Friday was a day of jetlag. Despite falling into a coma at 11:30 Thursday night, I woke up on Friday to Susan’s voice, “Do you guys realize it’s 12:30?” Ah well, what can ya do? We stopped at the front desk to check on using the subway (one of Susan’s favorite things to do is ask the front desk for help…she has suggested doing this most times that we need help, even if we’re driving around in our car) and found the stop without much trouble. The subway seems very similar to that in NYC, which was helpful. One difference is that it is incredibly clean. Overall, a good experience. We walked to the Acropolis. Because of the previous night’s research, we were mostly sure of what it is, but spending a day there cleared some things up. Before entering the Acropolis, we climbed Areopagus Hill, where the Apostle Paul is said to have shared his faith with Athenians. I experienced a moment when my faith suddenly seemed different – this was a very real reminder that my faith is based on true things and that Paul hung out with people who were not of the same faith but were on a journey that he could become involved in. The buildings located on the Acropolis are just amazing. It’s really something to climb a set of marble steps and then find yourself surrounded by such familiar images living where they’ve lived for thousands of years. Our grogginess was brushed aside by the beauty of the buildings, the backdrop of the mountains, and the ocean breeze that seems to be ever-present. As our guidebook says, this is a site that does not disappoint.

Our next traipsing around was at the Plaka. This is the historic district near the Acropolis. It was our first experience with the Greece I had been picturing – narrow stone streets, cafes spilling their tables out onto the streets, live music, hosts of flowers lazing their way down brick walls. We noticed right away that cafes are eager for the business of tourists. Every café we passed meant a greeting and an invitation to stop in. We chose a gold mine. We sat right out on the brick street, interacted with the Greek staff, ate traditional Greek dishes (souvlaki and moussaka) and listened to live Greek music mingled with American dance hits that were lingering over from the shop across the street. This was our first experience with dining out…it seems that you can sit and sit and no one attempts to speed you through your meal. Pretty different from dining out in the US. My only complaint is that I didn’t hear “Alejandro.” Oh well.

We took one last walk through the grounds below the Parthenon to see its pillars lit up against the night sky and caught our train back to the hotel. Our excessively late start to the day had been redeemed by such good touristing.