Athens, Greece

 Athens, Greece      Thurs, Mar 19 - Sat, Mar 29, 2026

We arrived in Athens around 10:00pm. Our Airbnb hostess picked us up at the airport because the Taxis/Uber/Lift were on strike. It took us about 40 minutes to arrive.

Our Airbnb  street had conveniences close by.

The Greek equivalent to Starbucks.

The corner grocery was smaller than a 7-11, but 

it had everything we needed.

We found lots of busking music everywhere.

The subway was about a ten minute walk.

We went to the Parliament to see the changing of the guard and a military parade. It was so popular with crowds of people that we left and walked to the....

National Gardens. These were the oldest palm trees I have ever seen. There trunks were huge.

A calm, quiet spot to enjoy the gardens 

Some ancient ruins

The Greek President's home was on the edge of the National Park. They had an original costumed guard and one that looked like he did the serious dirty work with his camo uniform. When the Greeks fought the Ottman Empire in the Greek War of Independence (1821) to become a country these costumes were their actual uniforms.

The president's residence

Would you believe the camo officer told Larry to take off his hat and glasses for this picture?

I got the picture with it all on before Larry

took them off.

What a cute little smile! He is always in search of a swing.

We spotted the Acropolis while walking to the...

Zappion and Congress Hall.

Built in 1888, this historic neo-science exhibition 

Hall used for conferences is a landmark being the first building in the world dedicated to Olympic needs.

We continued walking through the National Gardens to

the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It is great to see that refurbishing is part of the process of keeping these ancient ruins intact.

While walking to the city center, we came across this Archeological discovery.

It is quite a sight to see oranges growing along the city streets.

We climbed many, MANY steps up Lycabettus Hill.

We finally reached the funicular to take us to the top.

Someone forgot to turn on the lights. The ride up on the funicular was almost totally in the dark. The ride down was fully lit.

The views were spectacular.....

With lots of white cement buildings as far as you could see.

We followed many more steps up to the very top.

St George's Chapel appeared at the very top.

St. George's Chapel

The intricate frescoes were peeling from the wall inside.

Framed Silver

Bell tower for St. George's Chapel

Spotting the Acropolis was  so cool.

Sometimes you just have to sit and enjoy the moment. 

We shared a couple of libations while soaking up the heat from the propane outdoor heaters.

It was a bit cooler and very breezy on top the hill.

We were wild about spotting the Acropolis between buildings on our walk back to our apartment.

Looking over our shoulder, we were thrilled to see where we had stood earlier on top Lycabettus Hill.

Athens has a wonderful transportation system...clean and efficient trains, subways, trams, and buses.

Taxi/Uber was on strike while we were visiting so we never had the opportunity to use them.

We  used the Omonia subway Station just about everyday that we were out exploring.

Omonia Station had a gorgeous water fountain.

One day we took the tram to Edem changing to the #7 line to go south down the coast.

Nice beaches ran down the southwestern coastline.

Yatchs, sailboats and pleasure crafts were in several marinas. This gave boaters easy access to the Mediterranean Sea.

A large area of the coast is under construction with multimillion dollar condos and apartments.

This kitty showed up meowing, "Take me home."

Fur babies showed up everywhere in Athens.

Piraeus Port was busy with ferries coming and going.

We took the train back to Acropolis Station...

just in time to see the Parthenon lit up in the setting sun.

Plaka, a neighborhood near the Acropolis, appeared very romantic with candlelit cafes and outdoor heaters.

The entrance to the Odeum of Herodes Atticus had very remarkable architecture.

The dark night sky really sets off the structures beautifully.

What incredible architecture!

The walls lining the Acropolis were spectacular lit up at night. It emphasized their beauty and enormity in the dark.

WOW!

Magnificent!

Peeking through the gate we could see the Amphitheatre....Odeum of Herodes Atticus.

Temple of Athena Nike

Propyla

Lit up against the black night sky makes the Acropolis so dramatic.

The tremendous wall is between the theatre entrance and under the Parthenon. Notice that part of it is gone, caved in.... on the left.

My man is in awe of all this history.

Plaka village in the dark

The subway stations have artifacts on display. What a great way to enjoy them daily and preserve them from the weather.

School children were celebrating Flag Day dressed in the country's colors.

Before going to the Acropolis, we visited one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens called Anafiotika.

Anafiotika is a scenic tiny neighborhood in Athens, part of  old historical Plaka village on the northeast side of Acropolis hill.

Winding paths took us through the streets below the Acropolis.

Although most of the walls and structures were covered in cement and painted, we found a few walls that exposed the rock from many years ago.

What a nice neighborhood!

After entering the Acropolis area, we passed by the first amphitheater, the Theater of Dionysus Eleuthereus....very much in ruins.

Looking at the tremendous wall around the acropolis during the day is not quite as dramatic as at night with the spotlights on it.

Odeum of Herodes Atticus

We walked up many hills and steep steps...

entering the top of the hill through Prophyla.

Here you can see where the walls a were cover in a layer of stone.

The Parthenon

The Caryatid, four sculpted female figures serving as columns. These are replicas; however, the originals are in the Acropolis Museum.

 

Major parts of the  Acropolis were destroyed during the war with the Ottoman Empire and then again during WW II. There are so many restoration needs  and so few restoration experts, that this project will be going on  for hundreds of years.

The corners on this portion of the Parthenon have been refurbished. The immense stones and the puzzle of putting the stones back to their original place is an incredible amount of work. It is mind boggling to me.

After walking around the Acropolis complex, we looked back over our shoulder from where we entered the buildings through the Propyla.

Map of the Acropolis 

Walking in the area is difficult due to the uneven ground and the demolished helterskelter stones.

On March 25 Greece has a National holiday.  We went to the annual Athen's Military Parade.  The streets were lined with thousands of citizens. Police were strategical spaced along the street in front of the crowds. A lot of policemen on motorcycles led the parade with blue lights flashing.

This holiday is similar to our July 4 without fireworks.

Then came the jeeps and tanks followed by....

missiles and.....

drones of all sizes.

Jets, fire fighter planes, and helicopters...

flew over several times. Their parade participation was in the sky.

This parade went on for an hour and a half. Motorcyclist led the marching military

Soldiers from the Navy, Army, Marines,  Air Force, Special Services, Police Force, Fire Fighters, etc.

Bands from all the military services played.

Music for the parade was played over the loud speakers in certain areas.

The citizens clapped and hollered "Bravo" the whole parade. They we so proud.

When the parade ended, citizens fell in behind the last band marching along at the end. Larry and I headed down a side street to let the crowds calm and disperse.

It took about thirty minutes for things to get back to normal.

We caught the subway to the city center, catching a group dancing to Greek music surrounded by citizens. What a fantastic cultural experience! Then we caught the tram to the Olympic Stadium.

The Olympic Games have 

2500 years of history.....330 BC - today. Although sports competitions have been going on in Greece for a long time,

In 1896...Athens hosted the first world Olympics.

The stadium seating is covered in marble.

We entered the tunnel where the Athletes entered the stadium.

We entered the Olympic Museum that had posters and torches for each of the events dating back to 1896.

Larry and I were delighted to spot the Atlanta, Georgia poster and torch. We took Kristy and Kathy to the Atlanta Olympics during a summer vacation.

This is the official altar where the High Priestess lights the flame and starts on its journey to each city where the Olympics take place.

This is a replica of the concave mirror that the rays of the sun are concentrated for the High  Priestess to light the torch.

One of the 204 petals that formed a cauldron representing each of the competing nations

 during  the 2012 London Olympics.

In several areas graffiti is prevalent.

We found the best bargain in Athens to be the five day transportation pass for 8 Euros. It allowed us to hop from bus to train to subway to tram.

Great way to get all over Athens.

We enjoyed our time in Greece. We were fortunate to have good cool jacket weather...  great for walking and exploring. 

We board the Sun Princess ship on Saturday heading to Santorini, Greece.

Off on another wonderful adventure.

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