Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Walking up to 4 miles; up/down a winding trail with many well-worn steps to Acropolis; no handrails; uneven, rocky sometimes slippery surfaces; standing up to 2 hours. At Acropolis Museum, walking and standing for more than an hour. Popular sites may be crowded at certain periods. Note: The “On Your Feet” activity level group will not climb to the Acropolis and will see it from the motorcoach followed by a slower paced visit to the museum.
In the Terrace Café — and on the Lido Deck in nice weather — there are freshly made hot and cold dishes to choose from such as eggs, breakfast meats, cereals, fruits, breads, pastries, and a variety of healthy choices as well as milk, juice, coffee, tea, water. Meals feature fresh ingredients in tasty preparations.
Orientation: We will gather this morning with the Group Leader, who will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will step off the ship with our Group Leader and walk to our waiting motorcoach for a field trip to the city’s most iconic symbol, the Acropolis. From the UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription: “The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world.” We will climb to the top of the rocky crag and stand in awe before ruins of the Parthenon and other temples. Built between 447-432 BCE, the Parthenon — named for the city’s patron goddess, Athena Parthenos — has been called “the supreme effort of genius in pursuit of beauty” and “the most perfect Doric temple ever built.” Its architectural proportions symbolize the ideals of Greek thought at the height of Greek civilization.
At a local restaurant.
The long-awaited Acropolis Museum was completed in 2007. Your Group Leader, or a local expert, will lead this exploration in the dramatic Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis. We will ascend floors of glass that seem to float above the excavations for an extraordinary perspective of the layers of Greek history that lie below. In addition to irreplaceable masterpieces, the exceptional collection includes items from everyday life and all historic periods. A recreation of the Parthenon’s frieze was based on existing original blocks as well as copies from museums in London and Paris. We will return to the ship by motorcoach with time to freshen up and relax. We will then gather for a port talk in the late afternoon.
Your choice of the Terrace Café or Marco Polo Restaurant.
At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, and be sure to check the briefing memo placed in our cabins with highlights for tomorrow. The ship will leave Piraeus on our journey to Mykonos.
