Mediterranean Trip Day 10: Adventures in Athens 🇬🇷

Come along as I visit some of the most iconic monuments from the ancient world and explore the rich history of both ancient and modern Greeks!

Well, we actually arrived in Athens! So after an in-room breakfast, it was time to go with our tour group. We chose to do an Oceania Exclusive version of the Acropolis and Plaka Stroll tour. This means that you go with a group no larger than 16 people and is a good option for busy places like Athens. This way, we were more easily able to maneuver through the numerous other large cruise groups at the acropolis.

Anyways, our first stop was at the Acropolis which is what the hill, that houses the Parthenon and other monuments, is called. Here we first saw Odeon of Herodes Atticus which is an active theater today, often confused with the Theater of Dionysus which was the first Greek theater ever built and is also located on the Acropolis.

Then it was time for the main attraction, the Parthenon. The building is still quite intact and is extremely impressive in terms of both size and detail. There was scaffolding on one side of the Parthenon, a crane inside, and workers actively working to stabilize and preserve the structure. Keep in mind that iff you visit the Parthenon, it will likely be very windy, since the Acropolis is the highest point in Athens, and it will also be quite busy. Since it is the main tourist attraction in Athens, there will always be many groups there, but if I were to go again, I would go in the evening when most of thee cruise groups have cleared out and the Parthenon is lit up.

While at the Acropolis we also saw the Erechtheion Temple with the beautiful marble maidens supporting the Porch of Caryatids and the Temple of Athena Nike. Then it was time to leave the Acropolis and take a drive through the city of Athens.

Our first stop was at the Panathenaic Stadium, the home of the 1896 and 2004 Olympics and the only stadium in the world built entirely out of marble. Then we went to The Platonic Academy which was founded by the great philosopher Plato. On the way to the Plaka district, we passed by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where you can watch the changing of the guard every hour.

Finally we arrived at the Mitropoleos Square in the Plaka district of Athens where we stopped at a nice cafe for lunch. There I was able to get my favorite Cappuccino Freddo, a Greek Salad, and my mom and I split some incredible ham and cheese crepes. We did some light souvenir shopping at the nearby stores before heading back to the ship. We did dinner at the Grand Dining Room and our ship set sail for Kusadasi, Turkey!

Always,

Paris