Athens: Home of the Olympics

At our second stop in Greece, we arrived in Athens. My mom and grandma had warned me that Athens was dirty and not incredibly friendly. So to say the least, my expectations were low. After arriving early in the morning, our first stop off the ship was the train station. Of course we walked the mile and a half instead of taking a taxi. Our troop was pretty large, though. The family we'd shared our Turkish guides with came along with us to the train station (but had their own agenda) and an elderly couple decided to join us for the day. Even though the walk to the train station was long, the train tickets are dirt cheap...ONE euro! Once we arrived at our metro station, we waited for the tour. 

Our tour was called "The Highlights of Athens" and began right at the metro station. Since Athens is concentrated with geological sites therefore when they built the subway, the excavated ancient tombs and buildings. Each metro station has a little exhibit on what was there and when it was built. In that particular station, there were tombs and pots. Our tour consisted of our private party, which was nice to have a personal tour guide without completely paying for it. We first went to the changing of the guard outside of the tomb of the unknown soldier. In Greece, the changing  of the guards happens once an hour. The costumes the President's guards wear are pretty funny, especially their shoes! Our next stop was a park built by the first president's wife. She wanted an outdoor oasis, and she definitely achieved it. She was the first to bring palm trees from Egypt and many more exotic plants. 

Suddenly, we found ourselves in front of the President's house. Unlike the U.S., the President of Greece has the option to live inside the President's house or not. The current President lives there now. Further down the street is the first Olympic stadium. Although it's been re-done, it still has an ancient feel. In the 2004 Olympics, the stadium was used for archery and the finish line for races. Our next ancient stop was Hercules' Temple. And that is when I say ruins are ruins. It was a few standing and tumbled down columns. But then...the Acropolis took my breath away, literally.

 

It took us a while to get up the mountain...we walked completely around it before we made it up. And once we were on top, we were pounded by the sun and the sun's reflection on the marble. But it was absolutely fascinating to see the buildings practically still standing. And the view! You can see everything, and I can only imagine Athens on a clear day.