Athens, Greece

We arrived in Athens bright and early…to heavy rainfall. We prepared for a wet day as we planned to be outside seeing the ancient ruins of the area. Today, we took a cruise tour to the Acropolis. It was a Sunday, so traffic was expected to be lighter than during the week. However, there was marathon happening in town; so there were streets closed, a lot of people out and about, and a number of places were closed.


Our bus ride was less than an hour to get there, and during this time, the rains subsided. We arrived at the site of the Acropolis and entered the grounds. We saw the four ancient buildings: the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and the Propylaea. Unfortunately, three of the four buildings have scaffolding. It was difficult trying to get a photo of the Parthenon without seeing the scaffolding. We did take lots of photos!

Seeing the ancient ruins is pretty incredible. It is hard to imagine how long these buildings have been in existence and the history that goes along with them. You’re standing in the same place where a soldier or a senator stood thousands of years ago…amazing!

The afternoon was spent on the ship as we decided not to venture into the City. Athens is not a “pretty” City. It is densely populated, everything is white, and it’s a little overwhelming. As you can see from the photos, it’s just white apartment building one after another; then in pockets, you have these amazing ruins…crazy. It was a great visit; however, I am looking forward to seeing the islands.

Athens was one of the few ports that we actually left during daylight. We left the harbor just as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful evening.