Athens, Greece - Acropolis (Greek for 'Highest City')

Today is the first day tour day of our Collette 16-day tour of Greece.   

We visited the Acropolis, which is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens.  It is very rocky with ALL marble and sometime very difficult to walk.  Marble is very slippery and when wet can be very dangerous.  Thankfully, we had a beautiful sunny day.  

The Acropolis was the religious center of ancient Athens and is crowned by the Parthenon, considered the pinnacle of classical Greek architecture.  

The Parthenon was a temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos (Virgin).  It is built in the Doric order and made of white Pentelic marble.

Front view Parthenon

Side view Parthenon

Erechtheion

The Erechtheion or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple on the north side of the Acropolis. Athena is the goddess of the palace who presided over household, crafts and protected the King.  If you notice the 6 Maidens statues, they are supporting the Maidens porch.  They are symbolized as the strength of the Temple.  Three Maidens stand with their left knee bent and three stand with their right knee bent.  Think about how we stand when we want to rest, we bend one knee or the other and stay in balance.  They also do not have any necks as our necks are not very supportive but adding a bigger headdress does and each Maiden has an extensive headdress.  There are various theories about these Maidens but, this is what we were told.   

Temple of Athena Nike

This temple was dedicated to the goddesses Athena and Nike.  Nike was the goddess of victory in Greek mythology and Athen a was worshipped in this form, representative of being victorious in war.

Theatre of Dionysus

The Theatre of Dionysus is the first orchestra terrace constructed on the site around the mid to late 6 century BC, where it hosted the City Dionysia.

Views of Greece from the Acropolis

After our tour, we stopped to have a drink at the oldest distillery in Greece, The Brettos.  The bar is located in the hillside Plaka.  They offer 35 different flavors of liqueur which NONE are available in any liquor or grocery store.   Of course, they also serve Ouzo and several Brandy's.

Plaka has a village feel, with narrow cobblestone streets lined with tiny shops selling jewelry, clothes and local ceramics.  

 We headed back to the hotel for a quick 2 1/2 hr rest. 

This evening, we did a walking food tasting tour of Greece

We went to 3 restaurants in the main district of Greece which was the Monastiraki Square. Our first stop was Zapkaaian known for its Greek delicatessens,

Tsipouro was the alcohol drink which taste worst then Ouzo.  It's like drinking straight rubbing alcohol.  48% Proof.  Johnny drank it but it was not or me.  They served us a Cheese board with Dried Beef, Spicy Beef, Salami and 2 types of Cheese (Feta and Graviera)

Our second Restaurant was very contemporary.  Our drink was a selection of Red or White wine (all you can drink).  They served this with Tomatoes & Caper leaf, Marinated Octupus, Calamari (forgot to take picture), Puréed Fava beans with onion and honey, Sweet fried donut with honey.

Our third Restaurant was just a lot of fun...didn't even take any pictures of the food but, it was all good.  Had plenty of wine.  

As we walked back to the bus, we were taken through an area where a restaurant was decorated in the Disneyland Theme.  It took up both sides of the road and part of an alley.  It was amazing.  

Athens, Greece - Day 1 of 16 Collette Tour

Today is the day where all the travelers for the trip arrive at the Hotel.  Since we arrived 2 days prior to the tour, it let me rest up and get better for the tour.  I am feeling much better today and hope it continues.  

We had our welcome meeting from our guide and then we walked 5 mins from the hotel for a lovely greek dinner.  Boy they sure know how to eat.  We started off with at least 5 appetizers, Ouzo (a dry aperitif) or OJ...of course Johnny had the Ouzo and me the OJ.  Salad and then the main course with a glass of wine, followed by an amazing selection of desserts (Cheesecake, Baklava, Flan, Baked Apples & Yogurt).  

Johnny with his Ouzo

Chicken - Feta Cheese (My dish)

Sm Chicken fillet cooked with feta cheese, tomatoes, onions and sweet peppers, served with rice.

Lamb Oregano (Johnny's dish)

Cooked in lemon sauce, service with mashed potatoes

No Dessert photos

Athens, Greece - Oh no......

Not a very good day for me today or for John for that matter.  I came down with a very bad case of Bronchitis and had to go to the Private Hospital Emergency Room.  Which I was very impressed with the staff and facility.  Not to bore you with my illness I do need to tell you that after them giving me a breathing treatment, doing a blood test, CT scan of my chest and Emergency Room visit, I only paid $200.00USD.  I was SHOCKED.  Then had to get 2 prescriptions filled which cost be $60USD.  Gets you thinking the severity of your illness it may be cheaper to fly to Greece for treatment then paying the astronomical cost of our health care system.  

Breathing Treatment

CT Scan machine

We did go do our laundry which was the excitement of the day.  It's cheap also...7euro for large washer and 2-4 euro for dryer. Free WiFi and the place was immaculately clean

Rome to Greece

We flew from Rome to Greece today.  The weather has been very pleasant.  We arrived 2 days before our 16-day tour with Collette Travels begins.  

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Athens.  Enjoyed a drink from the Hotel Pool view

Rome, Italy - Vatican City and Museum

 Vatican City

Vatican Museum

 Biblical Paintings

Laocoon & His Sons

Hallway of Statues

Roman sculpture in gilded bronze of the 2nd Century (Hercules?)

Former Vatican Courtyard

Titus Bath

St Peter's Basilica with the Dome in the background

St Peter's Basilica close up

Ceiling of the walkway where the Pope walks to St Peter's Basilica

Pope's

 

Michelangelo's Pieta

This is one of the most famous works of art in St Peter's.  The Madonna and the dead Christ.

Pinecone Courtyard

 The pinecone metal sculpture was originally part of a fountain dating back to the 2nd century A.D., the bas was taken from the baths of Septimus Severius and the 2 peacocks either side were taken from the Emperor Hadrian's villa in Tivoli.  There are many examples of Ancient Rome throughout the Vatican museums.  Also, the Vatican was quite fond of collecting art and other valuables.

Sphere within a Sphere

This sculpture is placed right in the center of the courtyard, and it is a spectacular piece of modern art.  The Sphere within a Sphere was created by Arnaldo Pomodoro.  The Sphere is over 40 feet in diameter and depicts a smaller sphere inside a larger sphere symbolizing how the religious world related to the world we know it today