Athens is a city of contrasts. It contains some of the most beautiful and important artifacts in the world while being one with the most ugly graffiti on every possible surface. Nothing is safe. Every shop, fence post, sign, railroad car, bus, glass window, concrete wall, private home..... The government is trying to stem it by designating special areas and buildings as "fine art" expression areas but they are way too late. No one cleans it off so it just gets worse. If it's not graffiti it's tagging everything in sight. There isn't much litter so that's a good thing.

The city is the most densely populated that I have ever seen, probably because you can see so much of it at a time from the surrounding high observation areas .

Walking in the Agora was a special treat. This area was inhabited as early as 3,000 BC. It was comparable to the Forum of Rome. It was a literal and a figurative marketplace, of both produce and ideas, where Athenians shopped, conducted business, participated in democracy and religious rites, attended performances and expressed opinions.

The Acropolis Museum is a $200 million, 226,000 sq. ft. wonder. In the dramatic Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis, ascending floors literally "float" you above the excavations for an extraordinary perspective of the layers of Greek history that lie below.

Our guides were extraordinary. With their country in economic crisis, they all have advanced degrees in science and archeology, but have found tourism to be the most lucrative jobs. How lucky for us to have had such knowledgeable guides.