Half of our group of six had never been to Athens before, so after our trip to the monument dedicated to the U.S. soldiers who had fought in Greece during World War II, we wanted to be sure to visit the Acropolis, without doubt the most iconic site in the city. Mr. Costas, our excellent driver, made a quick stop on our way there outside the all-marble Olympic stadium from the first modern games in 1896. It was a nice bonus, especially since just days before we had stood in Olympia and seen the altar where the torch for the modern games is lit from the rays of the sun.

Because of the transportation strike going on that day, all of the sites we visited seemed far less crowded than they had been on my previous visit 11 years before. That and the fact that the weather was perfect — mostly sunny, a nice breeze, not too warm — made for a very enjoyable afternoon. One of the best parts of the experience was seeing the Parthenon and the other buildings on and around the Acropolis through the eyes of my niece, daughter and son-in-law, who had never been there before.

Following our explorations on the Acropolis and a leisurely lunch at a café nearby, we made our way to the new Acropolis Museum. Both my husband and I had toured the old museum on the Acropolis itself, so we could really appreciate the vast upgrade this lovely building provides. We again appreciated the limited numbers of visitors with whom we shared the large, bright galleries. Large floor-to-ceiling windows allowed in plenty of natural light and provided views out over the city and up to the Acropolis. Most impressive is the top-floor full-size representation of the Parthenon’s exterior, with a patchwork of original stone, replicas and drawings of the intricate friezes that adorned the building.

As we made our way out of the building, we passed over Plexi-glass panels which provided views directly under our feet of the excavations of the ancient neighborhood which was exposed as the foundation for the museum was dug. It seems there is always some new discovery to be made in this ancient city!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate publisher/copy editor