Greece - Day 3 (Thurs. 8/29/24)

Nice breakfast buffet at the hotel and early departure for the Acropolis before the heat and crowds got worse. Our tour guide (Thanos) did a great job keeping us on track through the Acropolis and the museum, and told us interesting stories and information. It was hot and crowded and awe-inspiring and dangerous. Everywhere you put your foot is an uneven, slippery fall hazard, so you have to be careful. 

The crowd around the entrance of the Acropolis.

Thanos

On the Acropolis with the Parthenon behind us.

Big Greek flag across from the Parthenon on the Acropolis. It was hanging straight down and I prayed that the wind of the Holy Spirit would blow it out. Right after I prayed, it started moving. It never made it to full extension, but it waved around some.

                                        Wearing our earpieces so we could hear Thanos.

A little tortoise on the way down from the Acropolis to the museum.
He walked over to me, so I petted his head.

Mars Hill, the setting for Acts 17. I imagined Paul preaching there.

The ruins of ancient Athens. They built modern Athens around them so we can still view them.

Then we went to the Plaka, which was supposed to be for shopping and lunch on our own, but I hit a wall of exhaustion that  made my only goal finding somewhere to rest. We went in a hot, stuffy, beautiful church and sat on the hard pews until we got kicked out because they were closing for the day. I like how all the churches are just open for anyone to enter. 

Then we found a couple park benches, and I collapsed on one and slept like a homeless person until Mike woke me up to catch the bus. I slept hard on the bus until Mike woke me up when we got to the hotel. I was totally confused and groggy. I'm thankful to have a traveling partner who watches out for me, and I feel sad for those who don't have that.

Bus dropped us off for dinner on our own on Ermou Street. We had dinner with our old friends Marc and Allison at a restaurant along the harbor at Piraeus port. This was the night I realized that Greek salad contains zero lettuce. It's a huge bowl of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and olives with a slab of feta on top and and a vinaigrette swimming at the bottom that you have to dig for. I learned some lessons eating this salad tonight that would prove helpful for the duration of the trip. I think we ate Greek salad every day. Also, we didn't know it yet, but this would prove to be standard dinner time throughout the trip (around 8:00 p.m.).  Greeks in general are night owls but they take a long nap every afternoon. Even the stores and restaurants close for nap time.

After dinner, we had a little time before the bus picked us up, so Allison and I swung on a swing set at a playground.