Our cruise has ended. It’s a sad day as we depart our beloved transport, Enchantment of the Seas. The adventure continues here in Athens. I knew that when we booked this cruise it wouldn’t be enough to get an after cruise excursion before catching our flight back home. Therefore, I booked a hotel in Athens with an Acropolis view and made plans to stay another day.

Athens is the city I’ve wanted to visit since I began my love for Greek mythology at the tender age of 10. The highlight of Athens is of course, the Acropolis on which sits the Parthenon, the temple of Athena Parthenos. Many other structures still stand on the walled mountain, like the small temple to Athena Nike and the Erechtheion. We got our bags checked in to the hotel and headed out for a nice outdoor breakfast. The day was hot, but we were in the shade and it felt good to be outside. I booked a private guide for a three hour tour of the museum and Acropolis. It was a little pricey, but I wanted the first class experience. By the end of the tour, I felt I’d gotten every penny of my money’s worth. We assembled with quite a few other people and I began to question whether the experience was private or with a group. Our guide introduced herself and then went around helping other guides with issues. Finally all the groups were gone and we were indeed left with her, the manager, as our private guide. Originally we headed straight to the Acropolis, but a call from one of the other guides warned of long lines and congestion at the entrance so we quickly changed to see the museum first. Janet had often referred to me that I’m full of useless information. Our guide was my opposite, totally full of valuable information. She poured an entire graduate level course on Greek history into an hour’s visit to that museum. She kept asking if she needed to slow down or eliminate some of her spiel, but we told her to bring it on as we absorbed everything she had to tell us. We spent a good deal of time looking at models of the history of the Acropolis as to set the stage for what was to come. The museum is laid out so that the exhibit is the same size as the Parthenon and various artifacts are on the levels you’d find on the Parthenon. Statues adorning the roof top were on the 3rd floor while artifacts that would have existed on the main floor of the temple were on the floor below. All were placed in positions relative to where they would have existed on the actual temple.

One of the highlights was the four original statues that held up the portico of the Erectheion. Another was a model of the Acropolis done in Legos by university students. Knowing how much my family loves building things with bricks, we couldn’t resist taking a few pictures.

After the museum we journeyed out into the heat. Unfortunately for us, our tour began at 11 AM in July. By the time we headed up the hill it was about 12:45 and getting close to 40 C (100 F). We took it slow and drank water as we learned about the Theatre of Dionysus which is much older than the more famous Odeon of Herodes Atticus up the pathway. The Odeon is still in use and stages many world famous events. We made it to the entry way and rested on the steps below the temple of Nike for a bit to catch our breaths. Our guide continued filling us with all kinds of knowledge. Then came the magical moment when we entered the temple area and beheld the breathtaking view of the Parthenon. Even though it’s only a shell of it’s original structure, it is amazing to behold. Next we journeyed over to the Erechthiem and learned it was the temple to all the gods and probably was used more than the Parthenon. We made our way completely around the site and enjoyed the vast views from the top of the citadel. Our guide took about 50 pictures of us. So many that I had to delete about half as most were duplicates.

Our tour was done and we bid our guide goodbye with a well deserved tip and made our way back to our hotel. The heat was beginning to take a toll on Janet and she needed rest before we could go out for dinner. We wanted to eat in the Plaka district which was about a mile away. So after a brief time we journeyed back out and explored the myriad of shops and eateries in the Plaka. We found one and enjoyed more traditional Greek cuisine. The heat however, had exhausted Janet and she could barely finish her meal. I knew it was time to get her back to the hotel. After getting her into bed and making sure she had plenty of water, I ventured back out to explore and take pictures so we could both share in the memory. I returned to the Plaka to see if there was more. Unfortunately it appeared there were about a dozen different types of shops that kept repeating so I journeyed onward into the Monastiraki neighborhood. This area was a little less corporatized and it appeared more mom and pop establishments. Always, there were awesome places to eat with outdoor seating. By now I was on the opposite side of the Acropolis and came upon Hadrian’s library. We saw a lot of Hadrian’s structures during this trip and it was pretty impressive. On the other side of the street was the rebuilt Agora. It sat in a park that also housed the temple of Hephaestus, one of the best kept temples of the ancient world. It would have cost €35 to go into the park, so I opted to take pictures from afar. Leaving Monastiraki, I passed through the Thissio and Ano Petralona neighborhoods. Restaurant after restaurant lined the pedestrian walkway. People were eating, laughing, and enjoying traditional Greek dancing and singing. It was a very festive Monday evening! Rounding the Acropolis, I made it back to the Koukaki neighborhood where our hotel was. I’d enjoyed my walk, but needed to make sure Janet was OK.

Back in the room, I checked on Janet who was sleeping peacefully. I opened the curtains to our Acropolis view and began taking pictures as the sun set and the lights came on. It was so magical. The next morning we were greeted to the same view from our bed. It never got old.

Our hotel, Niche, sat on ancient ruins. As we boarded the elevator for breakfast, we laughed at the button that would take us to 300 BC. Breakfast was a fantastic buffet of Greek food in a rooftop restaurant with that magnificent view. The servers were so kind, it seemed a real shame that we could only enjoy their hospitality for one day. Our trip was nearly complete. Our ride came to take us to the airport. Our last 25 minutes in Athens was also a sightseeing adventure in itself as we passed the original modern Olympic stadium. He pointed out other interesting sites along the way and told us his entire life story. But he was nice. The heat in the Mediterranean had become somewhat catastrophic and fires began to rage throughout Greece. I was able to photograph them as our plane ascended.

Except for a missed connection in Paris, our trip was a complete success. We count our blessings every day that have the ability to make trips like this and fulfill childhood dreams. It’s time to return to New England, though and see what new adventures lie ahead.