Revisiting the sights

My room included a continental breakfast buffet.  I started my outing early to avoid the heat.  It was nice and cool around 0815 when I walked up the back alley to revisit the Acropolis.  But best of all, it was still quiet.  There were quaint little shops in people’s homes selling souvenirs along the way.

The Parthenon temple area of the Acropolis was fenced off and required a payment.  I don’t recall paying 14 years ago, but then my memory isn’t perfect.  There were tourists there already, many from the various cruiseliners.  They were loud and probably hadn’t had much exposure to ancient ruins before; everything was amazing to them.  But that’s good.  I get a bit jaded after having been to places like Palmyra in Syria.

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I finished up around 1000 and walked back down but must have taken a different route which didn’t have the cute souvenir vendors in the homes.

I ended up at the Ancient Agora.  The Stoa of Attalos, a long building with lots of columns, looked magnificently restored.  A stoa is a portico or covered walkway.  The ancient Greeks must have had big budgets because at the end of the day, it’s just a walkway!  Next, I continued to Kerameikos, the cemeteries.

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I continued to Syntagma Square, the site of the parliament where there were guards in their distinctive skirted uniforms.  

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Back in my area, there was a concert in the square with traditional costumes.  It made a good photo opportunity before dinner of Iranian kebabs.