Back to Athens

It’s time to say goodbye to Paros and catch our ferry back to Athens.  This ferry will take four hours.  Luckily the sea is calm so it should be an enjoyable trip.

Athens is densely populated.

Monastiraki Square is the metro stop that we get off at as it is closest to our hotel.  It’s a very busy square as a social meeting place and market.  There are also ruins here which you see all over Athens.  You can see the Acropolis in the background on the hill.

The narrow lane ways are bustling with tourists and shops.

Magnificent cathedral from 1842.

So many great places to eat in Plaka.

We decide this morning we will go to the Acropolis.  It’s hot out so we get an early start.  In the 6th century BC the Sanctuary of Dionysos Eleuthereus was founded on the south slope.

The Theatre of Dionysos.

The view from the top is amazing and you can see the Ancient Agora below (long red roof)

We leave the Acropolis and hop on the Hop On Hop Off bus.  We pass this statue in town.  I think it was made of glass. 

We drive by the Olympic Stadium that is completely made of marble.  It has a capacity of 50,000.  

We then go to the National Archaeological Museum which is rated one of the best in the world.

Gold was hammered to make cups.  They used gold a lot.

Very interesting article on the major discovery that provided a lot of the objects found in this museum.

We then have lunch in the cafe at the museum which is in a pretty shaded garden.  Resting up before we move on in the heat of the day.