Year 5, Day 169 “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 10/16/2025 – Day 10 of 30 day trip to Rome, Italy with a Mediterranean cruise and a transatlantic cruise back to Bayonne, NJ. Day 5 of 10 night Greece, Turkey, and Italy cruise on Odyssey of the Seas – Athens(Piraeus), Greece 7:30am-5:30am. Kaliméra, Eimai stin Athina. We are in Athens, Greece which is 2,624 miles north of the equator. We live in Science Hill, KY which is approximately 4,535 miles from the equator. It just seems colder here. Maybe it is the wind. It is another early morning.
We are meeting on deck 4 in the theater for another excursion at 7:30am. We are doing a Selfie Tour of the best of Athens. This excursion was again booked in advance months ago and we paid $155.98 for the two of us. I am mentioning the prices. I’m doing it because a reason for this blog is to help you plan your traveling. Knowing what we paid should assist you in your travel plans.
I am already tired before we set out for the day. Usually I am outside on our balcony looking at the scenery as we pull into the ports. Or at night you find me sitting relaxing outside on the deck. Not this trip. With the life boats right there, I have basically forgotten we have a balcony. And at night it is so bright around those life boats. Do not get room 6190 on Odyssey of the Seas. In my opinion it is a room to avoid. We boarded a tour bus that took us to the Acropolis.
The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens. However, nearly every Greek city had an acropolis of its own. Today we are docked in the largest port in Greece. There are two more ports in Piraeus. The main occupation here is tourism and then it is shipping. There are no skyscrapers. Tower of Piraeus is the largest building with 22 floors. Law states that nothing can block the Acropolis. There are about 11 million people in Greece with 5 million in Athens. lt is a cool overcast day. 5th century before Christ is when most of the sites we are going to see today were built. We passed the main dock and were told that it costs about 250,000 euros a night to dock there. I guess you will never find me there. The bus ride consisted of a lot of Greek mythology stories. The Acropolis is an ancient fortified hill located in Athens, Greece. It was a religious, cultural, and political center of the city in ancient times. The word “Acropolis” comes from the Greek words “akro” (meaning high or extreme). “Polis” means city. So, it can be translated as “high city.” People worshiped the Greek gods. In fact some people today still worship them. We were given selfie sticks on the bus. It was my first time trying a selfie stick. Every city state had its own acropolis.
Very congested traffic this morning. We passed an area with strip clubs and dancing ladies. Traffic is so heavy in some parts of the city. You can only drive on the streets if your license plate is even on even days. You can drive if your license plate is odd on odd days. Except for electric cars you can drive any day. There was an ambulance stuck in traffic with us. Athens is a city and appears to be not much different than any other city. There are lots and lots of motorcycles and scooters. In fact we see lots of police riding motorcycles.
Our second stop was to see the changing of the guards at the parliament. The “Changing of the Guard” ceremony in Athens happens hourly. It takes place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square, in front of the Hellenic Parliament. Here’s a video of today at 11am. These are an elite unit called the Evzones. They are a ceremonial infantry unit that guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Mansion. Every hour, the guards change positions at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This display symbolizes Greek freedom and honors the fallen soldiers. All male Greek citizens, aged between 19 and 45, are required to serve in the Armed Forces.
Our tour guide wanted us out of the Syntagma Square in Athens as quickly as possible. The police are closing the area due to a demonstration happening today. There was a large police presence around with full riot gear. We also saw police trucks with like plows on the front.
We made a short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium. This stadium was constructed in 330/329 BC. The stadium is the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It remains the starting point for the Olympic flame torch relay. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, earning it the nickname “Kallimarmaro” (“beautiful marble”).
After that we were taken to a local Greek fast food restaurant and had the best chicken Souvlaki. Yummy.
It was a great tour and we saw some awesome things. Once back on the ship, we headed for some coffee. We spent a little time relaxing. Then, we explored house plans and reviewed Royal Caribbean’s fleet of ships.
In the evening there were 14 ships waiting to come into port.
We visited the crown lounge and had some lovely Hors d’oeuvres.
Cruise Compass Day 5 of 10 – Odyssey of the Seas Athens, Greece – 7:30am to 5:30 pm
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4o5yM9I Wood 3 in 1 Chess Backgammon Table: Look at this great table. Can’t wait to set it up in our balcony area. This board game table includes a backgammon board and a chessboard. Chess pieces are included.
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