Lazy start today as Col was still recovering. Jeannette and Greg had already left the ship by the time we got going. We boarded the hop-on hop-off bus at Piraeus, the port city for Athens. It included a stop at the Acropolis - just what we were after. The route took us along the coastal area initially which was an absolute bonus. To call it picturesque doesn't do it justice. The road and the houses hugged the sea and the water was a brilliant aqua blue and crystal clear. We reached the Acropolis ('Acro' meaning high and'Polis' meaning city) after negotiating some really heavy traffic approaching it. The bus drivers really do need a medal. Massive crowds, we made our way onto a small hill that was so slippery. It was solid marble, weathered and treacherous to scramble over. Seriously, in Australia the area would have been roped off! Further on we got to the Parthenon and the Erectheion, passing the Theatre of Herod Atticus. It is still in use and they were collecting the cushions that had been used the night before. Most of the buildings have some damage and are currently under repair, but you can't help feel the history of the whole area. It is perched high up on a hill overlooking Athens.
Time was of the essence so we boarded the red route bus which took us on a tour through Athens. 1 thing that struck us was the amount of graffiti - probably the worst we had seen anywhere in Europe. Despite that, the city was quite stunning. Obviously historic, there was also a nice feel to it. Glad we opted for the bus as we did get to see so much more than if we had found the train we were originally looking for, especially in the time we had available.
Col & Jeannette had been working on an Aussie barman and he finally made Golden Dreams to their liking. A comedian played after dinner tonight and we only stayed for a couple of minutes. We were ready to hit the hay.
