Well today was scorching! It was 44 degrees Celsius today which is over 110 degrees. I drank over 3 liters of water was still thirsty. It's ridiculous. We left mid morning for the acropolis and it's a good thing we went early. Around 11 we entered the archeological site and started wandering and climbing up the very large hill. It was a tough climb especially in the heat. We spent about an hour and a half exploring and viewing a few amphitheaters and seeing the Parthenon. The marble steps have been worn smooth over the years and I was shocked that I didn't slip and fall. As we were arriving back at the ship we found out that authorities closed the Parthenon due to the high temperatures, so we were lucky to see it today.
We hopped on the metra and headed to the shopping/market district. We wandered looking for a place for lunch and we found a great local place! I had a chicken pita sandwich that had cheese, tomato, green pepper and amazing marinated chicken. I also ordered French fries and they were seasoned with many different herbs and absolutely delicious! I finally got to try the blue fanta, it is grapefruit flavored. I found 2 other unique flavors too! Clementine and green apple. The green apple one is pretty good and I haven't tried the clementine one yet. I also had Greek frozen yogurt, it was so good! Better than regular frozen yogurt and it was so refreshing.
We found the Athens flea market which was much more formal than American flea markets. It was still fun. I am looking for a necklace that is culturally Greek, it protects you from "the evil eye". But I haven't found one that I like yet.
The last part of our day consisted of visiting the Olympic stadium. It was cool to see the architecture but sad to see how it has degraded over the years. Alot of the area was covered in trash and graffiti, that was disappointing. We kept walking and we found the pool! It was an ah ha moment and Meredith did the funniest dance. We sat and just observed kids practice swimming and thought how cool it would have been to swim there. The Olympic stadium pulled through and turned out to be great.
Although the heat was unbearable, I made it! Early tomorrow I leave for Mykonos. I'm so excited!
I have heard that they are thinking of closing the Parthenon becuase it is getting worn out and just do virtual tours. What do you think of that idea? Isn't it better to actually get to walk on the steps than just to be in the area and view it?
ReplyDeletehave a fun day at Mykonos!!!
love ya,
Mom
Have you had any gyros? I'll bet you felt like one spinning on a spit in that heat! Know we love you and are so glad you are having a good time viewing all this culture. Keep enjoying and find that pool to swim in and cool off.
ReplyDeleteMary Lou & Phil
Gigi says hi and will write when I get to Austin this weekend.