Pireas (Greece) - Sail Away

5/21/2012  The visit was yet another delightful sampling of a piece of culture that I have not explored. I liked Greece and will keep Athens on my list of places to visit because I would like to spend more time exploring the Acropolis. I'd like to see it lit at night, and I'd like to sit on a patio of one of the hotels and have dinner in sight of the Acropolis.  All in due time.  Here is our cute little tug boat, ready to help us depart.

The port city with the hazy mountains in the background.

 I see another cruise ship docked.

 I look off the side of the ship to see the high rise apartments and the city streets that we visited just this morning.

 Islands in the distance.  Waters look calm. Looks like smooth sailing.

 The sun is setting and the land picks up a hazy blue tint.

 We pass the lighthouse and we are now on our way to Venice, Italy.  We will spend a day at sea and it will be nice to rest after all of the back-to-back touring days that we have had.

Farewell, Greece.  I will keep you in my thoughts. When I see protests in Athens, I will be able to recognize the buildings and perhaps the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  I'll encourage local bakers to work with pistachio nuts a little more to incorporate the taste in to our "norm".  I am glad that we were able to see multiple sides of life in Greece: the hustling large city of Athens, and the sleepy seaside towns, like Mikonos.  I'll keep Delos in mind when I think that a civilization that is successful will last forever.