We had previously booked a City Sight Seeing tour, which was the first company ever to launch the hop on hop off bus. Good idea! It was parked right near the port, but meant we had to purchase the two loop deal. All cool, very accessible and very cheap.
First stop: The Acropolis. The ruins of The Parthenon and surrounding buildings were very interesting and bloody slippery. Most of the steps and walk ways were made of marble, but unfortunately this did not mix well with the dust on our thongs.
Rich: I fell down three steps and landed hard on my arse, but saved the camera. Camera - not a scratch, my left butt cheek and hand are a bit bruised and grazed. Sorry no pics!
Tan: I slipped at least 5 times. One time was quite elegant, like a dance. The others not so much. Every time was like a mini heart attack. Was almost like walking around a ski village in regular shoes. You know the slips are coming, but you are always caught unaware!
Next stop was the Temple of Zeus. Interesting, but by this stage it was boiling hot and no cover at either of the first two sites. At least we got to the Acropolis early before the real heat hit. We have been astounded with the amount of domestic dogs people seem to have. It is bizarre. They did look hot and we weren't fans.
We missed a couple of points, but we opted for the National Gardens. It was so hot and the audio guide mentioned something about this place being a great way to beat the heat. Yes please! The gardens were nice and definitely a cooler refuge for part of our day. The best bit was coming across the animal area in the middle of the park. They had signs for 'zoo', but it was a far cry from a zoo. However, it was good feeding the birds and goats with our stolen bread from the ship! Thanks Royal Caribbean.
Jumping back aboard the red bus, we cruised onwards to the area of Monistiraki with a plan for lunch and then a stroll through the Plaka (Old Town). Lunch was in a brilliant little Greek Taverna. In Greece, how could one even contemplate anything else? A beer, a sangria, two souvalaki plates and a complementary liqueur shot. 20€ including a tip. It was sensational and we got wifi! Bonus!
Unfortunately time was against us after lunch as the ship's departure was early today. We needed to be on board at 4:30pm, so our walk through the Plaka area was short lived.
Tan: The shopping in this area was crazy and seemed to be taunting me as we whizzed by at lightning speed. The shoes!!!!!!! Damn you shoes! I have no room for more new shoes. That's what bossman keeps telling me. His backpack has room. Woot!
We were all geared up for the swimming pool upon our return, but the female of the group may have fallen asleep after her shower and then the moment had passed! Holidays are hard work.
We took our time to get ready for dinner and watched a movie in our cabin and got ourselves organised. The luxury of having the balcony with our room means that you can enjoy the air, the view and not feel cooped up. When you're in the room it doesn't feel like you are missing out on anything.
We left our room to watch the 'Finish those lyrics' quiz before dinner, which was entertaining. Dinner consisted of a chicken consommé as well as a prawn and crab salad for entrée. For main both of us chose the penne, which was another seafood inspired dish. Gilberto our main waiter thinks we are funny always choosing the same mains. We don't always, but on this cruise there have been some double ups.
We finished the night at the Viking Lounge to watch the England v Sweden match, whilst enjoying the 80s hour of power. Of course we were loving it! OMG...the first person we spotted upon walking into the club was Dancing Nan! She is out of control. Her poor hubby seemed to have ditched her. He looked sooooo tired the past two nights, it wasn't a surprise that she was there on her own. Funny stuff.
Tan: I bought my third hat today! Hope I don't lose this one. Not as nice, but good in the hot sun. I'm basically losing a hat every three weeks! Idiot!
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