It is now 3.30am and I am at the airport awaiting my flight at 5.30am to the Island of Santorini, which is described in all the guide books as gorgeous!!!
So let me catch you up on Sunday’s events which were both an incredible high and a bit of a low!!!
Ina again had some work to catch up on so I planned to go for the day and then meet her at 7pm. I checked both my guide books and Ina also checked the Internet and all three confirmed that the National Museum closed at 4.30pm and the Acropolis closed at 8pm, so I had my day planned and the schedule was to see the changing of the guard at the Parliament buildings at 11am and walk to the Museum and come to the Acropolis around 4pm when it would not be as hot and also less crowds.
Ina and I had breakfast and away I went and really enjoyed the ceremony of the changing of the guard!!
It was an unusual and interesting time.
I then walked about 25 minutes to the National Museum
bought my ticket and was then mesmerized for the next two hours…photos were not allowed so please Google the site and check out all the information about the fantastic journey back in time. You cannot help but feel so small and insignificant surrounded by so much history..it takes your breath away. I then walked back into the center and just had to go back to the same restaurant for more kebabs!!!!!!
Then it was time for the highlight of my Athens trip to that hill to see what all those rocks are about!!!!
I walked the steep climb to the top of the hill and the entrance and here learned a valuable Greek history lesson.
There were many Greek Goddesses and Gods but the most famous God was the God of” if you make fun of me I shall come back and get you”!!!!!!!
This was the entrance
Both my guide books and the Internet were wrong the site closes at 3pm on Sunday and it was now 3.30pm!!!!!
I was quite stunned and found a bench close by to sit and ponder…..nothing I could do about the situation but I so badly wanted to see those ruins but I guess that is a reason to come back to Greece one day.
There were a few vantage points from the outside
I just let my imagination run away with me and thought all about the great spectacle of events that took place just over the hill.
So I did the next best thing and spent over 2 hours in the new Acropolis Museum again no photos were allowed so again check on Google and see the amazing exhibits and the underground city another truly amazing memory.
I met Ina and we went for a really nice dinner and a walk around town. Ina was so upset that I had missed the Acropolis and I know if she could she would have gone and got a key to open the gates up for me.
As I was scheduled to leave on this 5.30am flight Ina wanted me to stay at the apartment and get an express bus to the airport around 3am…so we had some time….. then she had another great suggestion around the corner from her apartment is an outdoor movie house and I had never been to one so at 11pm we went to the movies saw a great oldie…Arsenic and Lace and the outdoor theatre was wonderful
Back home at 1am and I persuaded Ina that I would catch the 2am bus so she was not up most of the night…so she and Mona walked me down to the bus stop and the bus came and for 5 Euros a great way to get to the airport 15 miles away!!
I have an apartment booked in Santorini for three days and the owner has kindly arranged to be at the airport at 6.30am to pick me up….so it goes!!!!
I cannot end this blog without a huge thank you to Ina for her wonderful, kind, caring and giving hospitality…..she is the true essence of the meaning of couch surfing…I have a new friend and you are just a great gal even if Mona has a foot fetish….I wish you and Pete all the best in your new relationship and also wish you plenty of business coming your way!!!! Thanks!!!!
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