The final stop in our Greece adventure brought us back to Athens. Our flight from Santorini was short and we immediately headed to our hotel to check in. Dinner was at a local Italian restaurant for some pizza and afterwards, we just put the girls down to bed. Summertime in Athens can be very hot, so we were preparing ourselves for lots of sun and heat during our excursion into the city.
The next morning started off by walking through the Plaka, the oldest and historic heart of Athens. Here we found several pedestrianized streets, complete with shops, restaurants and picturesque ruins from the city's Roman era. After browsing through a few shops, we headed back up the hill, to enter the Acropolis.
Although inside the Acropolis was crowded with tourists, it was really amazing to see! Within the Acropolis, we saw such sights as the Theatre of Herodes Atticus, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheum and Parthenon (which is undergoing restoration).
In addition, the Acropolis offered us a panoramic view of Athens. We made sure to take plenty of pictures.
After exiting, we stopped for some frozen strawberry drinks to help us cool down from the hot Greek sun.
Next stop was the new Acropolis Museum. This amazing attraction, which had just opened in June, sits at the base of the Acropolis with a direct view of the Parthenon.
It was built directly over an archaeological excavation site and features glass floors that allow you to see the wonders underneath!
The site underneath was discovered in 2002 and was an early Christian settlement dating back to sometime between the 7th to 12th centuries. It was a fascinating museum which houses all of the amazing artifacts found at the Acropolis.
DS was amazed that some of the plates and bowls looked so "new"... how could they be that old?! But, the best part for the girls was looking beneath the glass floors.
After our visit to the museum, we walked over to the Hard Rock Cafe in Athens for a late lunch. Feeling rejuvenated, we proceeded to Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Zeus, which were both just a short walk away! As you can imagine, Ray was just thrilled to do some more historic sightseeing!!! : )
Soon enough, it was back to the hotel to collect our baggage - but not before a stop to the Executive lounge to load up on some drinks and appetizers. Our stay in Athens was a perfect end to our whirlwind adventure in Greece.
By the time we flew back into Brussels and arrived home it was very late, close to midnight. And suddenly, it was back to business as usual. Ray had a plane to catch for the UK in 6 hours and the girls and I were scheduled to meet some friends at Tervuren Lake the next afternoon.
Which, by the way, resulted in us getting totally drenched from an unexpected downpour of rain while riding bikes at the lake. Welcome back to Belgium!!!
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