The Adventure Begins
In an effort to avoid the busiest crowds and the warmest temperatures, I signed up for the earliest Greece tour available for my schedule. As a teacher, we wrap up the semester the last week of May. The last day of work was Friday and the tour kicked off Monday night. That didn't leave much margin for error, especially since I wanted to arrive a day early to get over the jet lag before the tour began. After working through a few different possibilities, I decided I could manage to get to Athens very early Sunday, get my own room for the night, and join my group on Monday. It would give me a whole day of site seeing on Sunday before the tour. Perfect timing. I finished work Friday afternoon and was at LAX Friday night. I had a great flight to London, a short layover, then the final leg to Athens.
Arrival in Athens (the day before the tour begins)
In order to get a non-stop flight to Heathrow and still make it to Athens by early Sunday, I had to arrive VERY early Sunday--3:30 AM. It worked out fine. I found a comfy couch in the hotel lobby and dozed until the hotel restaurant (called the Peacock Bar & Restaurant) opened for breakfast. There's nothing better than a great breakfast buffet after 24 hours of snacks and airplane food. It was a wonderful meal. It wasn't too long before I was wide awake and ready to get out into Athens. I couldn't check into my room until later in the day, but I was able to leave my bag at the hotel while I went out to explore Athens on my own.
Morning stroll through the Anafiotika neighborhood
After a great breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee, it was time to start my proper introduction to Athens. Included in the tour information was a list of recommended sites that the group would not visit together, so this first day on my own would be a good time to use that list. The first place I went to was an old, beautiful neighborhood called Anafiotika. It is nestled between the Acropolis and the Plaka neighborhood. It's perfect for wandering and taking photos with narrow paths and colorful, little buildings around every corner.
Visit to the Museum of Cycladic Art
One of the main attractions for me in coming to Greece was the incredible history of art to explore. It worked out that I had time to visit the this museum that houses art from 4,000 years ago.
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Once I decided to visit the museum, I broke out my Athens map and charted a course to the museum. It was my first venture out into modern Athens. The walk wasn't too far, but it was far enough to build my confidence in navigating a new city in a new country.
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The museum was tucked into a side street off a major avenue, so it would be easy to miss it you weren't looking for it. Despite housing art thousands of years old, the museum had a very modern feel in its design. The ground floor was the classic Cycladic pieces, but the upper floors had interesting display as well. It was a very pleasant way to spend a couple morning hours.
Temple of Olympian Zeus and Arch of Hadrian
It was amazing to me that these incredible, ancient sites were so accessible. On one of my walks, I went to see the Arch of Hadrian and then on to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was one of those sites that makes you wonder how they could ever build something on this scale. You see the ruins and try to imagine what it looked like at its peak, and it's incredible to imagine. From one angle, you can see the Parthenon off in the distance and the history of this city starts to sink in.
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I sat down in the shade and pulled out my little Moleskine journal to try my luck at a sketch. The time flew by and before I knew it I had a decent sketch that became one of my favorite souvenirs from the trip. Like I said, I'm no artist (yet?) but it's a great way to relax and really enjoy the moment.
Lunch and settling into my hotel room
After my excursion to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, I wondered back toward my hotel and decided to grab a bite for lunch. I found a nice cafe and sat at an outside table. The weather was great--only in the mid-80s. I was expecting it to be much warmer, but this was about what I was used to at home in Southern California. Still, it was nice to have a shady place to sit and a big glass of water.
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After lunch, I went back to the hotel to check into my room. I made the rookie mistake of laying down on the bed "for just a minute" and woke up 4 hours later! I know the best way to get over the jet lag is to stay awake that first day, but I was still so tired, I figured I would still sleep well that night.
After my "short nap" I was feeling a bit groggy, so I decided that I would stay close to the hotel for dinner. In fact, I went to the top our hotel and found a table with an amazing view of the Acropolis with the Parthenon draped in golden glow from floodlights. It was one of those moments (the first of many, as it turned out) where I smiled, shook my head, and thought, "I can't believe I'm really in Greece."
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I had an amazing meal and a great night's sleep. The next morning I enjoyed the breakfast buffet while I read a book on my Kindle. I spent the rest of the day wandering the Plaka and other sites within walking distance of the hotel--a good, relaxing day.
The Official Tour Begins: Monday Night Intro & Tuesday Tour
Monday night orientation
After a day of wandering around more of Athens on my own, I felt like I was pretty much over my jet lag. It was Monday night, and time to meet the rest of the tour for our orientation meeting in the hotel conference room. I was nervous but I had decided to be a temporary extravert (at least for tonight) and get to know my tour mates.
I really didn't need to feel anxious. Everybody was friendly and relaxed. Our tour guide, Colin, immediately put us at ease with his humorous, relaxed, knowledgable demeanor. There were a few couples, a couple of college students, a few retirees, a couple of families, and a couple of solo travelers. Many of them had been on Rick Steves tours before. We went over the tour basics as we sipped glasses of wine or water. We later walked to a local restaurant and had a great meal together talking, laughing, and getting to know each other. It was a great start to the tour.
Athens: The Acropolis & Acropolis Museum
By 8AM our group was walking to the entrance of the Acropolis to meet our guide, Ana. She led us to the top of the Acropolis, stopping from time to time to tell stories about the Acropolis. After our formal tour, we had about an hour to wander around on our own. I took some photos, made a few sketches, and just tried to take in all the history and beauty.
The crowds began to thicken and the sun seemed to get a bit warmer and I realized it was time to head back and regroup with the tour group for a visit to the brand new, modern, state-of-the-art Acropolis Museum. I joined the growing crowds shuffling slowly through the exit and wound my way to the bottom of the Acropolis to join my group.
In the museum we saw many of the Acropolis sculptures and other artifacts from the site. We also went through the big, beautiful room that holds the copies of the original Parthenon marble relief sculptures, considered by many art historians to be magnificent examples of the best sculpture of the era--maybe of any era. (If you want to see the original Parthenon sculptures, you won't see them in the Acropolis Museum. You'll have to go to London's British Museum. If you want to see photos of of some of the original Parthenon Marbles--aka, the Elgin Marbles-- just click here to jump to my London Gallery )
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Relaxing night on our own
After an active morning and afternoon, I was ready for some relaxation. There was nothing else scheduled so we could spend the rest of the day any way we wanted. That's one of the things I loved the most about this tour--the great balance between fun side trips, interesting talks, informative group events, and big chunks of time to do whatever I wanted. It's perfect for someone like me who's used to traveling solo. So, I grabbed a chicken gyro (delicious!) on my walk back to the hotel. Then I cleaned up, watched a movie in my air conditioned room, did some painting and sketching in my journal, and even got in a half-hour power nap before dinner. I guess that would sound pretty boring to some people, but it was just what I needed.
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Colin gave a few suggestions for dinner places but I found myself wandering through the Plaka neighborhood and heard some beautiful live guitar music coming from a restaurant not far from me. The tables were outside under a shady cover, perfect for the warm night with a cool breeze.I liked the sound and look of the place so I went in and had an amazing meal: roast lamb, potatoes, bread, and red wine.I spent a wonderful hour or two eating, listening to music, journaling, and skimming my guide book to get ready for our next stop: Delphi.
