Athens!
It took a bit of time for our ship to clear customs. Instead of waiting in the crowded rooms, we chose to hang out on the balcony to watch the activity. Quite a busy sea port, there was so much hustle and bustle! We were excited to get off after seeing the hillsides and deep blue ocean water!
This was our view… Barry’s vantage point from the balcony. As you can see, there is SO much activity. Perfect weather made us even more anxious to get off. However, we decided to avoid the crowds and wait until the bulk of passengers were off.
Rather than do a ship tour that limits us to one location, we chose a Hop On Hop Off bus to get a feel for the area. The bus wanders through several neighborhoods, as well as, along the coastline. This ended up being a great choice considering the views we were able to take in! We had perfect 80 degree temperatures and fantastic scenery!
It was a treat to get out of the highly populated area and see the coast and beaches. Our challenge was not jumping off the bus, into the sparkling blue waters! Cruising always gives us a taste of what we might want to visit later. Some ports of call do not appeal to us… Greece is definitely on a “future adventure” list!
Our little tour bus dropped us off in an area that offered us a view of Acropolis and the Parthenon! Though beautiful, this marble walkway was extremely slick! Even dry, it was tough for our shoes to get a grip. At the top of the walkway, we had a great vantage point to see Acropolis. We thought about heading up to explore up close and personal, but….
… the crowds were crazy! Not fans of crowded areas, we decided photos from afar were good enough. Maybe in the future, if we take a land based trip to Athens, we can visit on a day no cruise ships are in port! Our ship has a capacity of nearly 5000 people and we were only one ship in port for the day!
We had a great view of the columns. Unimaginable to think work on the Parthenon began in 438BC! Dedicated to goddess Athena, this structure was used as a Treasury for many years. Eventually, the building was transformed into a Christian church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Structural renovations added to our list of why to wait to visit up close. Not that it wouldn’t still be awe inspiring… we just felt that the effort in climbing stairs, etc would be better served at a later date. Although, if it’s like La Sagrada Familia in Spain, it may never be complete!
Standing on top of a hill, we had a great view of the city. The photo doesn’t do justice to the white architecture with the sunlight reflecting off the every roof! Wish I could have appropriately captured that.
From above, we could also see these two unique structures. On the left, we noticed a building that looked like the Parthenon. On the right, a beautiful Greek church!
After quite a bit of sightseeing, we decided to stop at an outdoor cafe for a bit of lunch. Back when I could eat tomatoes, this Greek Salad was incredible! Wish I could gobble that down now!!! The cheese on top was creamy and delicious!
A little wine… fresh seafood… what a feast! One of my favorite things is to people watch from our table. As this was in a popular walking thoroughfare, there was much to watch!
So many restaurants and bars… so many people… the shade from the trees was a welcomed addition. Though the weather was not scorching, it was hot enough to need a little relief. As with any port stop, we only get a snapshot into the area and can make a decision to return or not. We definitely want to return here! Currently, this is not on our immediate list, but it will be within the next year or so.
The port area of Athens had a festive feel… colorful balloons, street vendors and many tourists. Of course, we couldn’t take a balloon back on board so we passed on that… the photo on the right made me laugh. The motorcycle police ride in pairs. It made me wonder if it’s a seniority thing to be the driver… can’t imagine anyone I know from the police force, riding in the back. (Saved my colorful language for another time)
Another thing that caught my eye… streets lined with orange trees! Branches heavily laden with fresh oranges!
Despite our language barrier… this little lady convinced us that she hand made each and every special table cloth. “One of a kind”… took hours to create. She only charged $15 so we paid her $20… it was her “last one”. We got back on the bus, heading back to the port… who did we see? Our little friend with another “one of a kind”. We had a good laugh over that one… the table cloth was lost in Hurricane Harvey, but the memory will live on in pictures!
