May 28 Piraeus (Athens)
We arrived at Piraeus, and the end of our cruise, (final stats for second cruise)
and without too much ado, we left the ship,
having signed up for one last excursion, that would take us and our luggage, into Athens. Disembarkation is always early morning, and it was unlikely that our hotel would receive us until later. Also, had a few dollars left to spend in On Board Credits and was looking forward to climbing up to the Parthenon, one more time.
Quick drive through what appeared to be a fairly prosperous city and then onto Athens. This was the Reader's Digest Condensed version of a tour.
Besides the Parthenon, there was only one additional stop, at a stadium, built in 330 BC. The only stadium in the world built completely out of marble. The first modern Olympics games were held here in 1896. A Roman marble throne from the head of the stadium is kept in the British Museum (will look for it the next time I'm there).
The heart of Pierre de Coubertin (he is credited for the revival of the modern games)is enshrined here. He died in Geneva so I'm going to guess that the rest of him can be found there, in Geneva.
Because it was still fairly early, crowds were not that heavy at the Parthenon and it didn't take too long to climb up, even though the footing is precarious, and you can't exactly scamper up the stairs.
And although it was again, a fairly warm day, there was a very stiff cool breeze on top. Tourists were chasing their hats all over the place. Michael gave up on his and let me stowe it in my bag.
Around lunchtime, our tour was over, and we collected our luggage and went to our hotel. Thankfully, the room was ready for us, so able to leave our bags and head out again.We were very close to a central main square, Monastiraki, that sits under the shadow of the Acropolis. Actually, almost everything is around the Acropolis. And we had lunch (gyros!)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/R95Duo8oKDGiKbkd9
before making one last gallant effort to cover some sightseeing territory.
Finally, too exhausted to do anything more meaningful, after walking at least 3 miles (giving me enough time to stumble on my face yet again) we went to our fall back position, which is to eat, AGAIN, and found a very untouristy place, on an unbusy street. I peeked through the doorway below, and in an area not much wider than the doorway, could see people happily eating and drinking.
Unfortunately, the diners appeared to be smoking as much as they were eating. They smoke EVERYWHERE in Athens, which triggered an allergic reaction (two weeks later, finally getting over it). The cats seemed to be equally content and we settled in to order more food than we could eat. Plus ça change...
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5zwUUDGAt6rWDjRn7
Finally, too exhausted to do anything more meaningful, after walking at least 3 miles (giving me enough time to stumble on my face yet again) we went to our fall back position, which is to eat, AGAIN, and found a very untouristy place, on an unbusy street. I peeked through the doorway below, and in an area not much wider than the doorway, could see people happily eating and drinking.
Unfortunately, the diners appeared to be smoking as much as they were eating. They smoke EVERYWHERE in Athens, which triggered an allergic reaction (two weeks later, finally getting over it). The cats seemed to be equally content and we settled in to order more food than we could eat. Plus ça change...It was not an unusual site, to see multiple dishes on the streets for the cats. Not a scrawny cat anywhere.
The next morning, off to the airport, and finally home again.
And one last clip for the road
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1GansxN7zXVHiLsJ9
