Day Five – Piraeus (Port), Athens
We had to wake up the earliest yet, to go on our first formal excursion. After a quick buffet breakfast, we went downstairs to the theatre to join up with our group and get our bus number (22). Within a few minutes we were shuffled like cattle down to the gangplank (?) and out to a bus. We were quick to separate ourselves from an annoying young couple…the man/boy in particular was extremely obnoxious and kept mocking Greek men and insinuating they were all gay. Completely not funny. Aboard our bus, we met our guide, Dmitri, who reminded me of Walter on Fringe. He was a little hard to follow at times, but well-meaning and funny. Our bus took us from the port of Piraeus to downtown Athens, where we stopped at the stadium that was the site of the first Olympic games in 1896.
From there, we could also see the Acropolis in the distance, our main destination for the day. After our brief stop at the stadium, we continued on our journey to the Acropolis. I was nervous about the 200 to 300 step climb, but our guide took it pretty slowly with several stops and it didn’t feel like much of a climb at all! It was pretty amazing when we finally reached the acropolis and saw the Parthenon. What an amazing experience.
Then we went to a Greek gift shop, where we saw overpriced junky junk. We didn't buy anything (that would leave less money for the casino and bingo!)
Return bus ride through downtown Athens took us past the house of parliament where we were lucky enough to see the changing of the guards of the memorial to unknown soldiers as we passed by.
Other buildings were pointed out, but I fell asleep and woke up right before we got back to the ship! It’s tough work staying awake.
We went straight to lunch and then it was naptime for much of the afternoon, after completing three chapters of studying and finishing Room (such a good book!). I also had finished Mockingjay a few days before which completed the Hunger Games, a great series. I love how much pleasure reading I’ve been able to do!
After dinner, we checked our e-mail for the first time since leaving! I’ve enjoyed not being tied to e-mail, which surprised me. We took care of a few things with guest services and then went to the evening’s show, an illusionist and his fiancée pretty girl partner. The illusions were quite good, but the choreography was a little silly and the pretty girl had a freakish smile and really poor dancing skills, especially for someone who bills herself as someone who has been dancing since she was two! After the show, we gambled a little (me losing $10 on the slots after quite awhile and Jerry losing $40 quickly at roulette).
Then we went back to the room and ended our evening with some reading and TV watching.
Dinner:
Jerry – Minestrone, Shrimp Cocktail, Fried Eggplant with Tomato on a Crust Thing, Angel Food Cake, Sherbet
Heather – Creamy Garlic Soup, Strawberry Soup (cold), Roast LambShank, Tiramisu (Made with Kahlua-yumyumyum)
Started 3rd bottle – same Cab
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