When I was a kid I remember my dad reading me stories about Greek Mythology. He gave me a big book full of beautiful illustrations. I still have it. “D’aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths”, so well loved that the binding is ruined and it is now a stack of loose pages. I also remember him reading to me from a more mature mythology book that was way above my reading level at the time. I adored the stories and I fell in love with the culture.
Greece was a place I had longed to visit as far back as I could remember. The scale, the setting, and the history were inspiring and overwhelming. To experience it with my family, especially my dad, was a lifelong dream come true.
Mom and dad walking up the path to The Acropolis.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
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| Myself and Liz. |
A section of The Propylaea (entrance gate).
The Erechtheion on the left and The Parthenon to the right.
My family (to the left) looking back at The Propylaea.
Myself and dad in front of The Propylaea.
Myself and dad in front of The Parthenon (with Jenny in the background).
The Erechtheion with the famous Porch of the Caryatids. The porch has six columns in the shape of graceful maidens. The ones at The Acropolis today are copies; five of the original Caryatids are kept at the Acropolis Museum and one is at the British Museum.
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| Myself, Jenny, mom, and Liz. |
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| Jenny, Liz, and myself. |
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| Mom and dad. |
The Parthenon.
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| Dad. |
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| Dad and Jenny. |
My family taking a break next to The Parthenon.
Dad and Jenny (towards the center) making their way to the Greek flag with Lycabettus Hill to the left.
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| Dad, Liz, mom, and Jenny. |
The incredible view of Athens from The Acropolis.
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| Myself and dad. |
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| Myself, Jenny, Liz, dad, and mom. |
The Erechtheion.
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| Dad. |
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| Myself, Jenny, and mom. |
On the other side of The Erechtheion lies the famous olive tree. According to legend, the goddess Athena gifted the city with an olive tree and so Athens was named in her honor. Although this particular olive tree is not ancient, it does mark the spot where Athena bestowed her gift. There has been an olive tree in this location for thousands of years.
Dad petting a stray cat on the way to the exit.
Passing back through The Propylaea.
Dad (far left) offering his hand to help mom down the steps.
We stopped at Scholarchio for a late lunch. I got the sweet and sour feta. It was a thick slice of warm feta cheese wrapped in crispy filo dough, covered in honey and sesame seeds. Absolutely phenomenal!
The flavorful Greek salad.
The lovely exterior of the restaurant.
The moon over Piraeus as we get ready to sail to our next destination.
