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Athens & The End Of Our Tour

Summer 2019 title pic tour end Athens 2.

As melancholy as it was to leave Hydra, there was still one major site I was eager to see in Athens: the National Archaeological Museum.  I am glad we ended our tour back in Athens so I could wander one more time though the Plaka, soak up the sight of the Acropolis, and just try to convince myself that I actually was here.  Also, it was my last chance to pick up any last minute T-shirts for souvenirs.

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Boat from Hydra to Athens

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I woke up early so I didn't have to rush getting down to the lobby for our early walk to the marina.  I wish we could have stayed longer on Hydra.  I felt like I was just getting used to the pace of life here.  But I guess that's how a tour--or any ambitious trip--works.  You get a feel for a place and hopefully you can go back and revisit those places you liked the best.  

When I finally left my room I realized that I was the last one down and the first of the group was already on their way down to the marina. No worries, though.  We made it in plenty of time to catch the first cat shuttle (high speed catamaran).  We sunk into the airplane-style seats and in two short hours we were in Piraeus, the main port of Athens. 

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National Archaeological Musuem

The last tourist site we visited was the impressive National Archaeological Museum. There was so much to see, it would take days to do it justice.  In the short time we were there, we did manage to see some amazing things.  One of the most famous was the original Greek bronze statue of Zeus.  Most of the original Greek statues didn't survive the ages, but we know about them because of (inferior but still impressive) Roman copies.  This, like the Charioteer from Delphi, are original Greek works.  We also saw the original piece known as the Mask of Agamemnon. These are important works that you can see in a good art history book--and I was standing here seeing them in person.  Amazing.

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Last dinner together before end of tour

We left the museum and scattered off in different directions for the afternoon making sure we checked off all the last minute items on our tour to-see lists.  I had a great lunch, wandered one last time through the Plaka, and took photos along the way.  I even bought a couple of Greek t-shirts.  

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Around dusk the group met at the hotel and walked one more time to dinner together.  We climbed up the stairs and emerged on a terrace dinning room with an incredible view of the Acropolis.  We shared a great meal as the dusk faded into night. Floodlights bathed the Parthenon in golden light and we finished the evening talking, laughing, and enjoying our last night in Greece.

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Epilogue

You know how sometimes art can convey what you're thinking or feeling when you can't put it into words?  I think that's why this little poster hanging on the wall of my hotel caught my attention as I got ready to leave Athens.  It hung in my hotel room  but I never really looked at it until I was packing up to leave. I really like this simple little painting.  I feel like it's me on Hydra. And in Kardamyli.  In fact, it's me in Greece, looking out over the beauty trying to soak it all in so I never forget it.  If I could have found a print for sale, I think I would have tried to buy it and get it back to the States in one piece.  

 

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to dwell on it, so I took a quick photo to remember it by and hurried down to the lobby to meet up with six other tour mates who also had to be at the airport for an early flight.  By 5:30 AM we were on our way to the airport and then heading in all different directions for whatever adventures we had planned next.​  And just like that, it was over.  But what an adventure!

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Looking back, it's hard for me to believe that an adventure like this trip to Greece started as a bit of daydreaming and picking up a guide book.  I dreamed a little more and read a little more and before I knew it, I was making my travel plans.  I'm so glad I did.  I'm also glad I worked on this website.  It gave me a great excuse to go back through my journals and relive the trip.  Great fun.

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This was my first tour, and I loved it.  I wouldn't be surprised if I wound up on another tour someday.  For me, nothing takes the place of solo, independent traveling, but I think mixing in tours with solo travel is the way to go.  

 

If you want more info about the tour that I described in this website, just click the link.  Thanks for letting me ramble for a while.  

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