Athens and the Greek Islands

Ahh Athens. What a peaceful way to end a trip. Our hotel was lovely and located right in the heart of Plaka which is such a quaint part of Athens. There are wonderful restaurants, cute shops, the Parthenon Museum, and gelatto all located nearby on cobbled streets that are just for pedestrians. You can wander down to Zeus' Temple or up to the museum without worrying about getting hit in Athen's very heavy traffic. The Acropolis was my favorite. We climbed the large marble rock and wandered around the Parthenon first. There is also a temple to Poseidon and one to Nike. It was a warm, balmy day and the views were wonderful. Later, we walked around Zeus' temple and then went to dinner. The next day, we took a cruise around the Greek Islands. Porros was my favorite. I loved the blue doors on the houses dotting the hillside and the clear blue water. Hydra was Warner's favorite. Hydra is more hilly with a circular bay full of sailing boats. At Aegina I wadded in the Aegean Sea. The beach by the boat dock wasn't very sandy, but I think there are other beaches that are beautiful. It was a good day but very long. On our last day in Athens we shopped, saw the changing of the guard, and found a wonderful restaurant for lunch. We ate Greek food and watched two men climb the wall of the Acropolis. What a view. We liked it so much that we went back for dinner. We also went to the Parthenon Museum. That is such a neat place. They found some ancient ruins while they were digging the foundations of the museum so they built the museum over the top of the ruins and put in glass floors so that you can watch them work on the ruins while you are looking at the museum. I loved Athens - especially the simple things like wandering through the streets of Athens eating gelatto, lounging on the deck of the ship while cruising around the islands, and sitting in that little restaurant drinking a coke and watching the climbers climb the wall.