Athens, Greece Day 1

Because my flight was delayed I didn't arrive downtown Athens until about 3:00. I booked my ferry ticket and stored my luggage for the day and then headed to Syntagma Square. I walked around the square a little and then went to the Parliament Building just in time to see the changing of the guard, which was really cool. They wear these skirt-like outfits with white tights and they have huge pom-poms on their shoes. And they took those huge steps with their legs lifted out straight. It was really fun to watch. After the guard had officially changed, a man dressed in an army outfit asked that we not take any pictures while he adjusted the hats and outfits of the guards so they looked very put together while they stood guard. It was kind of cool how he asked everyone not to take any pictures because it looks kind of silly him adjusting the outfit of the other man. And people were really respectful about it and didn't take any photos. After that we could go stand next to the men and have our picture taken. But the army man was there to make sure we didn't get too close. The guards had to stand there perfectly still and stare straight ahead with no facial expression. I could never do that! If too many people went up on the platform at the same time and the army man didn't see it, the guard would pick his gun up and slam it down on the ground to get his attention. And then the army guy would come over and tell people to only come up one at a time. It was really interesting. They weren't aloud to talk at all.

After the changing of the guards I walked behind the Parliament building and visited the National Gardens. They were absolutely beautiful. I hung out there for awhile and wrote in my journal on a bench surrounded by trees. It seems like every place I've visited has had a really nice garden/park place where people can hang out. It's been really nice. After the gardens I walked to the Plaka and the Monastiraki where they have a bunch of shops and vendors selling all kinds of souvenirs. I also got a view of the Acropolis from there and made my way through some small Greek streets that were exactly as I pictured them. I also saw two ruins sites. It seems as though you just happen upon ruins as you walk through Athens. There are so many sites. It is really cool.

At night I took the subway out to the port of Piraeus and found the "ferry" that I was to take overnight to Crete. But it was not the ferry that I was picturing in my head. It was like a huge cruise ship! It was amazing! I took an escalator up inside the ship where I checked in to my cabin. Someone carried my bags up to the cabin and I was given a nice bed in a little room with 3 Greek women. And the cabin even had a bathroom with a shower! I made a friend whose name in Greek means Happiness, so I just called her Happiness because I had a hard time pronouncing her Greek name. Happiness and I hung out in the bar area of the ship and drank some free lemonade and had snacks that we brought. I was totally in awe of how nice the ship was. I wish I could have enjoyed it longer, but I was so tired from only a few hours of sleep the night before, so I went up to my cabin and slept. That concluded my lovely day in Athens.