Amazing Incredible Athens!!!!!

I will remember this day for the rest of my life. I have had the wonderful opportunity to see great sites and “jaw-dropping” places and nothing compares with what was started over 2500 years ago and stands still to this day in this city. From most vantage points in the city you can see the Acropolis with the magnificent Parthenon:

Jen and I prebooked a driver and a guide. We were met at the port by Nicholas. An out of work guy with a Master’s in International Business. He said that Greece has not yet recovered from the financial crisis. He drove us to the “stadium” where they hold the opening ceremony for the Olympics:

The torch is lit in Olympia where we were yesterday:

We then went up to the top of the city on the hill (only other hill in Athens) across from the Acropolis. Great views of Athens:

We drove by the Parliment and some museums. There are 120 museums in Athens. We then traveled to the Acropolis Museum and met up with Faye, our guide. She asked if we were hungry……I told her we were always hungry. We went to a gyro restaurant. I was surprised they had pork and chicken— no lamb. I had pork, Jen had chicken and we enjoyed the snack. We went to the Museum and spent about two hours with Faye pointing out highlights and great information about the history of the Acropolis. It was wonderful. It felt like we were “let in” on the progression of building and history. We learned things I would never have figured out on my own.

Our driver picked us up and we were ready to conquer the Acropolis. We had a walk up a hill and steps to the top–not bad at all. Faye pointed out things to pay attention to and then let us explore the Pantheon and the other temples on our own. I really can’t “put it in words”. There I was–right in the pictures I have seen and wondered about for years: