July 4th in Athens

Established in the sixth century BC, Piraeus is Greece’s third most populous city. The protective Long Walls, which guarded the route between the port and Athens, were begun in 478 BC and the harbor expanded considerably as Athens funded a powerful navy.  We were docked bright and early after a fairly rapid sea voyage to get here. There were several other cruise ships in view, lots of ferried going back and forth and several private yachts to be seen. We were in amongst tall buildings and they all had solar panels on their roofs. The solar panels had round, bright silver things that turned all the time. We decided they must be exhaust fans of some sort.

Our crowd had a tour at 10:00 and they all left the ship at about the same time to meet the guide. They were so pleased with the guide and her knowledge and enthusiasm. Ella and Kathryn had decided to spend the day at The Children’s Museum where they saw some animals, found a children’s library with a few books in English and ate lunch. They had a big adventure getting back to the ship because the taxi dropped them off at a different spot. They wandered and wandered and thankfully got back- even though they were bait weary and hot. 

The rest of the group learned a great deal about Athens from the guide.

They saw a large rock from where Paul preached and of course the renovated Acropolis, an Athenian icon. The guide talked about a temple built 2000 years ago and then said beneath that was some real history.  Acropolis means “high place” and ancient people believed the gods lived in the clouds so high places brought them closer to those they worshipped. The first residents moved to the mountain in 3500BC and by 1400 BC it was the royal dwelling.

Ella at The Children's Museum

The ruins of the Temple of Athena are at the Acropolis. This was one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, built between 470 and 432 BC. The guide was, as most Europeans are, very politically savvy and outspoken.  She said Athens has lots of refugees from countries “visited by George W Bush- especially Afghanistan and Iraq. She pointed out places where people were executed for various crimes and indicated the place where traitors were hanged. She said those politicians who agreed to the bailout and restriction should be hanged there- that what they did was treason. Feelings do seem to run high about the economic situation all around.

Aft Elevator Doors

We continue to be amazed by the beauty of this ship and by the luxury of our living space. There used to be an official art tour but now there are iPods available to tour on your own. Holland America normally spends about $2,000,000 for art on each ship. How lucky we are to be seeing all of this!

Card playing Together

Michael, Jack, Kate and Ethan

Sunset- July 4th

We hung out together in the afternoon with Kate playing cards (Kings on Corners) with the younger guys and the rest of us chatting about the day. We all went to dinner together and then both families went swimming- seems to be a great way to end the day. Jack and Ethan and their family came to visit. The little guys were dressed most appropriately in pajamas with stars and stripes. We all rejoiced at the birthday of our country and also remembered Grandmother Barnett- who would have been 101 today. She would have loved to have been here!

The sunset was beautiful and Kate, Bill, and Will hung around until about 11:30. Great fun!