The Cradle of Civilization is alive and well. It’s nurtured us so many ways…
Here’s the view from the balcony of our penthouse AirB&B, where we ate all our breakfasts…

And another…

We got plenty of steps but also was dazzled by the new, CLEAN Subway with museums of artifacts found during construction displayed in some stations.

And some wildlife…a tortoise on the grass of a main street as we wandered

And many birds including hoopoes as we explored the Temple of Zeus.

And these poor lambs, we saw many being roasted whole for Greek Easter… Do the they eat the eyeballs?

Tradition with the changing of the guards at the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

May Day unrest as a worker parade marched right in front of the special Honor Guard chanting and carrying posters and banners touting Che and Fidel and down with capitalism.

The Police were all around and ready…

We walked neighborhoods including a very toney hillside leading up to the funicular that took us to the top of the highest point in the city…Lucabettus Hill… Our climb included over 200 steps. OUCH

So many visits to the Plaka, our favorite Greek neighborhood we visited every day… like a village in the city full of restaurants, souvenirs and lots of Gelato.

The new and highly acclaimed Acropolis Museum is a knockout and included 5 of the original Caryatids, the 6th, of course, is in the British Museum, along with many treasures. The museum makes clear they want their antiquities returned and they have the perfect spot to house them.

The piece de resistance warranted 2 trips, one evening visit with very few tourists and one crowded, hot daytime struggle. We loved it all as you can see.

Tomorrow we head for the boat and the islands…