Oh, Athens. You started off on my bad side. A 7:00 a.m. dock time? Really?? We have generally been going to sleep around 3:00 a.m. (It's Day 6. I mean, should we even bother trying to adjust now?), so the 6:00 a.m. start time was less than welcome.
Strike number two for our introduction to Greece was the tricky-to-find metro station. I did a little Trip Advisor research, and it sounded like our day in Athens was very doable on our own using local transportation (read: on the cheap) from the port city of Piraeus. I printed out which stops on the metro we needed to take, and felt comfortable with the 30 minute journey. The only problem? It didn't give directions on how to get to the metro. Our coffee had not kicked in yet, so we wandered around for a bit and took 30 minutes for a one mile walk. Speed demons. It was even trickier since few of the Greeks knew English, and there were no signs guiding us to the public transport, much less ones in English.
Though our search for the metro didn't go as plan, the Trip Advisor advice worked like a charm for us navigating the metro system. Our tickets were only 1.2 Euro--about $1.75--each and the trains were air conditioned and clean. We had to change from the Green Line to the Red Line and reverse directions once, but when we got off at the recommended steps, we walked right out of the subway by the Acropolis. We were quite pleased with beating out the 25 euro each way taxi fares and the $189 per person bus tours offered by the cruise line.
Headed out to see Athens!
"Looks easy!" said no one ever.
Let me tell you, climbing the 80 steps up to the Acropolis on three hours of sleep was no easy task. And they were so slippery! The marble has essentially been polished for hundreds of years by millions of visitors, so they would be nearly impossible in heels or flip flops. (Thanks for the warning, Cruise Director Drew!) We chose not to go with a guided tour, as there were plenty of exhibits and informational signs to describe what we were seeing. The sheer size and construction of the Parthenon and Athena's Temple are no doubt impressive. They are huge!
Panoramic view from the Acropolis
In front of the Parthenon
We still like each other a week later. Miracles.
We walked through the ruins for around an hour before heading over to the Acropolis Museum. The museum is fairly new, and may be just as impressive as the actual Acropolis. It is beautiful and modern, with gorgeous architecture of its own and a gorgeous view of the Acropolis up on the hill. My favorite part of the museum is that several areas have these clear walkways where you can see the ancient ruins underneath. We walked in and had every intention of enjoying it but, we were so tired. We really just didn't have the energy to be excited about what we were seeing. It felt like, "Oh. Another marble rock." :) As much as Sam loves history, I was a bit surprised by how underwhelmed we were. I know. What I just said is American tourist blasphemy.
Sam in front of the Acropolis Museum
Ancient ruins below
View of the Acropolis from the museum
After being off the ship for 5 hours (and still having about 4 hours left in our allotted time), we debated going ahead and going back to the ship. If we are too tired to enjoy it, what's the point? But, we came out of the quiet, comfortable, cool, perfect sleeping conditions in the museum to visit some of the shops and cafes just outside in the Plaka. I am so glad we did! Athens' beautiful tree-lined marble walkways and warm Plaka atmosphere redeemed our day. As we are learning, being outside is nearly always the answer to our time adjustment difficulties. We were energized and enjoyed listening to live music and shopping in the small store for "souvies." After an hour or two of walking, we found a little park bench, and sat down to rest and ended up chatting and people watching for nearly an hour. And we had fun calling a few people in the U.S. Shoutout to Granny Smith for answering the phone at 5:15 a.m. her time!
The Plaka area
If we crop this building really closely, can we pretend we're in Santorini?
We had no trouble finding the metro again for our return trip to the ship, and made our way easily around the lines. Overall, we were able to see the major tourist stops in Athens for around 17 euro each after admission to the Acropolis and museum and the metro tickets. While it was neat to check this off our bucket list, I don't know that we will return to the ancient landmarks in Athens. Once you've seen them, you've seen them. Although, I wouldn't hesitate to return to Athens, especially if using it as a home base to see the islands. It is a massive, sprawling city with so much to do, and a cluster of islands just a day trip away, so I feel sure we will be back to Greece.
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