Pack It In and Rest Later

3-16-25

Our day was off to to an early 6:30 AM start: we got ready ate breakfast and headed to Acropolis for our first stop of the day. After a short briefing from our tour guide Jenny, it was time to climb to the top. The walk up to the Parthenon was stunning, and not bad at all since it was more stairs than hills. Along the way we stopped to see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a stone Roman theatre that was completed in AD 161. The path continued to the very top with several stops that provided an arial view of Athens… BREATHTAKING. One viewpoint was situated on the west side directly facing Mars Hill. That is the very same rock where Paul stood while preaching to the Athenians. Once at the top, we had some time for photos following the lesson from our tour guide, Jenny. A few of the interesting facts that stood out to me were: 

• Every part of the Acropolis is a slight bit curved or slanted. However, it appears straight because it is an optical illusion. The pillars are all slightly leaned towards the middle and the floor is a convex
• Acropolis was dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, Athena 
• If you were to lay out each of the columns they would span three miles
• The only entrance is on the west side because the other sides are far too steep.

Following Acropolis, we had the opportunity to climb up Mars Hill (Areopagus Areios Pagus, meaning “Hill of Aries”). It was truly powerful to stand in the same place as Paul. Even though the walk up and over the jagged rock formation was questionable at times, the views were well worth it. Since today was Sunday, you could hear something like a call to prayer or singing in the distance. After soaking it in for a few minutes, our guide took us back to the coach to embark on our city tour.  

• Panatheon Stadium
• Hadrians Arch
• The Temple of Zeus
• Syntagma Square and the National Parliament Building

Each site was beautiful, however we only got out at the Panathenaic stadium. This is the marble stadium, built in 1896 to host the very first modern Olympic Games that included 14 countries. It included the javelin throw, disc toss, long jump, and a race. The race was 42km (26.2 miles), and the word “marathon,” actually originated from this sporting event in Greece.

Once we had become a bit more familiar with the city we headed to the Acropolis Archaeological Museum. The exhibits features artifacts that had been recovered from the Acropolis from thousands of years ago. This included items like statues, pottery, and masonry. One thing that was interesting, is the fact that Athens only has 45% of the total recovered artifacts in their museum. The other 55% are in various parts of the world, with the majority (50%) in London. 

After the museum, we had free time to spend how we chose. Most of the group chose to grab some lunch at a taverna or cafe. My mom and I chose to get stone baked pizza and it was so fresh and delicious. 

Following lunch we headed to the Athens National Garden which is a hidden oasis in the heart of the city. On the walk there we stopped for a picture under Hadrian’s Arch that leads into the Temple of Zeus. King Hadrian is believed to have walked through this very same pathway. 

Once we were in the garden we saw beautiful plants and wildlife including ducks, goats, geese and lots of pigeons. There was a small cafe where we stopped for snack and a short break. I had orange juice that tasted like it was actually freshly squeezed from an orange… SO GOOD. My mom had an orange pie with vanilla ice cream. One thing that has stood out is how fresh everything is here.

Then we headed to Syntagma Square to witness the changing of the guard. This is done at the top of every hour similar to the changing of the guard at Arlington in the U.S. It was very cool but also very different from what we have in the U.S. The soldiers are dressed in different looking uniforms with skirts that have 400 folds in them and shoes with pom poms on them. They do not just march or step, everything is very overstated, which makes it somewhat entertaining. 

Once they finished, we headed to Plaka, a charming, historic neighborhood in the city. One of the things I wanted to do was watch a sunset, so we headed to back to Mars Hill for a beautiful view. On the walk there we will climbed up through the narrow pathways of the Anafiotika district within Plaka. There were adorable whitewashed buildings and chapels tucked in along the way. 

It was so nice to sit and watch the sun slip behind the mountains off in the distance. It was a bit hazy due to dust from Egypt, very interesting. The orange and pink colors blended together to create an ombre background behind the city as the lights came on.

We were all pretty hungry after a long day of sightseeing so it was time to head back to dinner in Plaka. Our group ended up at a restaurant called Anefani, with the rooftop view of the city. As we got closer we walked down wide steps that were lined with dining tables on each, so cute!! I got the sea bass with a pasta with red sauce and it was pretty good.

Following dinner it was time to walk down Adrianou street towards Bretto’s Bar, one of the oldest distilleries in Athens. Since it was so small, the tables were limited and they could not seat anymore people. It had such a cool look though; over 200 colored bottles lined the walls creating a cozy but energetic vibe. 

We took a second to regroup and 7 of the 10 in our group went back to the hotel. However, my mom, another mom, and myself went to a different bar called the Drunk Sinatra. I just wanted to see what it was like there because I love Frank Sinatra and the crooners music. Each of our drinks were good, but they did not play Frank Sinatra which was why I wanted to go but it was still a neat place.

Finally, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for bed our next adventure. My favorite parts of the day were seeing the Acropolis and exploring the city its self. Everywhere you look there is something new to see and I love it! There is definitely a refreshing, slower pace to life here. According to our tour guide, “deadline,” is not a word in Greece. 

I cannot wait to embark on our tour of the Greek countryside tomorrow. The travel agency had to reverse our tour order because Olympia will be closed for the ceremonies honoring the new president. So, our first stop will be the mountain top monestaries in Meteora. Then, we will stop in Kalambaka to stay the night.