← greece 2026
Greece 2026

Day 5: Athens

2026-06-15

Captured Moments

Some inspirational phrases to begin the day
I found this place (Coffee Jar) right up the street from our hotel. It was great!
Olympic Stadium. All the seats are made from marble
Guards marching at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
National Library of Greece
Roman bath outside the Acropolis Museum
Black figure technique
Comparing the black-figure and red-figure pottery techniques. Interesting fact: the Greeks typically diluted their wine with water!
Caryatid. Amazing feat of civil engineering. Look up the backstory
Parthenon
Temple of Ahtena Nike
Had to get this shot for our friends Julie and MaryAnn (maiden names Zucchero)
Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens
Inside the church
Thanisis where we at lunch with our group afterwards
Running Man sculpture outside National Art Gallery
The Concert of the Angels by El Greco
Our group at the welcome dinner

Athens Exploration

Greece • June 15, 2026 • Day 5 of 16

Today, we met our guide Yota, who took us around the city and then to the Acropolis Museum for a history of Athens.

Athens Downtown

We took a 45-minute bus ride, where we learned about the Greeks.

Athens is one of the world's oldest cities (and the oldest in Europe), with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years. Its earliest human presence began somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BC. According to Greek mythology, the city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom

We saw the Panathaneic Stadium, Syntagma Square, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (with soldiers stretching their legs in unison), Athens National Garden, National Library, and the Plaka area.

Acropolis Museum

The Parthenon Gallery: The top floor is a glass-enclosed rectangle specifically designed to mirror the dimensions and orientation of the Parthenon itself. The frieze panels are mounted in their original order, creating a full-scale reconstruction.

During the museum’s construction, excavations revealed an ancient Athenian neighborhood beneath the site, featuring ruins of homes, streets, workshops, and baths spanning from the 4th millennium BC to the 12th century AD.

The Caryatids: The museum houses five of the six original Caryatids—the iconic, draped female statues that served as architectural columns on the Erechtheion porch. The sixth remains in the British Museum; in the display, the empty spot reserved for the missing figure is marked to emphasize her absence.

🏛️ Fun Fact: The museum was adapted to preserve the historical ruins of the underlying city, which are now visible through glass floors for visitors entering the building.

Afternoon and Evening

We went to lunch at Thanasis Souvlaki, a favorite restaurant of our guide. The restaurant was opened by two cousins in 1964. After lunch, we walked to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, and then took the metro to visit the National Gallery.

Dinner was at Estia restaurant, where we got an opportunity to get to know the members of our 14 person group.

What's Next

Tomorrow we will be hiking up to the Acropolis with Savvas and Yota, and then making a visit to the Shedia Project.

— David

Comments