Exploring Athens... the Acropolis and the Plaka Monastirake Square.

--As quoted from the official Outdoor Adventure Travel (OAT) booklet: "One of the oldest cities in history, Athens is considered the birthplace of democracy."

Basil and Mara were waiting for us in the hotel lobby at 8AM sharp… in order to walk up to the Acropolis to see and interact with Athens' top tourist destination before the crowds hit, Mara was our guide for this activity and was very knowledgable about events leading up to the present state of ancient structures built on the Acropolis thousands of years ago, mainly the Parthenon.

When the tourist throngs began to ascend, we began our descent to visit the Acropolis Museum nearby. According to Mara, the museum is currently rated #3 in the world. As is the case for a good part of the ancient city of Athens, there are many buried parts of its ancient past… a past which by law must be assessed and excavated by archeologists before any building and development on the land can happen. One way around this is to build over it… as is the case of the brilliant design of the Acropolis Museum, with glass floors to see the excavations below and attention to detail to compliment the nearby Acropolis.

We had lunch at the rooftop restaurant, A for Athens. From our table, we could see the Acropolis and the milling crowds and merchants below in Monastiraki Square. Then it was off to the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a precisely choreographed routine in which two new soldiers march in and change places with other soldiers who have stood guard, absolutely still, for an hour.

We walked by the Academy of Athens, the Hellenic Parliament building, the University, the National Library of Greece, peeked inside an old Greek Orthodox church and the newer "Holy Church of the Assumption" cathedral, Schliemann's house… who found and excavated Troy in the late 1800's, and…

Stopped for drinks at Brettos before having dinner at… all the while tapping into Basil's extensive knowledge of all things Greek.

Quick Photo Links: Herodeion Amphitheater | Philopappu Monument | Erechtheion | Parthenon | Lykavittos Hill | Theater of Dionysis | Acropolis Museum | Tomb of the Unknown Soldier | Academy of Athens