Wanting to beat the heat at all costs, we got up at 5 a.m. this morning and went and had a quick breakfast at the early buffet. We were supposed to be docking at 6 a.m. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case. We had run into some traffic and been delayed.

We went up on the promenade to watch our approach . We ended up watching the sunrise as well. It was a reasonable temperature outside, which was nice. I counted the boats around us in the bay, and there were over 35. We had to wait our turn to go through a narrow entrance into the harbor. We ran into David and Linda from dinner and visited with them as we pulled slowly closer to shore. We ended up spending our morning with them, getting to the Acropolis together and visiting the whole time.

By the time we had docked, taken the shuttle to the terminal and found the city bus stop, it was already after 8 a.m. We boarded and found we could not buy tickets on the bus (similar to a Max). The driver was cross at us for not having tickets, but let us on anyway. The bus crept along, stopping every block, it seemed. The neighborhood we were driving through had a big city feel. (Which is to say, I didn't much care for it.) There was the ever-present graffiti with the additions of sex shops and something advertised as "Kinky Opera."

We got off at the end of the line and started walking toward the Acropolis . A stray dog stood up and joined us, trotting along and occasionally stopping to sniff or piddle on something. He got into the Acropolis before we did, incidentally. There were huge crowds, and then they closed the gate (when we had just gotten our tickets, around 10 a.m.) because there were too many people in there already. When they opened the gate, we shuffled through en masse and started up the hill to the ruins.

Bryan and I were both hooked up via earbuds to the iPhone so we could listen to the audio guide. The stones beneath our feet were both slippery and radiating the sun's heat back at us. (We did hear that later in the day they shut down the Acropolis entirely as a safety precaution due to the heat - so we were by no means the only ones to think the heat was excessive.)

Now, the sights themselves were wonderful. A huge Greek amphitheater. Towering ancient buildings lined with columns. Pillars carved artfully to look like statues . Temples, steps, and an amazing 360 degree view of the city of Athens. But it didn't take long in the sun before none of that mattered. We had taken the photos, and listened to some of the information regarding the history of the site. At that point we had to bail because the heat was making us miserable. Bryan asked me what I wanted to do next and I managed one word, "Shade."

We did one better than that, actually. We walked down the hill, back into town, and found a restaurant with air conditioning and free WiFi and promptly ordered two Sprites and a chef salad. We updated the blog, and Bryan got to text with his mom, so that was good. When the chef salad came, it was completely drenched in something resembling thousand island. I like salad dressing as much as the next gal, but it was inedible. We paid for it anyway and left.

We found a spot in the shade to eat our packed sandwiches instead, and then continued on to the Agora . We hooked ourselves up to another audio guide and walked through to the museum (which was thankfully air-conditioned). When we were done with the museum we decided it was time to head back to the ship. I was teasing Bryan that we needed to find me an "I hate Athens" shirt. But no one seems to sell them. ;)

We rode the Metro, then the city bus, then the shuttle bus, and we're finally awarded with our icy, wet "victory" towel. Dabbing our faces and necks with it was heaven. We went up to the Horizon court and ordered two waters, two lemonades, and a Sprite and drank them all. We took it easy until it was time for dinner.

No one else joined us for dinner tonight. Our guess is that they were out for a long time in the heat and decided to rest in their rooms instead. During dinner, the captain made an announcement that there are some strong winds coming into the area we are supposed to go tomorrow. They are going to get there slower and see how the weather is in the morning . The forecast is for 60 mph winds.

After dinner, they brought us a specially made anniversary cake. Bryan had requested that they make something different than they usually do for celebrations, so that it would be dairy free and I could enjoy it. It was thin layers of yellow cake (pancake-like) with strawberry filling, garnished with raspberries and cookies. We got ice cream to go with it. Then Bryan ordered us hot chocolates, and we opened our bottle of mint schnapps that we had bought in Salzburg and flavored it with that. It was delicious!

We went out on the promenade and sat in the deck chairs for the first time on this trip. There was a little breeze, and it was actually pleasant to sit there. We watched the water and shoreline until it got dark. Goodnight!

This was our second anniversary in a row on a cruise ship. I told Mer not to get used to it. This day was so hot, that it was really hard to enjoy. I think we were both a little let down by Athens. Most of that I am sure was the heat, but it was also just a bit of our disillusionment with really big cities. The ruins are amazing, but you still have the big-city feel to deal with when you are there. There are crowds, pushy salesmen, and the worry of pick-pockets that make it hard to relax and just enjoy your time.