Day 3

So much for my "earlyish" start at the Acropolis! I'll have to start setting my alarm - my room is below street level & has only small high windows, so I don't get woken by the light (yes, I know, excuses!).

Anyhoo, when I did finally get to the Acropolis entry gate, there were so many in the queue that I decided to go to the Acropolis Museum nearby first. At least it was air conditioned! The day was a lot warmer without much of a breeze, so it was a relief to get inside. As you walk towards the doors, you realise you're walking on glass, and below lies the archaeological digs the museum was built upon.

There are no photos allowed in most of the exhibition areas, even though there are some ignoramuses who give it a go anyway, and act all innocent when one of the staff politely tells them off. This is where most of the finds from around the Acropolis and in the Parthenon are displayed. From friezes and statues, they're beautifully displayed - some partially or fully restored so they aren't just sitting there in a pile of fragments. It must be fantastic for the archaeologists to work with these amazing pieces. I'll pop a few pics here of the things we are allowed to photograph.

This is part of the display of the friezes from the Parthenon

These lovely ladies are the Caryatids, which were from the porch of the Erechthion, the other main building on the Acropolis

After spending an hour or so in the museum, I headed back to queue for tickets to the Acropolis. It was still hot, and I learned that I should have a full bottle of water before heading up that many steps when it's that warm! All I can say is that I had a LOT of rest stops on the way up.

First stop was at the Theatre of Dionysus, and I had to sit on one of those ancient seats of course

Part way up, the view across Athens are as fabulous as you'd expect

View of the Hill of the Pnyx, where I was yesterday

You may recall that on my first day I mentioned the Herodeon - here it is from above

And finally, the main event - the Parthenon entry and the temple itself

The Theatre of Dionysus from above

And a final view across to Lykavittos Hill, the tallest in Athens (hoping to get over there tomorrow, and take the funicular up to the top)

When I came back down, I was well and truly ready for a cold drink & something to eat. It's amazing how good something relatively simple can taste when you're hanging out for it - toasted baguette filled with feta, tomato & spinach, with a few olives on the side - yum!

I ended the afternoon with a bus tour around the city - as much to have a break than anything else, but also to see if there was anywhere else I might particularly want to visit tomorrow. And we'll see what happens...