Ancient Greece--The Cradle of Civilization (Day 1)

 

 

The effort to get to Greece was extensive as I flew from London to Oslo, Norway and then on to Athens.  It was a long day and a lot of flying, especially considering the fact that only 28 hours earlier, I had just flown 7 hours from Philadelphia to London Heathrow.  The scenic route to Athens was quite a bit cheaper for me, and I really didn't mind the brief stopover in Norway.  I have been to Norway a few times before, so I didn't feel like I was missing much by only stopping for a short while at the airport.  Considering the fact that 2 small pieces of pizza cost me about $ 20 in U.S. dollars, I wanted to get out to Athens ASAP.  My first day in Greece was spent getting my bearings and really just settling in.  I strolled through the streets near my hotel, got oriented with the local metro and bus system, and then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon browsing through the local markets.  In the early afternoon, I decided to visit the Acropolis Museum.  This was a wise choice for me.  The museum contains an amazing assortment of Greek artifacts, pottery, statues, and also a number of the actual structures from several monuments located a top the Acropolis.  While visiting the museum, I decided to stop in the local cafeteria for a quick lunch.  I felt a bit hesitant to eat my first meal in Greece in a museum cafeteria, but I was hungry and I heard the food was good.  About ten minutes into my meal, there was some commotion a few tables down from where I was sitting.  The Greek secret service was arranging a table, and creating a security perimeter just 20-30 feet from where I was sitting.  The next thing I knew the Prime Minister of Greece was walking by and then sitting down at a nearby table to conduct a meeting.  I was amazed to literally run into the leader of  Greece on my first day in the country.  It reminded me of a few years back when I was wandering the streets of Rome.  I made my way to the Vatican City on that particular day, and ended up seeing the Pope entering St. Peter's Square.  I hung around that day and listened to the Pope give a brief sermon.  It goes to show that you never quite know what you'll see when you're traveling.

 

 

 

                                                                                  

                                                                        Artifacts of ancient Greece in the Acropolis Museum

                                                                                       Zeus, Apollo, and Aphrodite  (I think ? )

                                                                                 
                                                             More images from the museum (Think they've lost their minds)

                                                                               Greek secret service agents doing their duty

                                            The leader of Greece conducting a business lunch
                                                                                      Wonder what they are talking about??




                                                                                                                         Lights out.