Day 20 in Greece - 2023

Good Morning


We wake up in Athens City Hotel and eat the provided breakfast. It's not much - just toast and coffee, but it's included, so it'll do. We have an email from the clinic letting us know that six of my eggs out of nine were successfully fertilized.

A series of rustic letter boards displaying IVF journey milestones with a decorative compass in the background.

Exploring Athens


We walk into the city, leaving the car in the parking ramp near the hotel. It's unmercifully hot in the city. Athens, or Athina, is truly a concrete jungle, in this part of the city. Just cement slabs, leading to cement buildings, leading to concrete roads, all taking the heat and blasting it back onto us. We walk close to the storefronts along the streets to avoid the sun as much as possible, but none of the stores are intriguing enough for us to want to venture inside.


We walk 3.2 kilometers, or about two miles and end up in front of the Vallianeio Megaron, also known as the National Library of Athens. Unfortunately, it's not open. The doors are locked. We admire the architecture of it instead. Nearby, in the same area, there's the Statue of Plato and the Statue of Socrates in front of The Academy of Athens.


We keep walking and find ourselves in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. It is only 650 meters, or 0.4 miles from The Academy of Athens. I never thought about how another country would have something like the States' Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but it makes sense, obviously, that other countries would. I get a front and center spot sitting on the stones, watching the soldiers do their march and routine. The soldiers belong to a special unit called Evzones, and are wearing the traditional garments of their elite unit.

Architectural detail showing massive stone columns in a classical colonnade with modern buildings visible in background.
Two guards in traditional uniforms stand at attention during the changing of the guard ceremony at a stone monument.
The Greek Parliament building in Athens with its neoclassical architecture and grand stone steps in Syntagma Square.
Ancient Greek statues and architectural details are displayed in a row against a light background.
Neoclassical buildings with white columns and a central statue stand behind tall cypress trees at the National Library of Greece.
A skateboarder performs a sequence of trick attempts on a concrete ledge in black and white photography.
Ancient Greek architecture details showing classical columns and pediments of the Academy of Athens against a blue sky.
Ancient Greek neoclassical building with white marble columns and grand stone staircase at the National Library of Athens.
Ornate marble statue of a warrior figure stands atop a tall pillar against a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

National Garden


There's an entrance to what looks like a park right near the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, and we go in. We soon discover it's the National Garden of Athens. It is quite large, and we take breaks just about any chance we get where there's a bench in the shade.


There are a lot of different plants, and so many different animals. We see green birds flying overhead, and find that they are an invasive species of parrot from Africa. We pass by these ponds where geese and ducks are moseying along. There's also a pond full of turtles. Seriously, it's very full of turtles. I've never seen so many turtles in one place ever before in my life.


We get out of the thick foliage part of the park and find ourselves on a walkway where we pass by a tree with purple blossoms and a man with a very large bubble machine. Children are playing in the bubbles, and I'm excited that we could be pregnant very soon with our own child that will want to play with bubbles one day.

Vibrant green maple leaves create a natural canopy against a bright sky on a sunny spring day.
Looking up through bright green leaves at sunlight filtering through a wooden pergola structure.
Close-up profile views of a grey goose with orange beak showing different head positions and angles.
A group of waterfowl and turtles gather near rocks in a pond, creating a peaceful wildlife scene.
A serene pond with stone borders and lush greenery surrounds the tranquil water in a landscaped garden setting.
A close-up portrait of a white goose with an orange beak against a blurred natural background.
Turtles bask in the sun along the rocky edge of a green pond on a warm day.
A row of turtles sunbathing on a log at the edge of a pond on a warm day.
Several painted turtles bask on large gray rocks in a pond while sunning themselves.
Ancient oak tree with massive twisted branches spreads across a sandy clearing in a wooded park setting.
White acanthus flowers bloom on tall spikes in a garden with fallen oranges scattered on the ground.
A tree-lined path with blooming purple Jacaranda trees creating a natural tunnel under a blue sky with white clouds.

Monuments


We exit the National Garden and find ourselves looking at the Temple of the Olympian Zeus. It's surrounded by scaffolding, but it's still cool to see. We pass through Hadrian's Arch, crossing the main road away from the Garden.


We are hungry for lunch by this time, and we find a place called Plakiotissa. The menu is in all sorts of different languages, which is amazing! The waitstaff are all very friendly, and honestly, it's a charming place to eat. Food was good, drinks were cold, and we left happy and full.

Ancient Greek columns stand against a blue sky at the Temple of Zeus in Athens, Greece.
Ancient stone archways and architectural details of a historic building photographed against a bright blue sky with clouds.
Hadrian's Arch, an ancient Roman monument with marble columns, stands against a blue sky in Athens, Greece.

Acropolis of Athens


We walk from the restaurant to the Acropolis of Athens. You absolutely do not need directions to get there. It's quite obvious and well in view from most of the city it seems. We pay to enter, and start the walk up to the top. It's really cool to stop and see all of the different temples on the way up. We see the temple of Dionysus, Dionysus' Theater, and more on the walk to the top.


We make it to the top and see the Parthenon, the most famous building on top of the acropolis. There's also the Temple of Athena Polias, which has all of these statues of women lining the outside. As we are standing waiting for my turn to take photograph of the building (there's no official line, I am waiting for people to get out of the way), a woman dressed in an Athena Halloween costume walks up and poses in front of the building. Her significant other is taking pictures of her with the phone, and she keeps walking back and forth between posing and checking the pictures. She has a golden leaf crown around her head, the white toga, and..... furry slipper sandals. Well, the outfit was almost complete.


As I am taking photographs of the Temple of Athena Nike, a security guard starts to blow their whistle and yell at Jeremiah. Apparently, leaning against the metal barriers preventing you from going into the temples is not allowed. This is the second time on this trip he's gotten in trouble. What a naughty man. In all seriousness, there are no signs saying you can't, and he gets quite flustered for getting in trouble. He's a good noodle.


If we thought it was hot down in the concrete jungle, it is even hotter up on the acropolis. Granted, it's now the afternoon, so it's hotter anyway, but holy moly. I am honestly miserably hot. After I get my photographs and we see the temples, we walk back down to the bottom.

Panoramic cityscape view of Athens Greece showing dense urban buildings with ancient ruins and mountains in the distance.
Ancient Greek temple columns rise against a bright blue sky with sunlight streaming through the Corinthian capitals.
Ancient stone walls and cypress trees line the archaeological ruins of a historic Mediterranean site in panoramic view.
Ancient stone ruins and columns of a historic archaeological site under blue sky with scattered clouds.
Weathered stone archways and walls of an ancient fortress structure against a bright blue sky.
Ancient Greek temple ruins with tall Doric columns against a blue sky at the Acropolis in Athens.
Archaeological ruins with fallen stone columns and blocks scattered among cypress trees in an ancient Greek site.
Ancient Greek temple columns and architectural details of the Acropolis against a bright blue sky in Athens, Greece.
Ancient stone columns line a path at the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey, casting dramatic shadows in the afternoon sun.
A series of concrete support columns under construction along a rocky cliff face with metal reinforcement bars visible.
Ancient stone amphitheater ruins with rows of weathered seating and architectural details against a blue cloudy sky.
Ancient stone ruins and arches line a path along a mountainside in a historic archaeological site.
Panoramic cityscape view of Athens with densely packed white buildings climbing up hillsides under blue skies.
Ancient Greek Parthenon columns stand against blue sky at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
A panoramic view of mountains and urban development stretches across the horizon on a clear day.

End of the Day


We walk in a crowded area full of shops after leaving the acropolis and stop at a place called Pagotó, which literally means ice cream in Greek. It's such a treat having the cold ice cream on such a hot day. We walk all the way back to the hotel, resting for a bit, and then leave only to go have dinner at ZaZas. I notice I have a really red rash on my ankles and lower legs. I must have touched some plant or something that caused the reaction in the Garden. I'm not sure.


We return to our room, shower, and lay in bed. We walked eleven miles today (17.7 kilometers) today. We are exhausted.