Acropolis Now with John & Helen

A long day, we caught up with good friends John and Helen, who flew from Heathrow. We arrived in Athens just after 1.30am, and they arrived at 2.45 am. Waiting for us was a driver, to take us to our accommodation. The journey was 45 minutes through empty streets (the best way to go!), and we checked in to our little apartment at about 4am and grabbed a few hours of much needed sleep. Later that morning, before we ventured out, we were moved into a bigger apartment which was a bit more room. That done, we went in search of much needed coffee and breakfast, only a hundred metres or so away.

The next few steps had us in the shadow of the Acropolis. There was quite a queue to get in, and we were convinced to take a guide,including entry ticket to jump the queue. Good in theory, but the guide moved so slowly, she bored us to tears, so after 45 minutes, we escaped and headed up the top by ourselves. Lesson learned (note to anyone coming to the Acropolis: don’t be tempted to do this to beat the queue! Tickets are apparently available on line, and you will be able to scan and walk through!)

It was quite arm, and a glorious day. The Parthenon (otherwise known as the Temple of Athena) is undergoing renovations, so there’s scaffolding and cranes around, but it remains an iconic structure.Read more