Mitropoleos Square

We walked from our hotel to Mitropoleos Square where we visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation, the cathedral church of the Archbishopric of Athens and all of Greece.

Lukumades

We skipped breakfast in our hotel this morning because Fotis had told us we needed to try Lukumades, a traditional Greek donut. We ordered plain as well as filled donuts with chocolate praline and hazelnut. We wished we had seen the size of the order before we ordered three servings as it was tough to finish all three but they were delicious.

Market

After filling up on donuts, we went to Monasteraki Square and walked a little bit of the market in search of souvenirs.

Hadrian's Library

The first stop on our Athens' ruins tour today was Hadrian's Library, the remains of the largest structure erected by Hadrian in the 3rd century AD. It was not only a library, but also contained music and lecture rooms. The layout was typical for a Roman forum, with a pool in the middle of a courtyard surrounded by 100 columns. The library's west wall has been restored.

Ancient Roman Forum of Athens

We walked next to the Roman Forum, another archaeological site near the Acropolis. Very little restoration has occurred here although the Tower of the Winds with its reliefs of the wind gods around the top remains from 50 BCE.

The Ancient Agora

After a quick stop in the market for some sodas, we taclked the Ancient Agora of Athens next. Despite the modern use of agora as a word for marketplace, this area was much more, including both commercial buildings, religious functions, assembly areas and residential structures as well as a court of law and library.

Temple of Hephaestus

We climbed the steps to the Temple of Hephaestus, a well-preserved Greek temple dedicated to the god of metal working, craftsmenship and fire. The marble structure was built between 449-415 BCE under the reign of Pericles.

Church of the Holy Apostles

Near the end of the tour is the Church of the Holy Apostles, which dates back to the 10th century and remained intact since that time. It was the first significant church of the Byzantine period.

Stoa of Attalos

We took a break from the Athens near in the museum located inside the Stoa of Attalos, a reconstruction of the original marketplace from ancient times.

Lunch at Misafir

We headed back towards the Plaka region in search of lunch. We went to one of the stops from our food tour but it appeared to be primarily serving drinks and not food so instead we went to another place Fotis had pointed out, Musafir, with its rooftop bar and restaurant. We had a great Greek meal there and J. R. and Rebecca enjoyed tea as rain began to fall and we were glad to be indoors. We stopped back by the food hall we had visited the night before in search of honey but decided to wait until we visited the islands before buying any.

Lounging at the Hotel

The plan was to go back to the hotel and hang out by the pool but the ladies reported it was crowded. So instead we spent some time out on our balcony drinking the mulled wine Janie had purchased and reorganizing our luggage for the cruise tomorrow.

Dinner

Janie had arranged for dinner in the rooftop restauant at the hotel, not knowing that it was going to be the place we ate breakfast every day. The meal was just fine but the views were outstanding of Athens at night.

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