Athens was amazing!  I have to say though, the city was not at all how I had imagined it.  This surprise is probably a result of my lack of research on modern day Athens, but nonetheless, I was surprised.  Athens is a city where the history books could go on and on about.  Greek mythology, the Byzantine empire, Greek orthodox churches, the list goes on and on.  I have ready several peices of literature and take classes on these topics however, none of this compares to seeing first hand where it all began.  To witness the ruins left over from Zeus' Temple, the Parthanon, etc...was an experience like no other.  I have to say though, my favorite part of Greece was not Athens.  No, the part that takes the cake was getting to visit the city of Corinth, and than going through Ancient Corinth.  We began the trip there by hiking up a huge mountain up and through the Acrocorinth.  After recovering from the sever loss of breath from the physical beating I had just given myself, I had a chance to look out over the city from the top of the mountain and found myself in absolute awe of what I saw.  I was looking out into the mediterranian, seeing the old ruins, and I was speechless.  After making the long trek back down the mountain, we paid a visit to Ancient Corinth.  WOW!  I got to walk the streets that Paul walked.  I stood in front of the Behma that is spoken about in the book of Acts, where Paul was brought to be accused.  Here I am, standing in the same spot that one of the greatest men of the Bible stood, and one of the authors who's writings I hold in the highest respect!  I left with such a new appreciation of the Bible and still can't even find the correct words to fully describe the amazement I felt from being there. 

Another characteristic I have to chalk up to the Greeks as a full on success is their food.  Oh my gosh!!  I have never been a huge salad eater, but the greek salad has to be one of the greatest things I have ever tasted.  Not to mention that we got the gyro all wrong in the states. ha ha.  The original greek gyro was so mouthwatering that after I finished the first one, I found myself looking forward to the next time I was hungry so I could enjoy one again. 

Greece was an amazing journey. 

Okay, I am going to be honest. Traveling by myself was probably not the smartest idea. For all of you, who know me; know that this is way out of character. I will do something I don't often do, I am admitting my mistake. At least for now, it is a mistake. I got to downtown Athens on the Metro with few problems. (I say a few because when you don't have a map and you're not very good with directions or the language) it can be a bit challenging. That's okay. I made it. Then it went all down hill from there. The directions I got off of the internet for my hotel had no street address. So I am walking around Amonia Square asking every person if they knew of a hotel called "The Baby Grand". Not even the police officers had heard of it. So there I was, tired, stressed, lonely and VERY LOST. I was about to hail a cab when I came across this neat little hotel and low and behold it was the right one. Now it turned out to be a really funky and artsy place. In fact my room is gorgeous. All the walls have hand painted mountains on them. At least I think they are mountains but some seem rather suggestive so it may be something else and I just think they're mountains.

So things were looking up until I tried to plug my computer in. It wouldn't work. The $35.00 adapters that the AMA sold me don't work here in Greece. I think they only work in Iraq or Antarctica. So there goes my life line to my civilization... I had never thought that my special planning for email and blogging would not work. Well, I am not that easily defeated. I decided to head out today and solve the problem, but first I had to go on my walking tour of Athens. It was great and there were 8 Australians and 3 Canadians. It turns out that the two other Canadians are from Edmonton and from Blue Quill. Now if that isn't a small world. Susan is taking her daughter Sarah on this trip as a high school graduation present. Okay, that made me feel a little better that I had run into some local people. A little better but not a whole lot.

I had a wonderful time on the walking tour. It lasted 4 hours and we heard all about Greek history and saw some wonderful sites. I am including some of the pictures from the Acropolis. I learned that there are many acropolises in Greece and they mean top of the city. So the acropolis that is in Athens is dedicated to Goddess Athena. There are ruins all over the city (well the parts that I saw) and there are many stories that go with each one. Too numerous to tell here you will just have to wait until I get back. (If I ever do)

I am suppose to leave tomorrow to go Island hopping and will hold off for a day or two until I get this computer problem solved. I also have not decided which Island to go to first. All the people I have met are heading to Mykonos. I was invited to join a group from Asia but declined as they were four families with kids aged 5 to 11. Not my idea of fun right now... But it was nice of them to offer as they felt sorry for me that I was all by myself.

Another early morning as we had to catch the ferry back to the Greek mainland before our long drive to Athens. Patrick was sound asleep with his headphones on. How the heck was he going to wake up if I he didn't sleep in my room. He would have slept right through his alarm and missed the bus. It wouldn't have been a first for him. It was a chore in itself to wake him up but I eventually succeeded. We went down to have one last amazing breakfast at this hotel before leaving to catch the ferry. Leaving Corfu was a little bittersweet. I was anxious to move on to another destination but had such a great time here. The island's relaxed atmosphere was the perfect cure for all the bumps and bruises we had accumulated from non-stop travelling for the past two weeks. Although much of the island showed qualities of mass tourism, there was still a level authenticity to be found if one dug far enough. The ferry ride back to the Greek mainland was about an hour long as we docked back in the port of Igoumentsa. From here, we boarded our private coach that would take us all the way to Athens. We drove along the coastlilne along a very steep and windy road for probably the first 2 hours with such incredible views of the Mediterranean Sea. The winding road coupled with last night's heavy partying seemed to get the best of some people. I noticed some had bags over their mouths ready to throw up. Our first stop was at a small roadside cafe and general store. We used this stop basically as a bathroom break. I found it very odd that once we stopped the bus driver immediately got into a car and drove away. He eventually did return. Apparently, the bus driver's family owned this cafe and he lived in this small town. We continued driving through the Greek countryside and had a lunch stop at a small seaside fishing village. When we arrived we practically invaded this small gyro shop. The look on the shop owner's face was priceless when he saw us all coming in. I don't know if it was from glee at having all these customers or from horror for running out of food. 2 gyros for the price of 1, you can't beat that. After lunch, I took a quick stroll down to the pier and along the beach. Along the way, I noticed quite a few empty beachfront cafes. This small town must see a lot of visitors during the peak of summer. We came at a good time as we got to see a small glimpse of fishing village life in Greece. Back on the coach, we continued our long journey through Greece by crossing the newly constructed Rio-Antirio Bridge. This bridge connects western Greece to the Peloponeese peninsula, saving travellers from having to backtrack or take a ferry. We had a brief stop at the city of Corinth. Here we were to grab a quick bite to eat as well as check out the Corinth Canal. This canal was cut through this narrow isthmus to link the Adriatic and the Aegean Seas. It is known worldwide as being the narrowest canal. Cruise ships have been known to pass through this canal coming inches from the canal walls. We had a look at the canal which just looked like one huge narrow ditch. There were however no cruise ships or other large boats coming through to make the scene a bit more interesting. After checking out the canal, most of us grabbed a bite to eat at a little kebab stand. The kebabs were only one euro! One of the best things about travelling in Greece is that everything is cheap compared to the rest of Europe. I was excitingly anticipating our arrival in Athens. Growing up you learn so much about Greece being the cradle of western civilatization. I was really looking forward to checking out some of the ancient sites. My expectations of Athens were not that high to begin with as I had heard the stories of Athens being extremely polluted and congested. However, since they hosted the Olympics last year, built a new airport, and created a new subway system; I was hoping things would not be as I had imagined. When we finally arrived in Athens in the early evening, my first impressions were not very flatering. We were stuck in rush hour traffic and the areas we were driving through looked polluted and run down. We finally arrived at the Olympic Hotel and again I lucked out getting my own room. My room was very run down. It was tiny and cramped while the bathroom was worse than anything we had in Italy. I decided not to sweat it too much as it was the second to last day. Our hotel was located on a busy thoroughfare and the street traffic was heard throughout the hotel. However, we were located right across the street from some ancient ruins and from the rooftop restaurant, there was amazing views of the Acropolis. After resting up a bit, Kevin and I went to the rooftop restuarant for our final dinner together as a group. We headed straight for the bar and had our first tast of Ouzo. It had a very licorice like flavor and reminded me very much of Jaegermaester. Not wanting any more, I opted for a greek beer, Mythos. For dinner, I sat with Kevin, Sandra, Rebecca, and Julie. I probably could have done with out this dinner as the meal was just average. However, since it was the last dinner, I felt like I had to attend. After dinner, all we basically did was go from table to table taking group photos one last time. We said our goodbyes to Jayson and Andria who were leaving tomorrow morning for their flight back to Seattle. Most everyone had started migrating back to their rooms to call it a night after such a long day. Erin, Roz, Rob, Kevin, and myself were the only ones left hanging out. We decided to go back to Erin and Roz's room to hang out for a bit. We spent the next hour debating Australian politics. It was mostly Rob and Erin going back and forth. Roz and Kevin had fallen asleep while I just listened intently. It was way too late to get into such a heated debate for me. Eventually, Rob and I left deciding to just call it a night. We left Kevin in there sleeping not wanting to wake him up. I would learn the next day that he stayed there until 4am not wanting to disturb his roomate Michael who was having one last night with Claire.

 The final day of the tour has arrived. As with everything in life, all good things must come to an end. Those of us who were staying at this hotel one more night had to remove their things from the room only to be reassigned another room later this afternoon. Thankfully, we were able to store our things in a locked room behind the reception desk until then. After breakfast, we boarded the coach one last time for our drive to visit the Acropolis. Once at the foot of the Acropolis, it was a relatively steady incline to get to the Parthenon. Since it was a warm day today, I knew this wasn't going to be easy. We got our ticket which also provided us with entrance to a few other sites around town. The views of a hazy Athens started to come into view the further we climbed. Our guide continuously stopped to give us some information on the history but I was too consumed with trying to stay cool to pay attention. The final steps leading to the top of the Acropolis were chocked full of tourists. Apparently, a few cruise ships docked in town today which accounted for the overwhelming number of tourists. Once at the top, we were free to wander around the site. The Parthenon was an amazingly beautiful structure. Its hard to imagine what it would have looked like back in it's heyday. After centuries of decay and neglect, there is a strong effort to try and piece most of the structures back together. Many pieces of the structures are simply lying around. However, they are roped off to prevent tourists from taking them as souvenirs. Scaffolding is everywhere as the restoration workers and archaeologists try and decipher where most of the stray pieces belong. Back on the coach, we made one last stop at the stadium for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. They didn't use this same stadium for the 2004 Olympics. However, they did use it for the marathons. The Stadium was much smaller than modern stadiums and the track had more of a stretched out oval shape. Since the gates were locked, we weren't able to go in and have a walk around. We just had to be content with having a look. Once we arrived at Syntagma Square, this marked the official end of the tour. We had the option of getting off here or taking the coach back to the hotel. Most people got off here to continue their sightseeing. I said my goodbyes to Erin and Roz. Once off the bus, I noticed that the Aussie Gossip Crew had stayed on the bus. I didn't get to say goodbye to them. I was very thankful that they let me tag along and hang out with them. Most everyone who got off the coach wanted to check out the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier. The guard changing took place at the top of every hour. Since we just missed it, I decided to have a walk around the square. Syntagma Square was Athens' main square. It contained their House of Parliament, the luxurious Hotel Grand Bretagne, as well as numerous travel agencies and souvenir stands. I decided to have a snack at the McDonald's before checking my e-mail at the Easy Everything Internet Cafe. In here, I ran into Tina who was also checking her e-mail. Tina, along with Claire, the Aussie Gossip Crew, Sara, Erin, Roz, and Patrick were all headed towards Mykonos. I said my goodbyes to Tina and then headed over to the changing of the guard. The whole ceremony lasted about 20 minutes. It was nothing spectacular but the outfits the guards were wearing were quite amusing. They may have been practical for warfare centuries ago but look really laughable today. Not only were the uniforms funny, but the marching style was as well. It was all in slow motion as they had to extend their knee practically all the way up to their stomachs as they marched. They looked like wind-up toy soldier dolls. After this finished, I walked back to our hotel which was only about a half mile away. On the way, I ran into Lesley, Sara, and Mel.  Lesley was catching a flight tonight to London before going home to Calgary while Sara and Mel were off to Mykonos. We exchanged hugs, said our goodbyes, and wished each other well. Back at the hotel, I got my bags and checked into my new room. On the way, I ran into Patrick who was freaking out about not having a way to get to Mykonos. I told him if he didn't make it to Mykonos tonight that he could crash in my room tonight. He was going to try and catch the Contiki shuttle later this evening. Needing to do some shopping, I decided to venture out again. I ran into Andrea and little Sara in the hotel lobby who told me of an official Olympic store where everything was on clearance. I made my way down to the Plaka. This is one of the oldest parts of Athens whose streets are pretty much closed to automobile traffic. It's a very touristy area with many shops selling the same type of things. However, there are quite a few restaurants and cafes here where one can stop and have a beer or light meal. I wandered around browsing in and out of shops looking for gifts and souvenirs to take home to friends and family. I found the official Olympic store which had almost everything half off.  I basically was on hyper-shop mode darting from store to store picking up whatever I needed. While shopping, I ran into Michael and Claire who were also exploring the Plaka area. I chatted with them for a while. It's funny, but I think that was the first time I had actually spoken to Claire. In the end, I probably spent a good $200 on souvenirs and gifts. I made my way back to the hotel where I was informed that those who weren't leaving today were going to meet up for dinner at around 6pm. I also ran into Matt who leaving for London to start up another tour. Matt was an awesome tour manager. He was very knowledgeable when it came to the history of the places we visited. He was also very good at mixing with everyone, making everyone feel like they were part of the group. I was saying my goodbyes to Matt when I ran into Michael and Claire. Michael was leaving as well to go home to South Africa. Both him and Claire were in tears as they had apparently developed a really close bond together. I went back to my room to drop off my bags and made my way back to the lobby to meet up with Sandra. We were going to check out the Temple of Olympian Zeus across the street. It was free for us to get in, as the tickets we received at the Acropolis was good for here as well. Some drama ensued as Sandra wasn't able to find her ticket. I tried to give her mine but the ticket woman caught on and starting yelling at us in Greek. Eventually, she found her ticket and we made our way in.  We wandered the grounds, admiring the ruins and were impressed with the sheer size of some of the columns. While exploring, I picked an olive growing from one of trees to taste. I quickly spit it out in disgust! We ended up following a stray dog who was also having a good time exploring the grounds. The stray led us to an older American couple who came here daily to feed the stray dogs. After exploring the ruins, we met up in the hotel lobby with the stragglers to find dinner.  We wandered into the Plaka and found a quaint little outdoor restaurant. It was Rob, Kevin, Andrea, little Sara, Sandra, the 3 Taiwanese girls, Claire, big Dave, and myself. It was a nice chatty time as we all reminisced about our favorite highlights of the trip. Kevin, Rob, and I decided to share 2 bottles of red wine. By the end of the dinner, we were definetly starting to feel it. After dinner, we all walked together for a while shopping and looking for some dessert. However as with most large groups,  people start wandering off to do their own thing. I looked around a few shops with Sandra and Kevin and purchased some Absinthe at a wine and spirits shop. We eventually started to make our way back to the hotel and said goodbye to a few more people. Sandra, Kevin, big Dave, and myself all agreed to meet up at 5am to ride together to the airport. After sitting around in my room doing some packing, I was feeling a bit ancy. I actually felt like going out to have a drink or dance. I knew there was a club down the street so I went in search of anyone to go with. Rob always seemed like someone down to go out. I went to check out his room but his door was wide open but he wasn't there. Oh well, I figured everyone else was asleep so I didn't bother looking for anyone else. Still feeling bored, I walked back up to Syntagma Square to check my e-mails. While making my way back to the room to call it a night, I ran into Dave and Mandy who were being a bit playful in the hall. We chatted for a bit, bid our farewells, and wished each other a safe flight tomorrow. It was a very quiet ending to what was an awesome 3 weeks.

Athens (pronounced /ˈæθənz/; Greek: Αθήνα Athina, IPA: [aˈθina]), the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery: as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans at least 3,000 years.

The Greek capital has a population of 745,514 (in 2001) within its administrative limits[1] and a land area of 39 km² (15 sq mi). The urban area of Athens extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3.37 million (in 2005).[4] The area of Athens prefecture spans 412 km² (159 sq and encompasses a population of 3,192,606.[1] The Athens Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) is the 8th most populated LUZ in the European Union with a population of 3,894,573 (in 2001).[5] A bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. It is rapidly becoming a leading business centre in the European Union. In 2008, Athens was ranked the world's 32nd-richest city in a UBS study.

Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, Athens was also the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, Sophocles and its many other prominent philosophers, writers and politicians of the ancient world. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy,[9][10] largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of the then known European continent.

The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon on the Acropolis, widely considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains a vast variety of Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of remaining Ottoman monuments projecting the city's long history across the centuries. Landmarks of the modern era are also present, dating back to 1830 (the establishment of the independent Greek state), and taking in the Greek Parliament (19th century) and the Athens Trilogy (Library, University, and Academy). Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics, with great success.

Acropolis (Gr. acro, high + polis, city, pl. acropoleis) literally means a high city. For purposes of defense, early settlers naturally chose elevated ground, frequently a hill with precipitous sides. In many parts of the world, these early citadels became the nuclei of large cities, which grew up on the surrounding lower ground, such as modern Rome.

The word Acropolis, although Greek in origin and associated primarily with the Greek cities Athens, Argos, Thebes, and Corinth (with its Acrocorinth), may be applied generically to all such citadels, including (Rome, Jerusalem, Celtic Bratislava, many in Asia Minor, or even Castle Rock in Edinburgh.

The most famous example is the Acropolis of Athens,[1] which, by reason of its historical associations and the several famous buildings erected upon it (most notably the Parthenon), is known without qualification as the Acropolis. Although originating in the mainland of Greece, use of the acropolis model quickly spread to Greek colonies such as the Dorian Lato on Crete during the Archaic Period.

Because of its classical Greco-Roman style, the ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano's Great Stone Church in California, United States has been called the "American Acropolis".

Other parts of the world developed other names for the high citadel or alcázar, which often reinforced a naturally strong site. In Central Italy, many small rural communes still cluster at the base of a fortified habitation known as La Rocca of the commune.

The term acropolis is also used to describe the central complex of overlapping structures, such as plazas and pyramids, in many Mayan cities, including Tikal and Copán.

ELECTRA PALACE HOTEL ATHENS +30-21033-70000 www.electrahotels.gr/electra-palace-athens/index.html The Electra Palace Hotel Athens’ superb location in the heart of the Plaka makes it convenient to wonderful restaurants, cafés, nightspots and archeological sights. Make sure to book a superior Acropolis view room. At check-in, the clerk was considerate and gave me a room with a balcony for no additional charge. The evening view of the Acropolis takes your breath away. I was pleased with every aspect of the hotel. The staff was helpful, professional and friendly; even the breakfast buffet offered a range of tasty hot and cold food. I look forward to returning to the Electra Palace on my next trip to Athens.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Athens is rated 5 Stars, and I would agree. It is not centrally located, so you will have to rely taxis or shuttle service to get to the popular tourist destinations in Athens. The hotel is not a classic high rise in that it only has 9 floors. It does have great views of the Acropolis, particularly at night. The beds are excellent -- very firm and comfortable. The bathrooms are large, well lit and have all the amenities you would expect in a 5 star hotel. The concierge floor is particularly nice, with its own area for frequest guests to gather in the evening for cocktails or in the morning for a continental breakfast.

Just wanted to see how video from my camera worked. It did! So enjoy the view from my room at 6 am in the morning. It was a charming hotel and I will miss it dearly. I have enjoyed all the luxury that a hotel of this class offers. Now to head to the economy places where I will have to rough it a bit. It is a good thing I have a suitcase full of hair products and lotions. You never know what you will need.

I can't figure out to add two entries on the same day without having to include it in the same entry. I will keep trying but it is challenging. I have included some pictures from the ferry trip to Crete. No too exciting!

Have a look at what I had to put up with.

"Knowing this could save your life" might be a dramatic overstatement, and by free, I mean you pay for all the stuff, but not them. In any case... Manos and his son were outstandingly efficient in planning our unplanned Greek vacation. We could have planned for months to achieve what they did in about an hour. I loved that we didn't uber-plan our trip, but Manos had wonderful recommendations, listened to our requests and wants, kept our budget in mind and was as sweet as can be. (Santorini hotel could have been better, but now we know to request Oia!) It was great to have a resource that had immediate access to ferry schedules and knew how long to stay places, smoothly transition islands, etc. highly recommended!!

The subject line pretty much sums up how Danielle and I feel about Greece so far.  It is absolutely spectacular!  And probably one of the most relaxing places I have ever been.  I know I can speak for both of us when I say that we are getting some much needed R&R!  The people are wonderful, the food and wine are great and the scenery is unreal. 

We had a bit of a bumpy start to our trip, but everything is going great.  I got into Athens on Friday afternoon, knowing that Danielle had missed one of her connections and I had no idea when she would get in.  I went to the hotel we had booked (the only thing we had actually booked in advance!) to find out they had given our room away when Danielle didn't show up when we said she would.  The owners were quite helpful though, and booked me in a nearby hotel that turned out to be pretty nice.  After checking email, I found that I would be on my own for the night, since Danielle couldn't get out until late Friday afternoon.  I had a nice evening seeing the sights in Athens and she showed up about 11:30 the next morning, so it worked out OK. 

We stopped by a travel agency that afternoon to book our ferry over to Samos, which is the usual departure point for trips to Turkey.  After about an hour with him, we had booked the entire rest of the trip!  Ferries, hotels, flights - the works.  Turned out great, since we don't have to worry about anything but which of the fabulous Greek wines to have with dinner or the best vantage point to see the sunsets :)

 

An Acropolis or Akropolis (Greek: Akros, top; Polis, city) - quite literally the upper part of a town - is a bastion or citadel in which the ancient Greeks took refuge during battle. Such a stronghold was often built on elevated grounds and from there many great cities and states like Mycenae, Argos, Corinth and Athens could arise. 

The Acropolis of Athens is  the most representative of the Greek acropolises, situated on a flat and precipitous hill 160 metres or 512 feet above sea level. The site was already occupied in the Achaean period (17th century BCE), when a palace was erected surrounded by a thick wall. During the 11th century BCE the citadel became a centre of worship and in the 5th century BCE the acropolis gained its final shape.

… but I don’t want to write about Athens as on class of history :o) the true is that Greece and Athens, as important part of , is cradle of civilization and we all knows all about Acropolis, so I would rather let you to enjoy in photos and hope you’ll enjoy even half as I enjoyed there walking “through history”. Summer of 2007 I spend with sister on beautiful island Skiathos and it would be pity not to visit Athens ‘cause from Skiathos you have fast ferry to Agios Constantinos  and than bus to Athens -  we needed 1,5 hour by boat and less than 1 hour to Athens. Athens in August on almost 40 C degrees, uf, was so hot, but it didn’t kept us from going to Acropolis (it’s like to go to Rome and don’t see Vatican city). Parthenon, Erechtheum, Theatre … shined on the Sun in all their beauty and I walked like in dream and without breath looking and enjoying in masterpieces of old culture. View from Acropolis is amazing, you feel as you can keep whole Athens on your hand and feel really like some Greek God looking from above :o)  

Athens deserve more than 1 day, but for this time we had just that day, so after 3 hours on Acropolis we gone to the centre of city in  Plaka, cute old part of Athens with streets closed to traffic, so you can enjoy walking around in peace among little shops, galleries or sit in some of nice café. Was lazy hot Sunday and not so much Athenians around -  who would walk around on such heat than crazy tourists :o)  so we let our legs to lead us and walked through beautiful Botanic garden, to the Sintagma square where is Parliament to see famous and unique Evzoni National Guard, found the ruins of great Zeus temple - now you can see only few columns of this temple, great Hadrian gate … ah, so little time for such beauty … this is just “little bite”of Athens and of course you are still hungry after that :o)  , but I was happy and have reason to come here again, ‘cause it’s pity to stay hungry for such beauty … so, Athens, wait for me once again one day :o) ….

cheap hotel with easy access to Pireaus, Athens and beaches. breakfast is very basic. Bathrooms - NO COMMENTS!!!Good greek restaurant "Mina" opposite - excellent food (fishes), not expensive at all.

Our stay at the Athens Hilton was short, two days and two nights, but very enjoyable! We had the “King Hilton Executive Room” which has a balcony with a small table and chairs and faced the Acropolis. It also included Executive Lounge access with free breakfast and refreshments, a desk with ergonomic chair, high-speed internet, a sofa and a marble bathroom with walk-in shower and nice sized Jacuzzi tub. The bed was very comfortable and the rooms smoke free and quiet. The room also had a large closet with a dresser with nice sized pull out drawers. The staff here was very nice, courteous, friendly, professional, and willing to help in anyway to make your stay great. Breakfast in the morning for us was in the executive lounge, which was your basic Continental breakfast (European style not American style) plus extras. Breakfast is my favorite meal, but it doesn’t have to be big or fancy to be good. Some times a bowl of cereal, a bagel and some juice is good enough. But, other times…bring on the pancakes, waffles, crapes, eggs and meat! The pool was large and very clean and the area well kept. There was a pool bar, which they call the Oasis Pool Bar & Grill, where you could order drinks of all kinds and food off their menu. The staff would wait on you poolside, or you could walk up to the bar and order your self. There were many chairs provided with towels, some in the sun and some in the covered shaded areas. This is where we had lunch on our second day, and the food was very good. The hotel has four other restaurants to eat at. Our first night, the only night we ate at the hotel, we ate at the Milos Restaurant. This restaurant is basically a row of tables along the edge of the roof facing the Acropolis. It’s very elegant, with soft lighting and very romantic with the view of the city. No jeans or t-shirts allowed here. Slacks and a collared shirt are required. The food here was terrific and they have a very nice wine list. Check out was fast and easy, as was checking in. The hotel is close to many attractions, and the National Museum of Art is right across the street. We will definitely stay, and eat here again the next time we come to Athens.

Day two started with a free breakfast in the executive lounge of the hotel. One of the perks of staying in an executive room :)~  Our driver, Loucis,  was picking us up in front of the hotel for our ½ day tour of the city at 10:00am, so we had plenty of time.

It was another hot day in Athens, so lots of cold bottled water would be needed. The only good thing about the heat, it seemed to keep some of the crowds away from the more popular sites. As you can see in the pictures, there are not very many people around.

Our first stop was the Acropolis. There was a lot of work being done to restore this site, so there was a lot of scaffolding around. It was not very picturesque, but still very inspiring to be at a place that has so much history. Maybe being an American, I’m a bit more amazed at places like this. I should be, to us anything older than 300 years is ancient, but here I am at a place that is thousands of years old…amazing! I am fairly new to traveling outside of my own country, so seeing sites this old with so much history is still aw inspiring to me. I hope that feeling never goes away, no matter how many places we travel to. After walking around the Acropolis and visiting the museum they had there, which was air conditioned, and very crowded, we made our way back down to meet up with Loucis.

The next stop was the ancient Agora and the Temple of Hephaestus.  This was a large market place, the political and administrative center of ancient Athens as well as the place where social, commercial and religious activities took place. We took our time looking around this site, and even sat on an ancient bench we found in the shade for a break from the heat. After an hour or so of walking around and looking at all the different things here, we met back up with Loucis for our next stop, The Temple of Zeus.  

The Temple of Zeus is not much to look at, just some very large columns, some still standing and some not. But, looking at the size of the site and the drawings on the sign posted nearby, you get an idea of how large this temple actually was.

Our next stop on our tour was to watch the changing of the guard at the presidential palace. I’ve seen the changing of the guard here in the US at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Arlington National Cemetery, and it is similar. But, every country has its ceremonial differences, so it was fun to watch. After the changing takes place, you can get right next to the guards and have a picture taken, just do not touch them!  Show some respect for these guys, this is serious business to them!

After the guard change, we headed to the Roman Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1895. The stadium was empty, except for a stage in the center that was being assembled for a future concert or event of some kind. The place looked as if it was built a few years ago, but it was first built in the 4th century BC. You would never know just by looking at it.

This was the end of our tour of Athens with Loucis. It was lunch time and we were ready to get back to the hotel to eat and hang out by the pool. Again, it was around 105F and we were hot & exhausted. Lunch by the pool was very nice and the staff was very attentive.

That evening, as the sun started to go down, along with the temperature, we walked to the Plaka, just a few blocks from our hotel. This is the oldest section of Athens and full of shops, restaurants, cafes and stores of all kinds. Though some of the larger stores closed at night, most of the smaller shops are open late. Of course, this is where we ate dinner for our last night in Athens. Just look at the menus as you walk by, and pick one. Some of the restaurants will have people standing outside trying to pull you in. We chose one that didn’t need to do this to get customers. If you need to talk people into coming in your restaurant, then maybe that is not the place to eat! For more infomation on the Plaka, visit http://www.athensguide.com/plaka.html

The next morning, Loucis picked us up in front of the hotel right on time and drove us to the airport. We had a great time in Athens and were very happy we had someone to show us a round. We would have never been able to see all that we did in the time we had if it wasn’t for have a tour guide. Thanks Mom & Wes for that great gift to start out our honeymoon!

Next stop…Santorini!