DAY 34...Acropolis and Parthenon!

Day 34, July 18th:

Greece Day 5!

I can’t believe that today is already the last day in GREECE!!!  Today, Danielle and I woke up around 08:00 for breakfast and was walking down the gangplank around 09:00 heading towards Athens to see the Acropolis.  So here is a question of the day for you:  What exactly is the acropolis?  Many people think that the Acropolis is the name of the buildings up on a hill in Athens.  Others believe it is the hill on which the famous buildings sit is called the Acropolis.  It is the later of the two that would be correct. 

The Athenian Acropolis is the ancient high city of Athens, a prominent rock plateau perched high above the modern city with commanding views and an amazing array of ancient architecture, mostly from the Classical period of Ancient Greece, the most famous of which is the Parthenon.  Once walked the 1,000 miles to the metro station and took the turtle-like metro to Athens, we walked another 1,000 miles to the entrance of the Acropolis Park.  The view of the ancient city is absolutely stunning from anywhere in Athens.  Once we made our way up the hill, Danielle and I purchased our 6 Euro entrance ticket and began seeing the sites.  The main entrance to the Acropolis is the Temple of Athena Nike.  Once you pass through her open corridor, you are immediately taken by the size and longevity of the Parthenon.  The Parthenon is made completely of marble; however, most of the sculptures along the top have been removed and stolen by other countries around the world.  It was very sad to see this massive and beautiful structure missing most of its detail.  From the acropolis, you can see every square inch of the city of Athens.  You can see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (This ancient theatre is still used today for concerts and plays) and the Theatre of Dionysis, both located on the South side of the Acropolis hill.  You can also see the Ancient Agora to the North. 

The city of Athens overall was very upsetting in terms of what I had prepared myself mentally to see.  It was very run down and trashy.  There was not a lot of ancient Greek art and other famous monuments other than the Acropolis as I had expected to see.  There was not much to do there besides shop, eat and see the Acropolis.  I am very excited that we only spent two partial days there, as it was more than enough. 

After our expedition through the Park, we made our way down the hill and back into the city to find lunch.  Danielle and I stumbled across this little place near the main street and we decided to order a Beef Gyro Plate to share and I ordered a Greek salad as well.  It was very good; however, it was definitely not the best I have had in Greece.  The best food was probably on the island of Thirasia off Santorini!  Anyways, we then did our last little bit of shopping, which was difficult because all of the main stores are closed on Sundays.  We then took the metro back to Piraeus and walked the million miles back to the ship for the last time on this voyage! 

The ship left port around 20:15 and we began heading towards ISTANBUL!!!  I had a great time in Greece, especially Santorini, and I will definitely be back to explore the other Greek Islands! I had a blast and I am glad that I got to do so many things I have never done before!!!