Athens

We chose to add an extra day on to the end of our trip to explore Athens, where we disembarked from our ship.  We hadn't heard rave reviews about it: "It's crowded, hot, noisy and touristy..."  were some of the complaints that people shared who had been there.  However, we had the best experience in Athens, and were absolutely delighted with the city.  Our travel agent booked a wonderful hotel in the center of the Plaka area for us, and this meant that everything was walkable.  

We checked in to the Electra Palace and were immediately enchanted with its rooftop pool and views of the Acropolis:

In this case, location really was everything, and we loved the old-world feel of the Plaka neighborhood and its the many tavernas and shops:

Lemon Tree.

Charming lanes in the Plaka.

Walking up to the Acropolis from our hotel.

Lots of steps with cafes lining both sides.

We bought tickets and did a self-guided walking tour of the Acropolis ("high city"). The first structure along the winding path toward the top was the Odeon Theater, which was built in AD 161 by Herodes Atticus.  An Oden is an amphitheater used mainly for songs ("odes"), rather than dramas, and this theater is still used today:

The Acropolis contains four major monuments: the Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Parthenon, and Erechtheion, which were constructed in the fifth century BC and dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of the city.  

The Propylea served as the entrance to the Acropolis and contained monumental gates.  This U-shaped structure was the welcoming point for visitors with a large central hallway and six side wings.  It was once painted with bright colors and was the grandest gate ever built: 

Propylea

Another view of Propylea, which looked like a mini Parthenon.

The Temple of Athena Nike is an Ionic-style temple dedicated to Athena.  People worshipped her for bringing the Athenians victory (in the form of the goddess "Nike").  A statue of Athena inside the temple celebrated victory over the Persians at the Battle of Platea in 479 AD and ensured ongoing victory over the Spartans in the Peloponnesian Wars:

Temple of Athena Nike.

The Parthenon was the finest temple in the ancient world, and is now largely in ruins due to a gunpowder accident/explosion in 1687.  Ongoing restoration projects mean that parts of the Parthenon are continuously covered in scaffolding.  The Parthenon was breathtakingly grand, and it was fascinating to learn that the architects who designed it in 450 BC used many optical illusions to make it appear balanced.  For example, the columns tilt slightly inward and are thicker at the corners to make them appear straight. It is amazing to think that all of these clever architectural tricks were used centuries ago:  

At each end of the Parthenon are 8 fluted Doric columns...

... while the 2 sides of the Parthenon have 17 columns each.

The Erechtheion is a two-story temple (built in 410 BC) which once held a life-sized statue of Athena, (made in 900 BC and dropped from the sky from Athena herself according to myth).  This is supposedly the spot where Athena and Poseidon fought for naming rights to the city.  Greek mythology tells the story of Poseidon throwing his trident, opening a gash in the earth to bring the gift of water.  This left a diagonal crack in the pavement, which is still visible (modern science claims that this was caused by lightning).  Athena won the contest by stabbing a rock with her spear, which sprouted the blessed olive tree that stood near the Erechtheion.

The Erechtheion stands on one of oldest sites of the Acropolis, where the Mycenians had built their palace centuries before.  These huge stones in front of the Erechthion are remains of this palace:

The Erechthion's most famous feature is its Porch of the Caryatids, where six stone maidens serve as columns to support the balcony's roof.  The Caryatids were modeled after the women of Karyai (near Sparta), who were famous for their upright posture and noble character:

Six Ionic columns line the Erechthion's entrance.

This Greek flag flies at the summit of the Acropolis and can be viewed from almost anywhere in Athens.  Its nine blue and white stripes symbolize the nine syllables of the Greek phrase from "Freedom or Death".  In 1941, when Nazis entered Athens, they demanded that the Greek flag should be taken down.  The soldier guarding this flag took it down, wrapped himself in it, and jumped to his death.  A month later, two Greek teenagers scaled the wall and took down the Nazi flag and raised the Greek flag.  This was one of the first well-known acts of resistance against the Nazis, and there is a plaque at the flag's base honoring the boys' bravery.  This flag is a symbol to Greeks of their hard-won independence.  

View of Athens from Acropolis.

After spending a full morning at the Acropolis, we grabbed lunch at an outdoor cafe and did a walking tour of "Old Town", which included many ancient parts of the city.  We visited the Agora, which was the place where people shopped, laws were passed, theaters provided entertainment, and worshippers came to honor the Greek gods.  Much of the Agora is rubble today, but it was a gathering place for over 800 years and central to ancient Greek culture.  

The Roman Forum was the commercial center and heart of ancient Athens.  The octagonal building on the left side of the photo is Tower of the Winds, which was built in first century B.C. and was a clock, weather station, and guide to the planets:

The Library of Hadrian was constructed in AD 132 and contained rolls of papyrus "books", reading rooms, and lecture halls.  This site is an example of typical Roman forum architecture, with Corinthian columns and an inner courtyard:

We returned to our hotel and enjoyed some pool time, views, and drinks at the rooftop bar before dinner...

...and returned to the roof to admire the Acropolis & Parthenon lit up later that night:

The next morning, we enjoyed an amazing buffet breakfast in the rooftop dining room of our hotel.  It was not lost on us that our dining experience included unobstructed views of the center of modern civilization, and it was a memorable, delicious start to our day.  

Fresh honeycomb & Greek honey. 

Our private transfer to the airport was ridiculously and unintentionally fancy.  Our family rode in the most luxurious vehicle that I've ever seen, and I told the kids not to get used to this.  Our travel agent also booked this for us, and I'm not sure how we got this upgrade, but it was pretty cool:

What a great way to conclude the vacation of a lifetime!