A spectacular sunrise over the Port of Piraeus with the sun glowing through some cloud cover on the white buildings covering the hillside. All around us I could see other ships also waiting to enter the harbour. We followed in a sailing vessel and tied up by 6.30am. Up close Piraeus is not so pretty as from a distance.
We have to be on the pier by 8.15 so we order room service for breakfast and are in the terminal in plenty of time. Originally we were going to make our own way into Athens and do our own thing. However, after seeing the crowds in places like Venice and Florence and anticipating a hot day we booked a shore excursion from the ship. We are driven in air conditioned comfort, with a guide, to the Acropolis. It is just after 9 am so we don't have to queue to enter. There are already lots of people on site but it is manageable. Again we have a radio set with ear piece so it is easy to hear our guide.
When we were here 40 years ago you could wander through the Temple of Olympia Zeus. Not surprisingly it is now roped off and there is scaffolding on parts.
Our guide says the scaffolding will be there permanently as the work needed to restore and maintain it is never ending. They are currently using laser technology to remove the micro-organisms that are growing on some of the stonework turning it black. It was interesting to see how some of the stone blocks that were part of the restoration 20 years ago are weathering to blend in with the original stonework. The stone blocks replaced more recently are very white compared to the original. Our guide tells us there is evidence that the buildings were actually painted originally.
Our guide says the scaffolding will be there permanently as the work needed to restore and maintain it is never ending. They are currently using laser technology to remove the micro-organisms that are growing on some of the stonework turning it black. It was interesting to see how some of the stone blocks that were part of the restoration 20 years ago are weathering to blend in with the original stonework. The stone blocks replaced more recently are very white compared to the original. Our guide tells us there is evidence that the buildings were actually painted originally.
It is magnificent and you can't help taking photos from all angles. By about 10am it is very hot on the Acropolis and Greg heads for some shade. I stay and wander some more as the number of visitors grows. The Acropolis dogs sleep on while thousands of visitors' feet pass within cm of them.
Back on the bus we do a drive past of the main sites of Athens. Greg recognises a couple of places like Syntagma Square and the Plaka from 1975. We stop at the Olympic Stadium from 2004 to take photos.
Then on to the new Acropolis Museum. What a great job they have done with this! You could spend hours there but our guide shows us the highlights then we have a short time to wander.
Then on to the new Acropolis Museum. What a great job they have done with this! You could spend hours there but our guide shows us the highlights then we have a short time to wander.
The under-floor of the new museum
The Acropolis as seen from the new museum
On the top floor they have recreated the frieze that was around the Parthenon. In some places they have the original stonework, in some places there are gaps where they have not recovered anything but there are also huge slabs that are white indicating they are a copy of the original, most of which is now in the British Museum. Lord Elgin was given permission by the ruling Turkish Sultan to make copies but Elgin decided to take the original instead and used an axe to hack off sections which he shipped back to UK. On the other hand if he hadn't done this would it have been restored? It's an ongoing argument.
Back on board ship there's a compulsory emergency drill for everyone including those people like us who did it a week ago. Once that is over we adjourn to our Cabin where the four of us open the bottle of champagne left from last week. Our 14 day cruise is actually 2 x 7 day cruises so just under half the passengers exited today. We celebrate the start of our 2nd week as we sail out of Pireaus but it doesn't have the magic of sailing out of Venice.
It's Steak House at the Colonnade tonight and we get a table right on the deck at the back but the sun is still so strong we finish our meal inside to escape it.