Today was a better day in every way. Great weather. No crowds. Incredible sites to see.

After a wonderful breakfast (Athens Cypria has the best–I especially enjoy an anchovy or two with my scrambled eggs!), we headed out to the Acropolis. Metro (Syntagma to Acropolis).

Entered the Acropolis by the SE entrance, which gave us access to all the sites scattered along the southern slope of the Acropolis. This area is less frequently visited but one of the most
significant spots in Athens none-the-less.
If the Pnyx is the political heart of Athens, and the Acropolis is its spiritual heart, the south slope is its artistic heart. Here is where the dramatic, poetic, musical, and oratorical muses of Athens were unleashed. We paused at the Theater of Dionysus (where the great dramas of Euripides and Sophocles were introduced), the Stoa of Eumenes (where theater-goers retreated from sun and rain and took refreshment), and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (the enclosed concert hall of ancient Athens).

Then on up the hill to the Acropolis proper. Gorgeous day. Temperatures in the 60’s. Clear skies, achingly blue. A breeze. We spent about two hours listening to the audio guides and enjoying the splendid vistas from the heights. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the air so clear. No smog. You could see for miles. It was … exhilarating.

We trudged back down the hill to the New Acropolis Museum and spent the next two hours there. What a wonderful museum. The collection is so incredible. This (along with the Acropolis and the National Archaeological Museum) are the absolute “must sees” of Athens.

Gyros at Sabbas for lunch. We sat in Monastiraki Square and ate while watching the passers by and the mimes. Then over to the Agora for a quick run through that marvelous site. We didn’t have long (they close most sites at 3:00 during “Winter Hours”–a frustrating tendency for people who have traveled so long and so expensively).

Back to the hotel for a coffee in the hotel bar and a rest–at least a chance to take your shoes off and check your email.

Dinner at Scholarhio’s. This famly run restaurant–in the Plaka district–has a set price for meals. They bring you a platter of options to choose from (the number of options depending on the number of people at table). We had meatballs, Greek salad, kalimare, greens, pork, spinach pie, and vine leaves. All wonderful. I highly recommend this place.

Now it is close to 10:00 and I’m ready for bed. We head towards Macedonia tomorrow … to the land of Alexander the Great.