The Freedom set sail from Istanbul at eight o'clock that evening and after an exhausting day seeing anything and everything in this marvelous city it was to be an early night for us. Tomorrow is another sea day and we are looking forward to doing absolutely nothing! Friday is Halloween so the staff of Freedom is set to celebrate the holiday with a variety of activities centered around witches and goblins (and by the way, I have encountered quite a few of these during our cruise!). For the most part, we read, ate and lounged looking forward to our next port - Athens.
Today is Saturday, the first of November and our seventh day aboard Freedom. The ship docked at Piraeus, the port of Athens. We met up with our friends from West Virginia and together we grabbed a taxi for the short ride to the Acropolis. When we arr
ived Shirley and I took off on our own at a fast pace - there was lots to see in a day. Our first stop was of course, the Parthenon, the city on the edge. The Parthenon and other main buildings on the Acropolis were built by Pericles in the fifth century BC as a monument to the cultural and political achievements of the inhabitants of Athens. We spent a leisurely hour or so walking over the ancient ruins and viewing the panoramic sight of the city of Athens. You can see the Plaka, the main shopping center, beneath you, the ruins of the giant Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Olympic stadium nestled in a pine covered hill, an island of green in a sea of concrete. We decided to walk down the hill to explore what appeared to be a nearly pristine temple a mile of so away.
ived Shirley and I took off on our own at a fast pace - there was lots to see in a day. Our first stop was of course, the Parthenon, the city on the edge. The Parthenon and other main buildings on the Acropolis were built by Pericles in the fifth century BC as a monument to the cultural and political achievements of the inhabitants of Athens. We spent a leisurely hour or so walking over the ancient ruins and viewing the panoramic sight of the city of Athens. You can see the Plaka, the main shopping center, beneath you, the ruins of the giant Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Olympic stadium nestled in a pine covered hill, an island of green in a sea of concrete. We decided to walk down the hill to explore what appeared to be a nearly pristine temple a mile of so away. We walked through the agora, the main square, filled with remnants of old Athens and partially restored stone pieces. Soon we came upon a small temple known as the Thission named for Theseus because his exploits were shown on the frieze, it is now believed that it was actually a temple to Hephaestos and Athena. Near the temple was a small museum filled with artifacts and fantastic statuary. The museum also housed numerous grand tomb markers and perfectly preserved pottery pieces. On the grounds of the museum is Kerameikos the ancient cemetery of Athens. Many prominent Greek citizens are buried here. The best part of our brief side trip was that all of the crowds were at the Acropolis and we were essentially left alone to explore at our leisure.
A short walk from the museum and we were at the Plaka, Athens most well known shopping center. We wandered the endless blocks of merchants peddling everything from scarves to devices that make stuffed grape leaves or hollow out a zucchini. It was all too overwhelming and besides which, it was time to head back to Freedom.
On Sunday morning, the Freedom set anchor at the seaside village of Katakolon. K
atakolon is situated on a peninsula and overlooks the Ionian Sea. The town is really of little significance other than it is located about an hour from Olympia, the site of the original olympic games. The olympic torch is lit here and transported to the selected city. I had decided that I had seen enough ruins and stone remnants, so Shirley ventured out alone to see the olympic village. She boarded a ship sponsored tour while I wandered around the small village centered around three streets filled with tourist laden goods. Later that afternoon Shirley returned telling me that I had truly missed the highlight of the cruise. As I viewed the dozens of photographs she had taken, I was not disappointed. The columns, the structures, the sargophagi and other ruins in various states of restoration were similar to those at Pompeii and Ephesus - I'm not certain I could really distinquish them. Ah, the Temple of Zeus.
atakolon is situated on a peninsula and overlooks the Ionian Sea. The town is really of little significance other than it is located about an hour from Olympia, the site of the original olympic games. The olympic torch is lit here and transported to the selected city. I had decided that I had seen enough ruins and stone remnants, so Shirley ventured out alone to see the olympic village. She boarded a ship sponsored tour while I wandered around the small village centered around three streets filled with tourist laden goods. Later that afternoon Shirley returned telling me that I had truly missed the highlight of the cruise. As I viewed the dozens of photographs she had taken, I was not disappointed. The columns, the structures, the sargophagi and other ruins in various states of restoration were similar to those at Pompeii and Ephesus - I'm not certain I could really distinquish them. Ah, the Temple of Zeus.
1 comment:
I'm glad you had a great time.. It seems to me that you have too little time and LOTS to see.. But are still able to see everything you WANT too..
I'm sure you seen some pretty CRAZY looking people on the ship.. haha I see Crazy people everywhere i go..
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