Athens via Barcelona 2016: Day 27; Athens and The Acropolis

We did not get out from the room until after 1000 this morning, but we got the rest we needed. Instead of having breakfast at the hotel, we walked over to the place we had dinner last night. We both had a ham/cheese omelet and a Greek coffee. As with last night's dinner, it was delicious and almost too much to eat. Cost for both of us (with tip) was 20 Euros. That would have bought us less than three eggs at the hotel. They had a fresh fruit stand outside the cafe with a delicious looking pile of grapes. If we are not too tired, we thought we might stop by on the way back to the hotel and get some.

After breakfast, we started down through the Plaka area of the city. Very interesting. Lots of shops and interesting places. We could see the Acropolis as we approached it. The map we had was not very helpful, partly because it was in Greek. There are two entries to the Acropolis. One on the southeast corner and the other on the west. We approached it from the northeast. We came to a fork in the road and had to chose between continuing up or going back down. We could see the Acropolis above us so we decided to go up. The streets became narrower and narrower until they were not streets but paths between small cottages. Every once in awhile however, we would observe an Acropolis sign with an arrow, which kept us going

After much climbing, we finally arrived at a locked gate and the path continued back down the hill. We ended up back at the fork in the road. This time we went down and found the entry at the southeast corner of the Acropolis. We stood in line for about 30 minutes to get our tickets (40 Euros for both of us). If we want to go to the museum, we will have to stand in another line to get those tickets.

Once inside, we began the ascent once again. T tells me (according to her Fitbit) we climbed a total of 800 feet today and marched 5 miles. But, it was worth it and we were in no hurry. Not being part of a tour, we could take as much time as we wanted and go where we wanted.

They are putting the Acropolis back together using the pieces of stone as best they can. There are parts that they are having to replace pieces of marble and the process will take a long time. There are stones everywhere and they are all numbered.

After exhausting ourselves to our satisfaction, we decinded the hill and walked over to the Roman Market (Agora) where we had lunch and did some shopping.

We opted for a "small" sampling of their appetizers including meat balls, dolmades, fried cheese, spinach pie, feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, fried peppers, cheese fritter and tzatziki. And of course a couple glasses of wine.

The Local Cat Monitored Our Lunch

Hadrian Library

Athen's Hard Rock Cafe

We staggered back to the hotel and had a drink at the bar before retiring to the room to prepare for dinner tonight on the roof of the hotel.

We went to the 8th floor restaurant at our appointed 1930 time. I was expecting a roof top setting. There was outdoor seating available, but T thought it better to sit inside. The dinner was OK/good. We started with a shared Yellow Fin Tuna tartare and a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne. For an entree, I had a shrimp/saffron/zucchini risotto and T had a roasted duck breast with foie gras. Upon the recommendation of the Wine Sommelier we had a bottle of a Greek white which we probably will not find in the States. At the close of the dinner, we both had a tiramisu with a glass of 20 year old Port. I also took some pictures of the surroundings from the terrace.