Ancient Athens
Our Morning
Before first light, Kathryn and Sarah left the crew to get to their 6am flight. I heard their footsteps, but immediately went back to sleep! Before long, the rest of us were up at 7am. At 8am, we had cleaned the boat and were shoving off - on land!
We first went to Abbey's hostel for the night. Unfortunately, the hostel was closed so we had to then tote our luggage to a nearby café. Thankfully, it opened shortly thereafter and I had the joy and pleasure of carrying all suitcases up four flights of stairs… Abbey neglected to tell us this…
Ancient Athens
Our main goal for our lone day in Athens was the Acropolis and gyros. We wanted to explore the ancient Athens for the history since we didn’t have a chance before yacht week. As we walked to the Acropolis, we were thankfully we started early as the heat was already nearly unbearable…
Despite the crowds, construction, and tour groups, the Acropolis is truly amazing. For a structure dating to B.C. times, I was stunned at the complexity and artfulness. Everything at the Acropolis was simply stunning from the Paraethon to the Temple of
Athena Nike.
Sadly, most of the inside sculptures have been stolen by none other than the British! I viewed this as a two-for-one special. We viewed the stunning exterior in Athens while we can see the interior in the British Museum in London. From the Greek perspective, I can understand why they are upset. They nearly stolen everything but the pillars and they even managed to steal some of the supporting beams!
Unfortunately, the great views came with a steep price. We paid heaps in crowds, heat, and even more heat. Plus, we eventually had to eat and get to the airport! While we had a blast, we definitely wanted water and AC!
The Final Hours
After the Acropolis, Nick had to leave our little party to head to the airport. It was sad to say goodbye as our squad kept dwindling down. To boost our spirits, we had to eat some classic gyros!
Via the tried and true TripAdvisor method, I found a hidden gyro spot. It was so hidden that it took us walking by it about 2-3 times! They only have a bench for seating and they cooked the meat fresh as you ordered so we knew it was legit. It very tasty and probably slightly better than the other ones we have had in Greece. Thus, our last meal was a very fitting way to end the trip!
To get to the airport, there is a local way via bus or the tourist way via taxi or shuttle. Since we rather not stand on a hot bus, we opted for the taxi! The airport is located about 40 minutes away from the city centre and the taxi cost is around 40 euros. For a major city, it is further away than I would have expected.
Inside the airport, there are several great lounge options. Nick recommended and went to another one, but MF and I went to the Swissport lounge. It was very chill and empty!
Summary:
While our time ended in Greece, it will forever live on in our hearts and memories! Our trip was ver unique and I am extremely grateful for the amazing Yacht Squad and all the awesome places we visited!