Surprise In Athens!

Surprise In Athens!

We thank all of our friends who have expressed their condolences on the loss of our beloved Nikko. While we are saddened immensely, we also know that we did the right thing for him by ending his suffering. We take great joy in his long life and we have wonderful memories of him.

The timing of this trip to the Mediterranean is probably a good thing for us now because it helps take our minds off the loss of Nikko. We left Monday and arrived in Athens at 8:30 AM Tuesday. Since boarding our ship was set for 3 PM, we checked our bags at the airport and took the metro into Athens, about a one hour ride. On our last trip to this historic city, we did not get such a good impression. We found it hot and smoggy. However, this time we were astonished to find the city much changed: clean, modernized, and actually beautiful. It was also not oppressively hot as it was on our previous trip.

Dan wanted to visit the new Acropolis museum at the Acropolis, which is located at the foot of the hill on top of which sits the Parthenon and the other historic temples at the site. The museum is really impressive and beautiful. We spent an hour or so touring the exhibits and having a great Greek lunch, before spending some time walking around the Plaka. Finally, we returned to the airport to pick up our bags and head to the ship docked in Piraeus.

We boarded the ship and went to our cabin before heading out to enjoy the sailing away party on the top deck. We were treated to a beautiful sunset to the West and a full moon rising to the East over Piraeus. It was a spectacular start to our trip!