We've Made it to Athens and Our Ship--Let the Fun Begin

After 26 hours in transit from home, we arrived at our Athens hotel—Elia Ermou—and stepped out onto our balcony to this stunning view of the Parthenon, which sits on the Acropolis, or sacred rock above the city.  

Eating breakfast at the hotel this morning, the view was slightly different but no less stunning.  Tomorrow we will actually go visit the Acropolis, but today we just enjoyed the view.


The hotel concierge told us that getting a taxi in this part of town would be difficult, but we could easily take the subway or metro to the port of Piraeus, where our Viking ship was docked.  "Just walk straight down this street (pointing) about six minutes, maybe ten with luggage, to the metro station at the end and take the green line all the way to Piraeus."  I asked about stairs, but she assured me that the station had an elevator “that works most of the time.”  

The walk to the metro station took closer to twenty minutes, as our wheeled suitcases did not roll easily over the cobblestone streets and sidewalks.  After we found someone to show us how to buy metro tickets (it was all Greek to us!), we discovered that the elevators are closed due to covid restrictions.  We bounced (Scott) or carried (me) our luggage down several flights of stairs to the platform and boarded the train without too much difficulty.

At the Piraeus metro station, I asked a policeman for directions to the cruise ship terminal, and we headed off down more bumpy streets and sidewalks, skirting cafes, people, train tracks, and fences toward our waiting ship.  According to my Fitbit, we walked over 7,000 steps (about three miles) to reach our destination.  We stopped briefly to smell some flowers along the way.  



At last we could see our ship—the brand-new Viking Venus—but it seemed to take a really long time to get to it.



We have settled into our lovely stateroom, explored the ship, eaten a couple of delicious meals, enjoyed several glasses of wine, and attended a port talk about what to expect tomorrow.  Oh, and we’ve filled out our daily health questionnaires, given up our daily saliva samples for testing, had our temperature checked, and been given instructions on keeping the ship covid-free. 

Tomorrow we will explore Athens and then set sail.  Here is a map I drew of our itinerary. 



Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 8, 2021 at 2:05 PM

    So, tomorrow, you'll get to take a bus or something to the Acropolis instead of walking?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethNovember 8, 2021 at 11:11 PM

      Yes! And when we dock in Athens at the end of our cruise, we’re definitely taking a taxi!

      Delete
  2. UnknownNovember 8, 2021 at 2:06 PM

    This is Peggy, BTW, I guess I have to identify myself from now on!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PaulNovember 8, 2021 at 2:57 PM

    We enjoyed our visit to Athens some years ago and especially the Acropolis where the orators of the day sought to win over the citizens with their rhetorical powers. There was Plato on the one hand and the Sophists on the other, all plying their trade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethNovember 10, 2021 at 12:43 PM

      How thrilling! I hope to see something similar.

      Delete
  4. Kristen Reitz-GreenNovember 8, 2021 at 7:40 PM

    Love the updates! Hope you have a wonderful trip. It’s fun to follow along!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wendy WNovember 9, 2021 at 9:08 AM

    So enjoyed reading about your adventure thus far and seeing the photos! Have a wonderful time and keep sharing please. Living vicariously through you and Scott...

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownDecember 6, 2021 at 8:16 PM

    Love your drawings! Please enclose more of them in your next blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownDecember 6, 2021 at 8:16 PM

    What did you think about Viking's cruises?

    ReplyDelete

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