Athens day two- at our own pace

Our second day in Athens was taken at our own pace and not dictated by anyone else's schedule. With the general strike still going on, we knew we needed to get out relatively early to make it to various monuments before the deadline of 3pm. From our hotel we hopped on the Metro (subway) and headed back to the Acropolis area.

When you arrive in Monastiraki Square you are greeted with bustling activity. It's a lively place day and night, and at night seems to be a gathering place for young people. Always trying to make sure I have food available should hunger strike, I was pleased that there are also a number of vendors selling fresh fruit in the square. You can also go explore the Athens Flea Market, which apparently goes on all week long, but that's not really our thing.

We headed up to see the Roman and Athenian Agoras again, but up close this time, along with the National Observatory, which gives you another great view of the Acropolis and surrounding parts of the city. We also went to visit the Dionysus Theatre, which was okay, but nothing too exciting- you actually have a better view of it from the top of the Acropolis. 

The best thing we did on our second day was, by far, the Acropolis Museum. Kudos to the planners and architects who designed and built it, because it is really interesting and a very cool concept.  Many sections and artifacts that used to be part of the Parthenon are now housed in the museum, and the top floor is actually laid out just like the Parthenon, with eight columns on each end and 17 columns down each side. The parts of the top around the roof and many of the sculptures are placed exactly as they would have been on the Parthenon, which gives you a really good idea of what it would actually be like if it was all still intact. You should also take time to watch the video on Floor 2, as it helps you understand the purpose of the structure and various types of buildings it has been transformed into (Christian church, mosque, etc). The other floors of the museum are dedicated to other structures within the Acropolis such as the Temple of Athena Nike. At only 5 Euro it's absolutely worth a visit.

When you walk around the entire area surrounding the Acropolis, on any side, there is tons of stuff to see and do. The Plaka area specifically is a neighborhood known for its shops and cafes, so BK and I had lunch in the area and spent the majority of the afternoon walking around looking at shops and people watching. Dinner was quite an experience, that deserves its own post- we went into foodie land and got some crazy gastro cuisine. At the same time we discovered that even though we like nice meals, foodies we are not.

I forgot to take pics with my iPhone during the day, so I didn't get any pics to post for this one. I've gotten better though and will put some in my post about Mykonos tomorrow!