Athens

Tired Voyergers. We're smiling because we made it, and we're getting ready to board the bus for Piraeus where the Neptune is anchored. 

              Arriving at the port terminal 

          Viking had the welcome mat out!

View from our balcony. Piraeus is an ancient Port, and it thrilled me to think of the history here.

We did the obligatory life jacket tutorial, met Gede (pronounced g'day) our cabin steward, ordered room service, showered, and collapsed into the oblivion of sleep. 

Piraeus by daylight. The ferries were lined up. 

This vessel pulled up right alongside us. That's some fancy boat handling skills. I assume they had some kind of business with us. At least they weren't pirates!

Breakfast at World Cafe, the buffet. This boat looks like a giant Ikea store and I'm okay with that. 

                               World Cafe

We took some time to explore the ship and get acclimated. This is the Living Room on Deck 1.

We signed up for the included tour "Panoramic Athens and Archeological Museum." Our motorcoach drove from Piraeus back to Athens for the 4 hour tour.

This is the Greek Orthodox church dedicated to St. Nicholas (patron Saint of sailors) in Piraeus.

       Ancient Zia (now Zea), another port

           Microlimano, a third ancient port

Arch of Hadrian, near the old Town in Athens. 

We drove past these Ancient ruins that were found during construction.

Parliament Building on Syntagma Square

The tomb of the unknown soldier is guarded by Evzones, an infantry unit of the Greek army. The two soldiers must stand completely still for their hour long shift. They are famous for their changing of the guard march.

Home of Heinrich Schliemann, an amateur archeologist who was obsessed with finding ancient Troy. He is buried in Athens. He did find Troy and we saw some of the artifacts in the museum. He named his son Agamemnon. 

                    Educational building

               Another educational building

A very large bird nest. We were told the birds are invasive green parrots. This tree is on the grounds of the museum. 

The National Archeological Museum was founded at the end of the 19th century. It is one of the most important museums in the world devoted to ancient Greek art. 

Our tour guide led us through as a group. It felt like speed dating. I was overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of the exhibits. This was an amazing experience, and we got just a taste of what this museum offers.

Mask of Agamemnon,  found by Schliemann. According to our guide, these gold artifacts actually predate Troy.

A collection of seal stones. Intricately carved stones used to make impressions in clay to verify a person's identity. I guess an ancient ID. 

                         I love the octopus

The intricate glazing on this ancient amphora depicts a burial. It was found in a cemetery.  Can you imagine how long it took to glaze this? 

The oldest statues have stiff, rigid posture. (Looks Egyptian to me.)

Ancient bronze found in a shipwreck. The guide speculated it was a custom order. If it depicted Zeus, a lightening bolt would be added. If it was Poisidon, a trident. 

The ancient Antikythera device, discovered in 1901 off the coast of Greek Island Antikythera. It is believed to be a hand powered model of the solar system used to predict eclipses and astronomical positions. 

It is the inspiration for The Dial of Destiny in the latest Indiana Jones movie.

This statue is an example of how the Greeks altered proportion to make a sculpture more pleasing to the eye. The horses back legs are longer than the front legs.

                                   Venus

Well known statue of an athlete tying a ribbon in his hair.

                      Believed to be Paris

                     Look at his inlaid eyes!

                                 Themis

                               Poisidon 

                 Venus with multiple breasts.

I was surprised I didn't see statues of Athena. The guide told me those statues are in other museums, notably the one at the Acropolis.  

Motorcycles are a popular form of transportation in Athens.

          This city bus runs on electricity

                               Acropolis

Plaka district.  The old Town, at the foot of the Acropolis,  continuously inhabited. Now it's full of souvenir shops and sidewalk cafes.

                      Famous liquor store

I love the architecture and bougainvillea.

After our quick tour of the Plaka district we headed back to Neptune for sail away. 

We sat outside on the Aquavit Terrace to enjoy the perfect sail away weather. Ricky bought me this beautiful necklace for this trip. It was made in Greece. It is made of olive wood and gold. Love love love! 

Goodbye Piraeus and Athens! See you again in a few days.

Supper in the World Cafe. They had nice vegetarian options.

Ricky found the crab legs, octopus, and shrimp.

Then he had beef wellington and a pastry filled with seafood that he described as "scrumptious." 

Dessert was Gelato. Ricky had creme brulee and I sampled vanilla, chocolate, and hazelnut.

                     Look at all that sushi!

We retired to our room and put ourselves to bed. What a wonderful day! Viking has exceeded expectations with food, services, and elegance. 

Tomorrow- Volos! Home of Jason of Argonaut Fame!