Thanksgiving Cruise to the Holy Land-Part Six

The very next day we woke up in Piraeus, Greece.  This is the port city about a half hour away from Athens. We got off the ship about 8 a.m. with only one minor hiccup.  Our friend, Kyle was stuck getting off the ship because the customs agent who checks all the passports, had an issue with his diplomatic one.  No worries..it all got straightened out in about twenty minutes and then we were on our way.  We walked about a half hour to the metro station and caught a train into Athens. 

Eight stops, one line change and then two additional stops later we emerged from the metro station just a block away from Acropolis hill.  What an impressive sight!!  

We bought our tickets and then started the hike up the very big hill.  The further up we went the colder it got and the more windy it was.  By the time we reached the top, it was downright blustery up there!

There was quite a crowd...a lot of tour groups mostly bottle necked right at the big flight up steps up to the Propylaea or main entrance.  I could only imagine what it must be like at the height of tourist season and with the heat and humidity.   I didn't mind the cool temps and wind one bit!  We wandered around and tried to take in the moment.  Standing among these ancient ruins was just a thrill.  They are being carefully restored so that many more generations can stand there in awe just as we did.

Planking at the Parthenon

After we'd seen all we wanted and the cold winds had finally made us say..Enough!!, we went back down the hill, exited the Acropolis area and then wandered down near the ancient Agora to Monistiraki Square.  We walked through a fun shopping district and enjoyed contributing to Greece's troubled economy by picking up some fun things to remember our trip. 

Looking down toward the Ancient Agora and Monasteraki

The Ancient Agora

We bought  a lot of delicious coconut candy rolls from this guy

 At this point our group split up and some continued shopping while the Cherringtons and Travis and I began our quest to find the Hard Rock Cafe.  It's become a tradition for us to search out a Hard Rock if there is one and to buy a classic T shirt for Travis to add to his collection.    We walked all the way to through the old town district to Syntagma Square and then after a few zigzags, found it!

Travis at the Hard Rock Cafe in Athens

After having a wonderful lunch with burgers and fries, we met our group at the metro station and headed back to Piraeaus.  Such a great day with great friends!

Grabbing some free wifi at the terminal in Greece

Leaving Greece

Homework...they missed 6 days of school, so there was a lot to do!

The next day was our last sea day.  It was a much needed day to regroup, rest up and begin packing.  After a homework session, we met in the Amadeus room for games (Incan Treasure and Nertz).  After I left to do some packing, I heard the Nertz game got a little crazy...it was definitely the favorite game of the trip!

Next stop..Rome!

love and miss you all,
-corri