Day 3, September 24, 2024, Athens

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This morning, we get acquainted with one of the world’s “cradles of Western civilization” on a city tour. A highlight is the Acropolis (“high city”), the crowning hill of Athens that is visible from almost anywhere in the city.  

Of the ancient buildings that once stood atop the Acropolis - and still do today - the most famous and beautiful is the Parthenon, the largest Doric temple still standing Greece.  

Built between 447 and 438 BCE to honor the goddess Athena for rescuing Athens during the Persian Wars, the Parthenon is considered the greatest Doric temple ever built after first serving as a Greek temple, it later became a Christian church then a Muslim mosque. 

We will visit the highly regarded Acropolis Museum which houses and chronologically displays excavations dating from 6 BCE and stroll the historic lower Plaka district and Hadrian Street.

After our sightseeing this morning, we are free to enjoy lunch on our own and to explore more of Athens. 

We chose to have gyros at Greco’s Project. Lunch was enormous; chicken gyro meat covered half the plate  if we had known we would not have ordered the Greek salad too, but we will have some leftovers.

On your own the city boasts a myriad of sights, monuments, and museums sure to capture the imagination.

One option is the renowned Abenaki Museum with its vast collections illustrating the breadth of the Greek world and Greek life, from ancient times to modern.

Another option is the ruins of the Agora, the hub of Athens’ administrative and political life in ancient times, which lends insight into the day-to-day lives of early Athenians.

Tonight we enjoy a welcome dinner at our hotel, the NJV Athens Hotel. 
























































 

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