We pulled in to Athens on an overcast day with mild
temperatures. Perfect for touring! The
port of Piraeus is a very short distance from Athens.
The port not only holds the cruise ships but the smaller
fishing boats as well.
This is my first view of the Acropolis after we entered
Athens.
The Athens temple.
The marble Olympic Stadium was built in 1895. Totally made from local marble, a relatively
inexpensive building material!
Syntagma or Constitution Square is an elegant space in front
of the Parliament. This is the gathering
place of protesters. It was originally
built as a home for the Greek kings, and also hosts the monument to the Uknown
Soldier.
We stopped for a coffee break at a palace-now-hotel. We liked the coffee and snacks, especially
the pistachio cookies.
A typical street in Athens.
You used to be able to see the Acropolis from every where in the city
until the housing boom set in and multiple storied apartments were built.
A good view of the (under renovation) Acropolis.
This is a store on the low budget market street. It looks
like they sell everything that you would need.
We stopped at an official store approved by the cruise lines. Many nice things at a reasonable price such as jewelry, reproductions of statues, ceramics. I would recommend going to Athens; we felt safe and the city was clean.
Thanks for the mini tour of Athens! I appreciate how you capture a mixture of shots of the place so I get a feel for things.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing that hosting the Olympics prompted many civic improvement plans in Athens.
I think that the Olympics prompts improvements for all cities and that the area benefits tremendously. No wonder cities fight so hard to get the event.
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