds and heat set in.

We did have to wait a few minutes when we got there to allow some of the crowd to leave the top.

Joe and Sophia looking at something on his phone.  I think this may have been when he was asking her about Mars Hill.

You don't have to be able to read or understand Greek to know that this route is a fall hazard. 

First amphitheater.

 

Some city views.

Making our way up  the Acropolis. I have learned that the Acropolis is the overall archaeological site on the hill that contains several ancient structures. The Parthenon is a specific ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. It was built in the 5th century and considered the most iconic example of ancient Greek Architecture. 

They are constantly working and restoring the area.  Some of the decorative pieces that use to be around the top are currently in the British Museum in London.  That is a sore spot with the Greeks.  Joe says they have a large Parthenon section in the Museum.

 

The nice thing about have a tour guide was we had a built in photographer.

The rocks up at the top were very slick.  We saw several people fall, but they didn't have good shoes on either.  We were saying we were glad it didn't rain because that would make it so much worse. 

The area where they are currently working.

Now is a good time to talk about the Greek flag.  The Greek's are very proud of their flag.  The cross in the corner represents the church, the blue and white represent the sea, sky, and foam of the waves.  The nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the national motto:Ekeftheria i Thanatos- Freedom or Death.

You can see Olympic stadium in the distance.

The remains of the first theater.

This is Mars Hill where Paul preached.  Joe wanted to go over and climb this.  Sophia and I sat on a bench in the shade while he walked over.  You can see some stairs on the left side.  He started his climb.  Then there is a second section to climb up.  Before he started on the second set he saw a man wipe out and take a woman down with him.  It was very slick up there so he thought better than to go to the top.  But it was a good experience for him and something he wanted to do.

Parliament with the changing of the guard. 

The guides took up to a spot that had great views of the city.

Cats are a big deal in Greece.  They view them as good luck.  More on that later.

It was time for lunch and we asked Sophia to go to lunch with us.  She made reservations at a local place.

She explained that Greeks love to share meals and that everyone will bring a dish and place it on the table and as more people come they keep adding tables.  Sounds like a southern pot luck to me.

We shared three dishes.  Joe picked the lamb. 

I picked the yogurt marinated chicken with grilled pita bread and tzatziki sauce.  Their fries are really good.  I found out they fry them in sunflower oil.

Sophia picked the meatballs in sauce with mashed potatoes.

We also learned today that Greeks love to be complimented.  You give them a compliment and you become family.  We saw that further in the days to come too. They are also insulted if you don't clean your plate.  They think something is wrong with the food, not that you ordered too much or are full.

Lunch was good and afterwards we walked around the neighborhood.  I wanted to get some good olive oil and honey.  Across the street was a market.  It was fun to walk around and look at the items.

I did find some olive oil and honey.

A Greek Orthodox church.  We learned that 95% of Greeks say they are religious.  Greek Orthodox is the primary religion.  Their public schools are required to display religious items and they pray everyday.  Their private schools are more lax.

An alleyway with little shops.

We had a great day with Sophia.  We were able to do everything we had wanted to do and then some.  It was a full day and we made it back to the ship before they left which is always good.