BM's Favorites: 12 Days Greek Isles Cruise

Date: November 14, 2007 (Wednesday)
Place: Athens, Greece (雅典, 希臘)
Day 6

we were docked at Piraeus, ~11km southwest of Athens.. as we were told, there's not much to do in Piraeus.. so we decided to go straight to the city of Athens..

we saw a sign with "indicative" Taxi Charges when we passed the Customs at the port.. it said 8 euros to go to Acropolis.. but when those taxi drivers approached us, they were asking for LOTS more.. & we heard that it should be ~30 mins walk to the nearest metro station.. since it's early in that morning, we decided to walk.. unfortunately, it rained, & quite heavily raining!! we walked along the marina but had to stop several times becoz of the rain.. & it took us a while before we found a newspaper booth for buying an umbrella.. & i guess it took us ~45 mins to walk to the Piraeus metro station..

(left) on the way to the metro station..
(right) when u see this escalator, the metro station is just right there.. on your right..

the entrance of the Piraeus metro station..

here's the machine for buying tickets.. it cost 3 euros for 1 day pass..

the renovated Piraeus metro station.. very bright & looked clean..

we had to punch our tickets into those grey box below as we entered the platform..

here's the metro route.. we were on the green line.. going from Piraeus to Acropoli, we had to get to the blue line & then to the red line..

@ the platform..

our 1st stop was to Acropolis..
it was the religious centre of Athens, & in various times it's served as the seat of a king & the home of gods & goddesses..
the admission fee was 12 euros.. there was an ongoing restoration work at the Acropolis..

The Theater of Herod Atticus.. it was built by the Romans in 161 A.D.

The Parthenon.. it's the most recognized Greek monument, dedicated to Athena..

The Theatre of Dionysos

The Temple of Olympian Zeus.. 16 of a total of 104 columns (17m) have been preserved..

view from Acropolis, Athens

The Temple of The Athena Nike
..it was built in the 5th century B.C. & restored in the 1930s.. this site was the location of a sancturary in the prehistoric era..

The Erechtheion.. honored by Athenians as the tomb of Crechtheus, a legendary king of Athens, & noteworthy for its delicate carving.. Caryatids (the Porch of Maidens) supporting the roof of the southern balcony of the Erechtheion sanctuary, which is the most sacred ancient Greek building on the Acropolis..

Acropolis is a high, rocky hill in the middle of this ancient city.. & we had to climb 80 steep steps before reaching the summit..

after leaving Acropolis, we wandered in the streets of Plaka.. & we passed by some tourist centres (e.g. INFOTE).. we asked the staff where we could do some shopping in Athens, & they seemed surprised.. i guess they never could have imagined visitors wanna do shopping in Athens, instead of going to those sight-seeing places..

we didn't really have a choice.. our target was to do some shopping on that day, as Athens was the "biggest" city among all ports.. if we don't seize the change to get ourselves some "decent" clothes (all we've seen so far r "souvenir" clothings), we would still be wearing that same T-shirt day after day (given that we still haven't got our luggages back)..

the staff told us the way to Ermou Street & The Mall in Athens.. so we then head to Ermou Street, as it's just 5-mins from there..

Happy Train in Athens
it cost 5 euros for adult (3 euros for kids) & the ride is about 40 mins long.. it travelled through Athens, beginning at Monastiraki Square & will pass through most of the tourist sites.. for more info, check out Greek Dream Rentals (scroll down to the bottom of the page)..

Ermou Street.. it's a very busy street most of the year.. it's the location of a multitude of well-known shops.. i guess it's like Bloor Street in Toronto..

a store called Octopus @ Monastiraki, selling some trendy stuff.. we bought a set of coasters from there too..

after that, we took the metro & went to "The Mall", while everyone else were visiting those historical sites..

The Mall @ Athens.. which was next to Athens Olympic Stadium.. its name is really called "The Mall".. i guess that's the one & only one mall in Athens..

there were many choices in the foodcourt.. & we decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants, Palmie bistro at The Mall..

(left) Penne Carbonara (Penne sauteed with smoke bacon, mushrooms & fresh cream)
(right) Stroganoff (Pork fillet pieces sauteed with mushrooms & fresh cream. A spicy taste coming from the worcestershire sauce. Served with french fries)
..both were great! i love the mushrooms one.. the sauce tasted good!

LG had the Capriccioso.. which was Espreeso & cold chocolate blended with cream & cookies ice-cream.. served with cream & caramel syrup..

we bought some clothes in The Mall after lunch.. & when we were heading back to our ship, we took some pics on the road..
the street in Piraeus.. a policewoman directing the traffic..

Day 6 Dinner "Greek Dinner"

Appetizer
Garides Kastellorizo (Aegean Shrimp Cocktail with a Light Lemon-Flavored Mayonnaise & Capers)

Soup
(left) Hortosuppa (Vegetable Soup with Beans, Eggplant & Fresh Diced Tomatoes)
(right) Soupa Avoglemono (Chicken Broth with Angel Hair Pasta, Julienne of Chicken, Lemon Juice, Cream & Egg Yolk, Flavored with Bay Leaves & Cloves)

Entrees
(left) Rhodes Mixed Grill (Combinations of Minced Veal Adana, Marinated Chicken Filets & Lamb Chops, Piquant Sauce, Sauteed Fresh Spinach Leaf & Almonds Croquette Potatoes)
(right) Moussaka (Tasty Lamb Stew Flavored with Cinnamon, Onions, Garlic, Tomato, Eggplant & Combined with a Cream Sauce & Cheese)