After a full day at sea, we finally arrived at Piraeus, Greece to visit one of our most anticipated destinations: Athens. For years the lure of stepping foot on Greek land and seeing this rich historic city first-hand was a long-held dream—one we now had every intention of crossing from our bucket list. So armed with our camera bag, sunblock and tour vouchers, we made our way off the boat and on to our air-conditioned bus coach.
The scenic drive we took through the street of Piraeus as we made for Athens was absolutely incredible. As the largest passenger port in Europe, Piraeus is a bustling city of activity with glittering yachts and ships all alongside the large harbor. In no time at all, we caught our first glimpse of the capital city and its white marble ruins nestled between several buildings and trees.
First on our itinerary was the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as Kallimarmaro (meaning ‘made of fine marble’). The only stadium in the world built entirely of white marble, this incredible stadium hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It is also where the Olympic flame handover ceremony takes place before every Olympic Games. Now fortunately for us there were no large crowds when we arrived so we had the chance to explore the exterior of the stadium and adjoining museum shop a bit before taking a quick bathroom break and heading back on the bus. A tip: carry change with you since there is a €0.50 cent euro charge to use the facilities.
The next stop was the Parliament House at Syntagma Square. Since it was Sunday, we had the opportunity to see the changing of the guards (occurs on Sundays at 11am) as guards dressed in traditional attire performed synchronized movements in an elaborate ceremony right in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
We learned from our animated tour guide that the guards—Evzones as they are referred—work together in pairs in order to perfect and maintain the synchronization. It was interesting to see the different Greek eras reflected in their beautiful finery from the traditional red and black caps to the white kilts and red clogs with pompoms. Once the main ceremony was done, two Evzone guards were left to guard the tomb. When we were given clearance, we approached the guards to take a photo with them. Although we have seen a few changing of the guards in our lifetime, witnessing the ceremony in Athens was most definitely a cultural experience we were happy not to miss.
After a short ride along several winding roads we stopped at the mouth of the entrance leading up to the sacred rock of the Acropolis where you can see the famous Parthenon temple, Propylaea gateway and Temple of Athena Nike. With our entrance tickets in our hands, we climbed up the rocky hill where we spotted the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a large theater built in the second century A.D. As we climbed further, we took a few moments to catch our breath and listen to our tour guide share a bit of the history of the place. But we are the first to admit that once our eyes feasted on the incredible panoramic views stretching far and wide, we were no longer able to contain our excitement to see the ancient treasures awaiting us on top.
The view that immediately welcomed us as we walked through the Propylaea gateway was a site to behold. Just a few steps from us was the Parthenon, and despite an extensive restoring project under way, stood gloriously proud amidst all the rubble of marble and columns around. Despite our many travels around the globe, there are no eloquent words suffice to describe the architectural masterpiece of the Parthenon. Even the most descriptive travel book falls short of the real thing.
Every step we took held us captive. We felt transported to a time where these great columns and stone were built as shrines to the Olympian, sharing a rich and never-forgotten history. We confess that as avid students of antiquity, we could not resist devouring with our eyes every cracked arches and marble figurines.
Just on the left of the Parthenon lies the remaining foundation of the old temple of Athena, and beyond was the Erechtheion, a Greek temple dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon.
One of the things we immediately noticed of the Erechtheion was the intricate detail of the five women figures (originally six) know as the “Porch of the Maidens” serving as columns on the upper right hand corner of the facade. After taking a few snapshots to capture the classical architecture, we continued on.
Despite the obvious signs of aging and restoration in full swing, we could not help be awed by the existing historical sites like the Temple of Rome and Augustus right in front of our eyes. Every where we looked there the feeling of a living, breathing meeting of centuries of long-standing Greek history at its finest. Every bit the tourists, we snapped photos left and right making sure not to leave any area uncovered. Luckily for us the crowds were large, but gave us plenty of space to be able to enjoy all the historical sights.
When we finally made our way to the northeastern corner of the Acropolis and passed the open Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus, we noticed quite a few people standing near a flagpole with the Greek flag bellowing on top. The flag we were told serves as a great reminder of the Evzone who guarded the flag during the time when the Germans occupied Athens, was ordered by the Nazis to remove it. However once the guard took it down, he wrapped himself in the flag and jumped to his death. Ever day the Greek Infantry raises the Greek flag in tradition.
Past the flagpole stretches the great city of Athens. From every corner we could see the bustling city unfold, including the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus right at the heart. After spending some time appreciating the spectacular 360-degree views, we gradually made our way back to the Propylaea gateway to meet our tour guide.
Fifteen minutes later we found ourselves walking by several outdoor cafes and the Acropolis museum. Although we wanted to visit the museum, our tour schedule there was not enough time on our tour schedule to fit it in. So following our tour guide, we made our way to the popular Plaka district where several souvenir shops and specialty stores flanked left and right.
Not wanting to miss a chance to indulge our taste buds for Greek cuisine we chose to leave shopping for last. Again our tour guide was a Godsend as he took a group of us off the beat path to see where we could grab lunch. He recommended we try Acropol Restaurant for authentic Greek cuisine. The lovely restaurant had several outdoor tables to sit and rest our feet. We immediately ordered a liter of water, a glass flask of house wine and of course, a coca cola. After some careful deliberation, we settled on a classic Greek salad, braised lamb, and a Greek burger.
As we waited for our food to arrive, we took the moment to enjoy the crisp notes of berries in our chilled wine and listen to the musicians lightly play the iconic ‘Zorba the Greek’ song in the background. The first dishes to arrive on our table were the Greek salad, braised lamb, along with a basket of bread. The portions were more than generous, as we took in the large Greek salad consisting of tomatoes, red onions, assorted bell peppers, cucumber, Kalamata olives and fresh feta cheese dressed in light extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette.
Following the salad was the braised lamb shank in a light tomato sauce served with crispy steak fries. Forgoing the use of silverware for a moment, we ripped a slice of the coarse bread and dipped it in the tomato sauce—immediately delighting in the succulent rich flavors of tomato, oregano and gamey flavor of the lamb. Moments later our Greek burger arrived just as we were topping off our last French fry. Now we’re not sure if this is something typical in most restaurants in Athens or simply specific to this particular restaurant, but instead of the customary bun you would expect to see in the States, our Greek burger came only with the burger patty and served alongside steak fries, a side salad, and half a lemon for garnish.
An almost spiritual experience came upon us as we sat back to enjoy the last bites of our good meal and sip the remaining wine at the table. It was as if the worries of the day and the aches of our feet simply faded, allowing us to simply take in the sites, sounds and flavors of the here and now. We could have easily spent the day simply sitting down and enjoying the scenery, but we only had 30 minutes left to do a bit of shopping before we needed to board our bus again. So after paying for our meal, we made our way back to the small souvenir shops we saw earlier.
There is something to be said about Greek hospitality. We couldn’t help feel enveloped in the warmth and friendliness of the shop tellers as we moved from store to store. They were very knowledgeable (many even spoke several languages like Spanish) and more than happy to help you find a particular gift in mind or let you browse the store without feeling hassled. We loved taking in all the bright “Athens” shirts, postcards, hats and handcrafted wooden pieces along the path. Fifteen minutes later we had our entire souvenir shopping done and ready to head back to Arch of Hadrian to meet up with our tour bus.
Soon after we were on the bus and heading back to our cruise ship. Once at the cruise terminal we thanked our lovely tour guide for showing us this incredibly city. We then made our way back to the ship. After dropping our bags and souvenirs in our stateroom, we took the elevator to the upper deck for a last minute view of the harbor.
As usual we took a moment to reflect on the experiences of the day, and our adventure in Athens. While we could sit here and share in lengthy detail the beauty of the architecture, the rich history of city and the hunky Greek police men we spotted earlier, there are simply no words suffice to capture the precious moment when we glimpsed the Parthenon for the first time or smelled the sinful aroma of lamb smothered in tomato sauce or even seeing an elderly Greek couple engage in lively banter as they sipped their dark coffee. Athens—in its entire splendor—far exceeded any of our expectations.
Crossing this lovely city off our bucket list makes us realize how incredibly fortunate we are to not just dream of traveling to a popular destination, but to have the chance to breathe it and see its spirit come alive before our very own eyes. And although we leave Athens behind, we know we will step foot again.
