John Milton once wrote: "Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts, and eloquence." Welcome to the capital of Greece! A very early morning for our all day excursion in Athens~the largest populated island in Greece. Our first stop was at Cape Sounion to visit the Temple of Poseidon. Poseidon, for those who did not study Greek mythology, was the God of the Sea, its protector. The temple was erected in 5th century BC, yes that's right BC~ Take a 
look at the pristine condition it is in! The temple sits perched above the mountains surrounding the Aegean Sea. In ancient times, the temple was the last sign of civilization the Athenians saw as they sailed away from home and the first as they returned. It is a beautiful, peaceful place with breathtaking views of the sea to no end. No wonder it was the perfect place for
the God of the Sea, as well as to meditate. And now to the Acropolis, which means "high city".It has turned out to be another warm day close to 40C, with a nice and welcoming breeze though. It is Sunday, so traffic and congestion are at a minimum. The 2400-year-old Acropolis is the symbol of the ancient Greek civilization whose art, literature and zeal for democracy still influence our world today.
There are fabulous views of all Athens from atop the Acropolis. We climb its 80 steps to catch the first glimpse of the main temple: The Parthenon and the House of Athena, daughter of Zeus. Everything has been under restoration for many years. The years have not been good to the Acropolis including war and robbery, however today, the main threat is air pollution which is badly eroding what is left of the building.We then headed to the Plaka, the main shopping area. But before shopping, we stopped to have a great lunch at TABEPNA o γέρος Του Μώρίά. Well, the first word is Tavern, a traditional
restaurant, however the rest is Greek to me. The food and wine was delicious and plenty. We had about an hour of free time to shop on the Plaka or just enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown. Liz and I....shopped. We headed back to the ship to enjoy yet another evening of great food and entertainment.
restaurant, however the rest is Greek to me. The food and wine was delicious and plenty. We had about an hour of free time to shop on the Plaka or just enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown. Liz and I....shopped. We headed back to the ship to enjoy yet another evening of great food and entertainment.
After a long day in Athens, I was ready to have a relaxing yoga class before dinner and then we were ready to explore that nightlife on the ship, I talked about earlier!
Tomorrow...Mykonos!
