We landed in Greece ahead of schedule, but unfortunately one suitcase decided to take a short trip to Paris en route, so it will be arriving tonight. Maria, our guide and George, our driver for the day, took us in to the center of Athens.
Since it rained earlier in the morning and the Acropolis can be slippery after a rain, we visited he New Acropolis Museum instead. Around 2 pm, we checked into our hotel rooms and everyone felt refreshed when we met up again at 3 pm for a short visit to the Plaka district. Some shopped and some had their first taste of true Greek gyros.
The one observation that keeps coming up is that the Athens we are seeing is not at all like what the major media outlets made Athens out to be during their coverage of the economic crisis. Yes, there are homeless people and abandoned properties, but no more than any other major city in Europe or the United States. Moreover, our guide Maria said that she was happy we were here in a tone that makes me think that, unfortunately, the tourism industry here is still lagging.
Please keep the posts coming -- family and friends at home are anxious to hear and happy to read about the trip! Have a wonderful time everyone!!
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