Sunday 15-06 - Athens tour day

We started with breakfast with the group at the hotel. The second day of European hotel breakfast and still in love with it. I had eggs on toast and cereal and fruit. Then we set off on a walking tour of Athens with Niki. We walked through the markets to see the Roman Agora.



Then up a hill to get a good view of the acropolis. We saw the temple of Hephaestus in the background and the ancient agora.









In the distance we could spot the ocean and port city of Pirreus. We continued around to see the Theatre of Dionysus. Apparently they have performances here as part of the Athens festival. Its the big arts festival here and is on at the moment. I want to see what events are happening on our free night. Seeing a play in the first theatre event built would be amazing.

We walked down the nice part of Athens. There is new archetecture there, with people still selling parasoles and bits to tourists.



We went to a park with an old arch called Hadrian´s arch. He finished a huge section of ancient Athens and had an arch dedicated to him.





He also finished an enormous temple of Zeus, that isnt there anymore save some columns.



We arrived at the changing of the gaurds. I was told that it was funny, with guys in tights and pom poms on their shoes marching with high kicks in the air. And it was just that. Except the hoardes of tourists lining the streets. There were so many and they were pushing when ever we had to move forward. I took some quick snaps then got out of the way to where I could breath again.





We went back to the hotel and then to post a package and look around the flea market. Our lunch was a cheese roll pastry thing.



In the afternoon we set off for the acropolis. We climbed again up the small hill. There we ran into a group of 4 girls from the tour: Brittany, Anneke, Halie and Lacy. Together we all climbed up to the ticket booth. First we stopped at a view of the theatre.



There were people on the stage below stretching, so we wondered what they could be preparing for. A dance or ballet for the Hellenic festival probably.



Then up through the the Beule Gate,built by the Romans later in the areas history.



Then up through the Propileae with its huge columns.







Finally we got to the Parthenon. It was very beautiful and elegant. It definitely had a sense of awe about it. Well, except for the scaffolding around half the outside. I think they´ve been restoring it for years now. The sign on the fence said since 1983.



We stopped for photos overlooking the city and sea.



We passed the view of the theatre agin on the way back. This time the stage was full of dancers lined up along bars across the stage. They were all seemed to be warming up for a performance.



We loopeed around to the entrance of the theatre to get strawberry flavoured ice slushies. They were refreshing and delightfully strawberry flavoured. Then we got lost getting back to the hotel.





In the evening we had our welcome dinner, complete with folk dancing. We all climbed up a path off steps to the restaurant at the very end. There were long and short tables set up to handle all of the topdeck tour, as we took up an entire room. The six of us who had gone to the acropolis decided to take one of the tables that was hidden in a cave. By ´cave´ I mean a sort of arched alcove that looked like a very large pizza oven. But it we just called it our cave all night.



They kept us supplied with wine, bread and amazing tzatziki all night. The mezzes we got as starters were decent. Spinacopeta, beef dalmadas and greek meat balls. We continued to fill up on the dips as we went. Lacy had Tzatziki for the very first time tonight. She fell in love with it.

The mains were ok. We had chicken with rice and potatoes. I didn't mind if it wasn´t spectacular because I´d eaten so much before it arrived. Then ice cream and more wine until the group got kicked out at 10-30pm.

Oh yes, the dancing. There was a session before dinner and then before dessert. The dancers were the wait-staff. The one blond girl seemed to enjoy it. A brunette next to her on the other hand seems new. She looked embarrassed and shy. The men did some impressive kicks.

we were quite merry and by the end of the night and made our way home with the tour leaders. The girls told me that they had been able to get wi-fi (we hadn't) and offered their room for us to surf in. Our doors were a metre away across from each other. We popped over to their room and used net for a little while. We all listened to music and swapped facebooks. At 11-30 we parted ways to get sleep, as the next morning was a 5am start.