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Published: July 23rd 2009
PARTHENON PREPARATION
It's hot & we're readyDAY 101
We depart Delphi for Athens this morning. We take a two hour bus ride to the west side of the city then taking the Metro to our hotel. Since Pearle can not walk for any distance she is put into a cab and so is much of the groups luggage. This helps as we can use the metro with better mobility than being laden down with the heavy bags. We arrive at the hotel and we are once again rearranging our luggage as we have left some things at the hotel storage room prior to going to the Peloponnese.
We have heard that two of our group can't find their passports and then Yvonne goes back to her room to check hers and finds that she also is missing a pouch that contained her passport and money. So Francine and Angie help her search every nook and cranny in her bags and clothes,all to no avail. Calls are made and the plan is to go to the respective embassies in the morning for emergency passports so their flights can be made in the early afternoon of the next day.
We have talked Yvonne into going for
lunch and to the New Acropolis Museum this afternoon to take her mind off losing the passport and a good deal of money.
We are told that the walk to the museum is close but we soon find out that there is not direct route and the temperature is once again hot and we mean very hot!! About 38c or 106f. We get there only to find the museum closed. It is not supposed to be closed and many people are also caught off guard as we are. The only alternative is to see the Acropolis, since we are already there. We had wanted to do this in the early morning hours but many of the best laid plans fall through as this did. It was miserably hot climbing up to the top but once there the cool breeze helped to make the sites enjoyable. It was absolutely amazing and we really enjoyed seeing this magnificent area. We see the Theater of Dionysus, the vast Parthenon, the temple of Athena just to mention a few of the 20 some ruins.
The walk down took us through the Ancient Agora. Once again there are many ruins to see—how will
we ever remember any of this—there is just too much to absorb!! Walking through the Agora we encounter the first wildlife in Greece. There is a field of grass that is home to at least 3 large tortoises. What a fun break from stones and statues. Even though they move like the ancient statues.
We finally find an open gate and are once again on the streets of Athens. There is not a taxi in sight so we start walking. We are not really that far from the hotel but the heat has drained our energy and we finally find a taxi and in 5 minutes we are at the hotel. It's a good thing because we only have 1 hour to get ready for our farewell dinner. This is the last night of our tour.
Cool nights and blankets----again! Leaving the air conditioning on and using blankets in the night if we become cold.
We enjoy our dinner and say our fond farewells to all and head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Angie has just fallen asleep when Francine wakes her up...rambling about going with Yvonne to the bus station. Well, none
of that makes any sense to Angie so she falls back asleep until Francine returns to explain her fast departure.
12.30am Yvonne had raced into our room full of adrenalin, saying that her passport had been found. Earlier in the evening she had a missed call on her mobile from a number in Greece. Nobody in Greece would be calling her so she ignored the call. Once back in her room and packing her bags, as we had dismantled it all, she notice she had another three missed calls from the same number. She rang back and it was the station master from the train station a few blocks from our hotel. He spoke broken Engish and said "passport, her name, date of birth and country". Whilst on the phone she raced downstairs to reception and the concierge spoke to the voice on the phone. He explained that her passport was at the station about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. That is when she rushed into our room and told Francine, who quickly got dressed whilst telling Angie where she was going and raced down stairs with Yvonne.
Well we arrived at the station in record
THE SMALLER AMPITHEATRE
At the base of the Acropolis time. The security guard took us to the office, whilst telling us that we should always keep a money belt under our clothes. He showed us that he did this also. He said that there are many poor people and they steal the wallets, take the cash and throw the passports away. We arrive in the office and Yvonne is given her passport and pouch, although all the cash is gone. Not surprised. Francine asks if they had found two American passports, the station master opens the cupboard and shows us wallets and purses and there are two American passports and the large bright blue pouch that they were both kept in.
So all three passports have been found. We race back to the hotel It is now after 1am and we wake the girls and advise we have found their passports and they have to go to the station with Yvonne, now. Francine goes back her room and Angie wakes enough to be told the story.
So we have surmised that we had only just got on the train when the pouches were stolen. All three were down the back of their day packs. Francine had advised
them to put their packs on the fronts not on their backs as their are pick pockets everywhere and working in groups. The girls did this, alas too late. It must have happened in the first few minutes of being on the train.
DAY 102
This morning we awake up about 8:45 and meet others at breakfast. Yvonne is leaving this morning for London for a few days before flying home to Australia. We had a great time with Yvonne in Greece. We shall miss her. But the 2 blondes on holiday will continue for another month!!
We discover that Pearle will have to cut her travel short as the doctor here in Athens wanted to do surgery on her knee. She refused and will travel back to Australia to have her own doctor look at the injury. They have put her leg in a back slab paster cast as the knee has damage. Yannick has helped her make all the arrangements. Good thing she had travel insurance as they are covering everything. We also see Rebeka off as well, back to Miami.
We decide to leave for the New Acropolis Museum about 10:30. It
is just a short metro ride and only costs 1 euro one way. The line at the museum is long and we have to wait for about 20 minutes to enter. The new museum is impressive but it seems empty if you compare it to the Egyptian or the British museum. There are many exhibits but not cramped like the others.
We enjoy the museum and the air con. Lunch is on the agenda and a walk across the street to a little bistro for a nice sandwich.
We wander around the shops and finally go back to the hotel to pack and blog. There is also English TV, but not always interesting shows. We at one time had the stock market report on. Now that is desperate programming.
Angie blogs for three hours while Francine repacks her bags. You may ask...Why does it take Francine three hours to repack...I wish I had an answer.! Francine said it was because she was chatting and watching the stock market report. And it is very difficult to get two bags of stuff in to one bag.
We head back to the square and wander around. Francine decides she
as to say goodbye to Greece with Mousaka. We finally find a restaurant with a menu to suit us both. We also have an older fellow playing Greek music on guitar, the Acropolis and Ancient Agora in the background. 10.30pm and we finally get back to te hotel and organise for our morning departure to the airport.
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Bill
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NAM Photos
They are not allowing pictures inside the museum now? I guess I was lucky to go on the very first day. I was able to take plenty of pictures. You can see them at http://picasaweb.google.com/wolvesbill/NewAcropolisMuseum# It sounds like you guys had a wonderful time exploring mainland Greece.