What a difference 18 hours makes in a trip through the Agean Sea. We woke up to a beautiful 75 degree day in Athens Greece.
We were here when we started our first world tour and visited all the ancient ruins. You can find that post by clicking on the link below.
So instead of focusing on the ruins again we took another hop on hop off tour. These trips around town are about €20 per person. Well worth it if you want to do your own touring without a guide. Much less expensive than a taxi!
We got off at a few stops and enjoyed the scenery. The changing of the guards was really cool. I should have taken a video because it was as if they were walking in slow motion. It is a traditional ceremony that takes place every day at the Greek Parliament Building. The ceremony lasts for about an hour. It features a parade of soldiers in traditional Greek uniforms. A must see if you are in Athens.
Speaking of ruins, we traveled through a part of town that was sadly ruined of it’s own. Everything that wasn’t nailed down had graffiti painted on it. Including a van. Really sad that they don’t respect their towns. I googled it just to see if there was anything out there about the graffiti and this was the interesting response. “During the Nazi occupation, the Civil War and the 1967 Junta political graffiti was common in Athens and served a purpose. These days it is mostly the work of frustrated kids whose signatures all over the city seem like a cry for help to a world that does not notice that they exist.”
The Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Pantanassa is a beautiful Byzantine church that was built in the 11th century. Byzantine means Eastern Orthodox Church. It is located in the Plaka neighborhood, which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is considered to be one of the most important Byzantine churches in Greece.
We passed by many museums but The National Archaeological Museum is one of the largest and most important museums in Greece. It has a huge collection of artifacts from ancient Greece, and was founded in 1829. A beautiful building.
For you sports fans out there, we drove by the Peace and Friendship stadium. It’s quite large and unique. It was built in 1985 and can hold just under 15,000 fans of FIBA championships as well as concerts. That’s Basketball Federation International. They also hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics Volleyball tournament here.
We spent a few hours around the city of Athens and then headed back to Piraeus which is about a 30-45 minute drive. Again our ship isn’t allowed to dock any closer.
We enjoyed this beautiful sunny day riding in the open top bus and looking for more history about this amazing city and country of Greece. Tomorrow we are in beautiful Mykonos Greece!
May God bless you always!
Chuck and Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 