While the Commodore was busy reversing QM2, several hundred passengers stood along the stern railing (i.e. the blunt end, not the pointy end) of decks 7-13, enjoying a wee drinkie and live music at what's known as a "Sail In Party". It's all terribly civilized. A good day's hunting and gathering for the tribe too. Me and a couple of Autralian ladies I've befriended - Leonna and Elaine - decided to just take it easy and walk around Athens in the afternoon. We were dropped by bus at Hadrian's Arch and spent a good 6 hours trolling he shops beneath the Acropolis. The shops are fabulous and I bought several pieces of hand-blown glass, costume jewellry, and the mandatory t-shirts.
The shopping/café district, Plaka, is very scenic; narrow streets and many old buildings with shuttered windows and traditional clay-tiled rooves. There are also plenty of picturesque chapels or historic columns thrown in for good measure and, of course, it is all in the shadow of the Acropolis perched high above on a hill of its own. [Editor's note: I've since learned the Acropolis is actually the name of the hill itself. More about that tomorrow.]
We found a wonderful indoor-outdoor café named Diogenes and had a Fawlty Towers moment when the waiters realised we didn't mean to eat a full meal, just cake and coffee. Who knew the complementary bread, olives and dip were only for those diners who planned to spend significant amounts of money? Try reading the website and you'll get a sense of the communication barrier.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to head down to Cape Sounion, the southern most point of the European continent, to see the beautiful coastline and Poseidon's Temple.
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