Arrival & Pre-Tour
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We are here, actually here in Athens Greece! There was no feeling like it! No time for jetlag, and with adrenaline pumping through our veins, we dumped our lightweight cases in our room and headed for the door, Rick Steves guidebook in hand! Our mission, Greek food and the guidebook had plenty of affordable options. Wandering the tiered walkways we stumbled on our restaurant of choice, Xnios Zeus! We enjoyed authentic Greek food, cheap delicious wine and we savoured our first of many Greek salads. They never got old!! Refuelled, we meandered the side streets taking in the friendly, homey feeling as restaurant patrons spilled out onto the stairwells, reclining on comfortable cushions, laughing and visiting with friends and family alike. Sauntering back to our hotel, the Acropolis brightly lit towering overhead caught our eye, as if to welcome us to this great city.
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Athens Pre-Tour: Rick Steves Audio Walking Tour of Athens Part 1
We ventured out on this glorious warm Sunday morning to achieve a closer look at the foreboding Acropolis. We began our walk of the Acropolis loop and stumbled on Mars Hill, where Paul of Bible times addressed the Gentiles concerning the message of the Gospel. Looking over the view of the Agora where Paul had walked in days of old was very impactful to us. We continued to Syntagma Square and observed the changing of guard. After a quick coffee break we synced our phones, pressed play , gave each other the nod and began the Rick Steves walk on our app, followed by lunch in Plaka. After lunch we continued our walk and sauntered around the National Gardens, a beautiful park in Athens. Check out our slide show photos for more about the walking tour.
On our way back to our hotel at 10:30 at night we walked by our lunch restaurant where we had stopped at 1 pm and lo and behold there was our waiter who served us leaning on a chair, waiting for customers, looking exhausted. We commented," wow you work long hours!" Despondently he replied, “yes, I work very hard but I am so thankful for my job because two million Greeks are out of work." It was obvious that this dear man was desperately trying to do all he could to provide for his family, was thankful for his employment, but he was trapped in an economic crisis making it difficult to survive and have hope for the future.
Athens Pre-Tour: Rick Steves Audio Walking Tour of Athens Part 2
During breakfast the next day we noticed our guide David Willett making the rounds introducing himself to all the tour members. Right away Julie and David hit it off! What, with both of them having their origins in the UK, there was no end to their bantering back and forth in full British accent! This continued periodically throughout the trip! We had a great chat with him and now we looked forward to the tour beginning even more! Not wanting to waste a minute, we headed out and finished the second half of the Rick Steves walk. See the slideshow below for details. At lunch time, while choosing a restaurant we were approached by employees desperate for us to hear their sales pitch, hoping they could quickly usher us inside their restaurant. But interestingly enough one young guy, instead of aggressively trying to convince us, asked us why this approach was not working with tourists. We ended up having a great conversation with him. He told us that he had a degree in engineering, but like so many Greeks could not find work. He never once complained about his menial, current job, but showed appreciation and desired to do his best and work hard.
After a reenergizing rest back at the hotel we finally and officially met up with our tour. After a brief overview of the tour and introductions, we all walked together to David’s nearby restaurant of choice, The Restaurant Of The Gods. What a great pick David! With such a small intimate group of tour members, over a delightful Greek lamb meal with all the trimmings, it did not take long to get to know each one! After dinner, together with a few of our new friends, we joined Aine Richards, David's tour assistant, for a short stroll around part of the base of the Acropolis, to take in a "sneak peak" of the Parthenon all lit up at night. The wide promenade around the base of the Acropolis (once a busy road, now a beautiful pedestrian only area) was the perfect place for a leisurely stroll after dinner.
We soon realized that these tour members would fast become friends. What a great beginning to our Greek tour experience.
After a reenergizing rest back at the hotel we finally and officially met up with our tour. After a brief overview of the tour and introductions, we all walked together to David’s nearby restaurant of choice, The Restaurant Of The Gods. What a great pick David! With such a small intimate group of tour members, over a delightful Greek lamb meal with all the trimmings, it did not take long to get to know each one! After dinner, together with a few of our new friends, we joined Aine Richards, David's tour assistant, for a short stroll around part of the base of the Acropolis, to take in a "sneak peak" of the Parthenon all lit up at night. The wide promenade around the base of the Acropolis (once a busy road, now a beautiful pedestrian only area) was the perfect place for a leisurely stroll after dinner.
We soon realized that these tour members would fast become friends. What a great beginning to our Greek tour experience.
Athens Walking Tour Part 2 Slideshow
We Were in Good Hands!
Our Guide David Willett and his Tour Assistant Aine Richards made the difference on this tour. David has been guiding in Greece for many, many years, and has an incredible knowledge of the country. In fact, prior to guiding for Rick Steves, David was the author of the Lonely Planet guidebook on Greece. David is originally from the U.K. and currently lives down under in Australia. David had a vast knowledge of all aspects of Greece: its ancient and modern history, its people, its food and customs, and so much more. Although David has done this tour many times before, he had just as much vigor and enthusiasm as if it was his first time. Aine joined this tour to do some research for the Rick Steves office and she was also a great assistant not only to David but for our tour group as well. Aine saw to it that everyone was looked after, provided some great advice, got to know us, and would often be the one hanging back to make sure no one got lost or left behind. Aine works for the Rick Steves office in Edmonds, Washington.
Thanks David and Aine for a most incredible tour experience!
Thanks David and Aine for a most incredible tour experience!