We had had a background to the city from the travel guide on the boat. She had told us that Athens has been occupied for 4000 years, with evidence of human habitation in the area going back 7000 years. She was very interesting talking about Socrates because she said that the Greeks thought of the total person and the ideal hero was both physically strong and attractive and also intelligent. Socrates was short, fat and ugly and the most intelligent person of his day which didn't fit Greek ideas at all!!

Athens was named after the God Athena, the protector of the city . Both she and Poseidon wanted the job so gave gifts. He struck the ground and produced a well and she gave an olive tree. The well was salt water so Athena won.

John was still not well so it was three of us who set off for the city of Athens at about 9.30am. We had several plans but none set in concrete. We walked past the insistent taxis at the Port of Piraeus, only to find the Hoho bus was full and would take over an hour to get to the Acropolis. The travel guide had told us a metro station might be out and we were concerned there might not be much English on the signs so we backtracked to the taxis. We had been told to pay 15 euro but the first drivers said the set price was 20 so we reluctantly agreed. It took nearly half an hour to get there with traffic problems so we decided the price was very fair in fact.

On the way in we passed the stadium for the 2004 Olympics, although I realised too late to get a photo. We wound through some rather boring back streets as well as ruins and tall apartments .

We walked up to the Acropolis and joined the thousands on the site. There were a number of Holland America tour groups (which we would have done but the morning tours had sold out), groups from the other ships in the port, other groups, and a number of individual like us. There was no delay in getting tickets though and the way up was relatively clear. I missed having the information from a guide but we could also go at our own pace and there were some information boards around.

We went past the Theatre of Dionysious on the way up and knew that there would be no backdrop because Greek theatres didn’t have them. It really was a matter of stepping carefully because marble is slippery although we were lucky that it wasn’t yet too hot. The information boards mentioned previous inappropriate restoration which was being redone. The restoration of the Parthenon was completed in 2004 using new marble and titanium clamps. Many original features are in the new Acropolis museum . The main cause of damage recently has been the pollution.

We saw the Ionic temple to Athena, Poseidon and other deities and mention was made of original parts being in the new museum with one part in the British museum. I didn’t see anything about the 'Elgin marbles’ also being in the museum but with the crowds around we didn’t try to read everything.

The Parthenon looked as it does in all the pictures except there were people all around it. I had been told it was built first in the 5th century BC as a temple to Athena, became a church to the Virgin Mary and later a mosque. It was used as a ammunition store by the Turks, during which time the roof blew off when it was bombarded by the Venetians.

It was more crowded going down than up, not helped by people suddenly stopping to take photos. We had taken heaps ourselves but mainly from the top where you got some idea of the size of Athens (huge) .

There was an earth cache very close to the site so I couldn’t resist doing it. Irene and I scrambled up some very slippery marble steps because I had to count them and found information on a board at the top. Later the cache notes gave me more.

This is where the first courts of the Athenian democracy were based, and is named after Aris (Mars), who was one of the Twelve Olympians gods, a son of Zeus and Hera in Greek mythology, and precisely the god of war. The Areopagus is also associated with the spread of Christianity in Greece. It was on this rock that Paul talked to the Athenians about the new religion in 52 AD. He was actually facilitated in his speech by the pre-existence of an altar in Athens which was dedicated to the Unknown God. He thus managed to persuade a lot of Athenians. A passage from Paul’s speech is carved on a rock situated at the lower part of the steps leading to the top of the hill.

We didn’t recognise the passage because it was in Greek. When we were in Ephesus, one of the group asked the guide if we would see the rock that Paul spoke from. The guide said that he did not speak from a rock here – it looks like the person had confused information from Athens.

Raewyn had been eyeing up a stretch limo which she said would have space for the three of us as well as the existing people but none of us were game enough to hitch a ride . There was not an information centre near here and the street sign was confusing so when we saw the Hoho we decided to pay the 22 euro for the tour plus a transfer back to the port. Of course, the next stop was by a metro but that was too late and we were enjoying the commentary.

The bus took us past the Parliament and we heard that the uniforms of the guards (Evzoni) had over 400 pleats and take 8 weeks to make. The guards have to press them themselves. Later we also heard they are chosen for their height and looks. We drove around the national Gardens and stopped near the original stadium for the 1896 Olympics and could take photos although only above the tops of all the other buses here.

We had decided to do a full loop then return to this area for the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (on the hour we were told) and maybe get food and eat in the gardens. But then the problems started. The traffic was dreadful and the bus could hardly move. Even bus lanes were no use as there were heaps of buses around. We drove past the University and a museum so could take photos but the time was disappearing fast. We found the cause of the problem – a demonstration on a major corner that had gridlocked our area of the city. Irene sensibly suggested a good spot to get off and we were less than 1km from the Parliament.

We walked back and were lucky to find a mini changing of the guard although it was 1.45pm so not on the hour. I later read that they do a stylized switch of position every 15 minutes and a change on the hour but we were not expecting to see any movement so we were delighted. The Grand Change is on Sunday at 11 am with little changes on the hour supervised by a corporal, whose job is also to ensure the guards are not harassed by tourists. Although the uniform and movements were funny, the bayonets they carried should also put people off.

We had confirmed the bus to the port would still run on time as we were told it was a different route so we had time to go to the Plaka. On the way we even saw a fire engine so Raewyn could get a photo for her brother. We had about an hour there which was all we needed as we had been a bit shopped out from the previous day. Irene did find a lovely red necklace and we had time for a drink. We were even early to the bus stop so had time to shop here and even I found ‘bling’ for myself

We were a bit concerned about the number of people waiting when we were back at the bus stop, especially when 3.15pm came and went. A bus from the company arrived but it was doing just the Athens route. Around us lots of people were complaining that they had been stuck on the bus for hours or had waited for one that didn’t arrive. We realised we had had one of the most successful days having seen all we had. There were 2 Australian women who were incredibly cross and gave a real ear bashing to the 2 company people who were here.

By 3.30pm when the bus arrived there was a scramble to get on. We were being told there would be a 2nd bus but we were all skeptical by now. However, we were standing and told that all people standing had to get off. At this stage we decided there would have to be a second bus so got off – which proved to be a good move. The extra bus was not open topped but very comfortable and it drove straight to the port stop instead of doing part of the tour so we were back in 15 minutes. The driver even got a round of applause after which he took the bus right to the pier rather than stopping at the usual Hoho spot.

The gridlock from the demonstration had affected almost everyone we talked to later so we decided we had had a pretty good day after all. We had wondered if we would have been better to have taken the metro which our 2 Australian friends had. They had not been held up but had had 1 hour walks at the end of their trip to the Acropolis and had not tried to visit anything else. They also said there was no English in the metro. The poor signage around the Acropolis appears to be typical of the city which is unfortunate when the Greek economy needs happy tourists.

John had found the port had free wifi and had been able to check emails and upload some photos. Otherwise he had had a quiet time on the boat which had been fairly empty. Unfortunately he was not feeling much better and this was the night we had booked for the Pinnacle Restaurant. This is the only restaurant on the boat you have to pay for and the others had said it was fabulous.

John did come for dinner but struggled and left early. We had lovely food and very good service. The preparation of some food was finished tableside including lobster bisque that I had and the Fillet Diane’s that all three women had – it was flambéed tableside. Raewyn had Baked Alaska also flambéed but it had to blown out. The only odd thing was a request to order dessert early if we wanted soufflés. We still don’t know why this was necessary because soufflés could be ordered at the usual time in the Vista restaurant. We had had a 6.30am booking and were lucky that the boat’s departure was delayed so we saw the lights of the port as we dined. We did enjoy the meal but did not find it as much of a ‘wow’ as the others had, probably because the ‘occasion’ was not as special as their anniversary.

After dinner we did try the Diva show as this was new. 'Unforgettable' was very forgettable, the second song unmemorable and the third, a Motown medley was good so we left as this was a highnote and we thought it might be the only one.