It’s all Greek to me

Today was the first early day that we have had during our cruise so far.  We had to be off of the ship by 7:30am so that we could take our Semi Private Full Day Athens Tour (65 Euros / person) with PK Travel.  We walked through the Piraeus Cruise Terminal and then you had to look for a person holding up a sign with your number which was printed on your voucher.  We quickly found Georgia our guide for today and since our group was off rather quickly, she escorted us to our luxury van.  There were eleven of us in total including Garrett and Kelly who we met at the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet.  We left the port and proceeded through Piraeus’ city center on the way to Athens.  Along the way, we saw a few stadiums from the 2004 Olympic Games including soccer and beach volleyball.

Our first stop today was The Acropolis.  Georgia said it was best to go there first thing in the morning since it will be cooler and there will be less people.  We purchased our tickets (20 Euros / person) and proceeded to the entrance.  The climb was pretty strenuous and I know the heart rate monitor on the FitBit got a workout.  What also makes the climb difficult is that you are walking on worn marble which can be quite slippery in spots.

We first saw The Odeion of Herodes Atticus which was built in 161AD by Herodes Tiberius Claudius Atticus in memory of his wife Regilla.  It is an amphitheater that holds approximately five thousand people.  They still have concerts there and such acts as Elton John, Yanni and The Three Tenors have performed there.

Near the entrance of The Acropolis is the Temple of the Athena Nike which was built in 420BC.  The first thing that Georgia pointed out to us was the different colored stones.  She explained that no renovation is done to any of the ancient sites, only restoration.  Replacement stones can only come from the same quarry where the originals came from.  The colour difference is due to the fact that original to replacement is twenty-six centuries apart.

The Propylaia is the grand entrance of The Acropolis.  It was built from 437 to 432BC.  When you stand at the bottom of the stairs and look up to it, you are awstruck.

To the right of the entrance is The Parthenon.  It too is spectacular.  It has been under restoration for the past thirty-five years with another eight to ten years to go.  Georgia gave us quite a bit of information regarding like there are no straight lines.  If you look at the columns, they are actually wider at the bottom than at the top.  You have to marvel that these buildings where built without the equipment and tools that we have today.

On the Parthenon’s left side is The Erechtheion built from 420 to 406BC.  It is where Athena planted the olive tree.  After Georgia explained everything, she gave us about a half and hour to walk around.  As I was walking around, all I kept saying was “Wow”.

After getting back in the van, it was a short ride to The Temple of Zeus where the price of admission was 6 Euros / person.  What was weird to me was that all of these ancient sites are right in the middle of Athens.  I was expecting them to be outside of the city.  When you are sending at the temple, you can look up and see The Acropolis.

We did a quick drive by The Panathenaic Stadium which was the home of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.  It is constructed entirely in white marble.  We then drove up The Hill of Lycabettus which gives you a breath taking view of Athens and you can see all of the ancient sites.

The Tomb of the Unknown Solider is at the Greek Parliament building.  The Tomb is protected by two Evzones (guards).  These guards are not allowed to do anything except to stand there … No talking, no movement, nothing.  The only person that can speak to them is a commander that is with them at all times.  When they are selected for this position, they have three months of training, six months of duty and then three months of being a commander.  They are at the post twenty four hours a day every six hours.  One hour is spent guarding and the other five hours is spent resting and cleaning their uniforms.  I walked up to one and all he did was stare straight ahead while I took his picture.

The tour’s next stop was The Plaka which is the Old Town of Athens.  This is where we spent the remainder of the tour.  First off we had lunch at a lovely outdoor restaurant where we enjoyed stuffed zucchini and authentic Greek Salad.  I still had mine with no Feta.  After lunch, we checked out all of the shops amongst the little side streets.  The heat was really draining our energy so we decided to head back to the meeting place.  Georgia was there and we had a lovely conversation with her.  She explained that tour guides in Greece actually attend a two and a half year program to get certified.  She mentioned that she studied Archeology in University and this has helped her tremendously as a tour guide.  I now understand how a person can get a University Degree in Ancient Greek History.  I learned more from Georgia that I ever knew.

After getting back to the port, we headed to the cabin to relax before heading to Raffles Court for dinner.  We enjoyed our dinner while watching the various Greek Islands pass us by.  We grabbed our books and made our way to The Galaxy of the Stars  to work on the blog.