The room here at the Arion is quite nice - modern and clean.  We are up on the roof level - or as I like to call it the Penthouse!

I can imagine in full season it is quite noisy when guests are out on the roof terrace in the evening.  Great views though!

We catch the metro from Monistiraki to the airport - a really pleasant journey.  

This has been an amazing trip. The sea has been freezing and the wind a bit of a nightmare but that is a very small price to pay for the amazing display of spring flowers which have absolutely blown me away.

Until next year...............................

We woke up early to finish packing.  Pension Morfeus has been a fabulous place to stay both location wise, hospitality wise and definitely has the best ever bathroom for a pension.  We give Pension Morfeus 5 Stars!

Maria comes to say goodbye to us and she gives us a gift.  It is wrapped in tissue paper.  When we open it later we discover a prettily decorated piece of Sifnian pottery - we are absolutely delighted with it and touched at the thought!

We have a bit of time before we need to go to the ferry so we do a bit of last minute shopping in the pottery shops and then go for breakfast on the beach. 

The Acropolis opens at 8.00am.  Despite being a regular visitor to Greece it is nearly 20 years since I have been to Athens.  What I do remember is the massive queues to get into the Acropolis and the difficulty in getting photographs without hoards of tourists in the background.  No matter how exhausted we are we aim to be at the Acropolis ticket office by 7.30am!

We set off through Monastiraki, past Tsisdarakis Mosque and the Library of Hadrian.

Tsisdarakis Mosque (Greek: Τζαμί Τσισδαράκη) is an 18th-century Ottoman mosque, now functioning as a museum, in central Athens, Greece. The mosque is standing in front of the Monastiraki station.

Tsisdarakis was governor of Athens in the middle of the eighteenth century, who constructed this mosque in 1759, according to an inscription on the mosque. He brought to this mosque some columns from the Temple of Olympian Zeus. But as he did this without due permission of the Sultan, he was heavily fined and chased out from his position. The minaret of the mosque was destroyed after the outbreak of the Greek Revolution 1821.

After independence, the mosque was used by the army in various ways, including as a prison and barracks. In 1915 it was partly rebuilt and was used as "Museum of Greek Handwork", while in 1923 as "National Museum of Decorative Arts". From 1959 on it became the Museum of Greek Traditional Art. In 1973 the main functions of the Museum of Greek Folk Art moved to 17 Kydanthinaion Str., with the mosque remaining as an annex to it. The V. Kyriazopoulos pottery collection of ceramics remains in the mosque to this day. In 1981 the building was damaged by an earthquake and was repaired.

As we climb up through picturesque Plaka and reach the ancient Agora, I begin to have flashbacks!  The last time I was in Athens I had just returned from my first island hopping trip.  I had gone with a boyfriend of only 6 months and by then I had realised that he was a bit of a nightmare. We had visited Andros, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros and Antiparos. Things had become tense during the last few days of the holiday and this charming man left me on Antiparos and scooted back to Athens.  Having never island hopped before, I'd allowed him to take charge of the itinerary, the money - everything!  Granted, I was a bit naive then!

Anyway, the plan was to leave for Athens that evening on an overnight ferry leaving a whole day in Athens.  The flight back to Manchester left in the early hours of the following day.  I had enough money to see me through so took the night ferry which arrived in Piraeus at the crack of dawn.  I walked towards the city with a heavy rucksack on my back.  I had no idea on how to get to the centre of Athens and didn't get much joy from the locals.  It was a bit of a culture shock after receiving such kind hospitality from the island folk.  I managed to get directions to the metro and worked out how to buy a ticket to Syntagma Square.  I needed to find somewhere to leave my rucksack so that I could take the trip up to the Acropolis - how could I ever come to Athens and not visit here?

I remember having a conversation with a young German man in French - the only common language we could find - and mine being GCE level French didn't help.  Once we understood each other he directed me to a small hotel that would look after luggage for a few dracma.

I headed up to the the Acropolis.  It was very busy but I was just delighted that I hadn't wasted a day in Athens feeling sorry for myself.  By the time I'd finished visiting the site it was getting very hot.  I was exhausted as it had been over 24 hours since I'd had any sleep.  As I walked back down past the Agora, I seized the opportunity to have a rest in the shade.  I remember finding some shade under a large rock and before I knew it my eyes had closed and I began to nod off.  It had only been a few minutes when I was rudely awakened by a man sitting next to me rubbing my leg saying "hello pretty lady".  I was horrified!  I think I said some swear words to him, grabbed my small bag and legged it back down to Plaka as fast as my weary legs would carry me!

No sooner had I arrived back to the hotel to retrieve my rucksack, I was now being heckled by another man on a motorbike.  I'd just about had enough by then and decided that I would be safer at the airport - even though I had about 12 hours before my flight left.  At least I could get some sleep on the airport floor without being harassed!

This sounds like a completely hideous holiday with a completely hideous man - however, it was this trip that gave me the island hopping bug so at least for this, I am forever grateful!

This could be the very rock that I sheltered under!

Back to today, we arrive at the Acropolis ticket office to see that a party of around 20 people are already there - that's not too bad!  We waited for about 10 minutes for the ticket office to open and hot footed it up towards the Acropolis entrance as soon as we had our tickets in our hot little hands!

As we begin to admire the views of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus from above, a parade of soldiers march past us.  I think this is part of a daily ritual where they march out of the Acropolis at opening time and back in again once the Acropolis closes.

Once we'd climbed through the main entrance of the Acropolis we begin to explore the three main temples - the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena and the Erechteion.

The Parthenon

The Erechteion

The Temple of Athena

The views from the Acropolis are stunning!  Here you can see the Temple of Zeus, Filipappas Hill (known as the Hill of Muses) and Areopagus (Mars Hill)

By the time we leave the Acropolis is swarming with hoards of tourists so I'm glad that we got there early!

We only one whole day in Athens so we need to get around this large city the best way we can.  We decide to catch the Hop on Hop off bus at the Acropolis.  We don't have to wait too long but whilst waiting we engage in conversation with the bus sales lady.  She asks us where we are from and tells us that she used to work in a hospital in Leeds.  "Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a doctor or anything, but I loved living and working in Leeds - the people are so friendly".

The next stop on our itinerary is the changing of the guard (Evzoni) in front of the Tomb of the Unnamed Soldier at the parliament building in Syntagma Square.  

http://www.greeka.com/attica/athens/athens-history/athens-changing-guards.htm

Close inspection!

I'm a little bit squeamish about photographs like this but I got caught up in the moment!  Be prepared to fight for your place in the queue and remember - queuing means nothing outside of the UK!

It is now nearly midday and getting very hot so we decide to hop back onto the bus and just take in the sights of the city.  During the journey we get off to find a photography/camera shop to get the photos from one of my memory cards saved to CD to make space for more photo's.

We jump off the bus to pay a quick visit to the Temple of Zeus

Back on the bus we go past Panathinaikos Stadium where the first modern Olympic games was hosted in 1896.  Built entirely out of marble, the stadium was originally built in 566bc and rebuilt in marble in 329 bc.  

When we reach Syntagma Square again we decide to go into the metro station to look at the archaeological collection.  

http://www.athensattica.gr/en/you-are-here/what-to-see/ancient-sites/item/5430-syntagma-metro-station-archaeological-collection

We decide to have a short visit to the Flea Market at Monastiraki - no beauty pageants on this evening but still vibrant and bustling nonetheless.

On the way back to the hotel we go into the fish market on Attica Street.

What an exhausting day.  We shower and return to the roof terrace for cocktails before heading out to Plaka to do a bit more exploring and to have our last meal in Athens.  The Attalos Hotel is definitely what you'd call basic accommodation but it is clean and more than anything convenient.

First stop is Athens Cathedral which is undergoing refurbishment.

On the way out of the cathedral our attention is caught by the sound of a church service taking place in a tiny little church called the Church of Theotokos Gorgoepikoos and Ayios Eleytherios.  After the service Peter is greeted by the priest who asks him where he is from.  They briefly discuss the situation in Egypt and the priest gives his blessing for peace in Egypt.

http://wikimapia.org/6686719/Church-of-Theotokos-Gorgoepikoos-St-Eleftherios

We stroll up through Plaka.  The evening is warm and balmy.  We are absolutely spoiled for choice for places to eat but we settle on a little taverna with a roof terrace that overlooks Athens but is also nestled underneath the Acropolis.

This is a lovely end to an amazing trip!

The Speedrunner 3 is a high speed catamaran - the downside being that a small outside deck is only available to those in the first class salon.  However, it is very spacious and comfortable in economy  and I have a window seat and there is access to a small cafe for tea and pastries.

Despite being confined to a fixed seat, the journey is enjoyable, not too packed and plenty of opportunity for people watching - mainly Greek families returning to Athens from the islands.

Through the salt stained windows we take in the last remaining views of the islands and then eventually the mainland.  As we approach Piraeus, in the distance sitting on the shoreline we make out the distinctive outline of the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

Jutting out of the city skyline is Lycabettus Hill, nearly 1000 feet high limestone rock and the highest hill in Athens.  Legend has it that Lycabettus was once inhabited by wolves - hence the name meaning mountain of wolves.

We sail past huge cruise liners and eventually into Piraeus port.  Our old friend Blue Star Paros is moored at the quayside awaiting her next trip out to the islands.

Once we have disembarked, we make our way over to the Metro station which is 5 minute’s walk from the port.

This is the view of the port where we boarded and disembarked at Gate E7 (Departures for the Eastern Cyclades).  

Turn left out of the port and keep walking until you reach the link bridge that takes you over the main road right down to the entrance of the metro station on your left.

 View of the port from the link bridge - Blue Staros Poros in port.  You can see how close the metro is to the port.

The alarm goes of at 4.00am.  We have less than an hour to get ready, close the suitcases and get to the airport.  I've been looking forward to this trip for such a long time and the early wake up call doesn't phase us.  Louis stayed overnight so that he could drive us to the airport.  I think ahead to the itinerary and the connections we have to make to get to Antiparos that night and quickly check that the flight is on time.  Yes - so far so good.  We should land in Athens shortly after lunchtime and we've decided to travel to the port of Piraeus by bus which runs hourly and takes about 50 minutes.  A ferry is scheduled to leave Piraeus at 17.30 arriving in Paros at 22.30.  We then have to catch the bus from the port at Paroikia to the small port of Pounda and from there the last little car ferry over to Antiparos - simple!

Manchester Airport is rammed - even Speedy boarding doesn't seem to moving very fast.  The queues are long but we look forward to checking in with Easyjet using the smartphone app that is being trialled.  It works fine but we still had to print out paper tickets for the flight home.  More long queues but once we are through passport control we have time for a quick mooch and to make the special purchase of a bottle of the new Blackberry and Elderflower Pimms!

The flight over to Athens was fine.  Tiredness was beginning to creep up on us both - Peter slept a little, but I never can on planes or any other form of public transport.  Eventually we are flying over Greece and we catch our first sight of the stunning turquoise sea.

We fly over the coast and inland, past a deeply riven quarry cut out of the hillside and over a busy motorway.  I can see large expanses of olive groves around town settlements and the haze coming from the land indicates the heat of the midday is in full force.

As we approach Athens Airport the captain announces that there is a little turbulence - nothing too unsettling though.  The plane begins to make its rather wobbly descent towards the runway.  It looks as though we are going to touch down but before we know it the engine volume increases rapidly and we are taking off again.  The captain tells us that he didn't like the look of the landing so he would attempt it again and hopefully the wind will have dropped by the time we've completed the circuit again.

Around we go over a range of mountains and after about 10 or 15 minutes we see the quarry and the motorway again.  This time we land without any wobbles.

After exiting the plane we have rather a long walk through the terminal building - as in most cases with an Easyjet flight.  At least we've landed more or less on time and we have plenty of time to get over to Piraeus.

[Exit the terminal building at the arrivals level between Exit 4 and Exit 5 (B).  Turn right and 20 yards or so down you will see the bus stop.  Next to the bus stop you will see a cabin selling tickets - you must purchase your tickets beforehand.  It costs 5 Euros each and the X96 to Piraeus runs hourly. (the timetable on the net says every 30 mins but the information at the airport said hourly.  The journey is about 50 minutes.   http://www.athensairporttaxi.com/en/athens_topiraeus_en.htm ]

The bus was very busy and we ended up standing all the way. It wasn't a particularly comfortable journey as a number of people had left their luggage by the doorway unattended.  Everytime the bus swerved around a corner the luggage slid across the floor towards us and pinned us up against the doors which did open periodically when arriving at a destination.  An Italian tourist also being swept along by the deluge of luggage told me " Molto difficile". Yes, - molto difficile - but not for the two families (the owners of the luggage) who had sprawled themselves across a number of seats to sleep instead of offering them up to others!

The standing and the constant battle with other people's luggage hadn't stressed me out but the lack of consideration from others had.  I had to remind myself that I was now on holiday and had to make a concerted effort to go with the flow!

[If you have a smart phone or other mobile device, it's useful to download a GPS app that doesn't require a wireless connection.  I'm a big fan of Evernote which enabled me to download lots of information such as ferry and bus timetables - a premium membership which is really cheap and can be purchased by the month, enables you to access this information offline.  One of the other Evernote apps is a utility called Skitch.  With this I could see exactly where we were and knew when we had arrived at Piraeus.

When you get off the bus, cross the road and bare left a little - look for the statue of General Karaiskakis, hero of the Greek Revolution of 1821.  Behind this you will find a number of ticket offices and cafes and restaurants along with entrances to the ferry terminals]

We make our way to the first ticket office we can see which is a Blue Star Ferries office.  There isn't much of a queue and after 10 minutes we are asking for tickets for the 17.30 ferry to Paros.  "Not available".  I was a bit stunned as the Blue Star Paros is a huge ship and it isn't yet high season. We tell him that we need to be in Antiparos tonight as we have a room booked - hoping he would show sympathy and summon up a miracle!  "Absolutely full.  I even don't have cancellation for the 21.00 boat."  I still couldn't believe that the ferry was full and tell Peter we will go elsewhere and see what we can find.  

I didn't expect this at all.  The Blue Star Paros is moored right next to us and I can't quite comprehend how a ship this size is fully booked.  I haven't yet acclimatised to the searing midday heat and we decide that I will stay with the luggage under the shade of a tree whilst Peter goes to the other ticket agencies to see if there are any cancellations.  After about 20 minutes he returns and tells me that the ferries are all booked as it is a Greek national holiday and every Athenian is escaping to the islands today until Tuesday.  This is such an oversight on my part after all the years I've been coming to the Greek Islands!  One of the travel agencies has told Peter that they have a couple of cancellations for the 21.00 ferry tonight.  This means that we will arrive at Paros at 1.00am and from what I knew the ferry to Antiparos only runs until about midnight.  However, even if we had to stay on Paros for the night, it would only be an 8 minute ride across in the morning - best to be in Paros than in Piraeus!

Before we commit ourselves we decide to see if there are any cancellations for the Blue Star Paros.  Seeing the Blue Star Paros again after so many years is like seeing an old friend.  It may sound rather peculiar having such a fond attachment to a ship but it is hard to describe the feeling when you catch sight of a ship that you have travelled on in the past.  They come in all shapes and sizes and can be spotted along the same routes year after year.  Maybe it's to do with being born in a port myself.  There is something really fascinating about sea travel - even observing ships from land fills me with excitement and wonderment - arriving at an island by boat - even more so!

There is a small kiosk right on the ferry terminal by the Blue Star Paros.  There is quite a queue and Peter eventually gets the opportunity to ask if there have been any cancellations.  None at this moment in time.  We go back periodically over the next hour or so and watch lorries, cars and passengers (predominantly Greek) board the boat.  I notice a small group of tourists who have been waiting by the entrance to the boat - it becomes clear that they are trying to get seats by speaking to the Blue Star Ferry staff directly - but to no avail.

It's hot  and we're tired and hungry and I slowly realise that we don't stand a chance of getting on the Blue Star Paros.  We decide to go back to the ticket office and buy the tickets for the Blue Star Ithaki that leaves at 21.00 - this must have been an extra boat as I don't remember seeing this on the timetable.  We go back to the office where they had told Peter that they had  some cancellations.  The same lady now tells us that they only have first class accommodation tickets left - I can't remember the price but they were at least double the cost of the economy tickets.  We told her that it was just too expensive for us but we really needed to get to Paros that night.  After poking her keyboard a few times she tells us that she had just found a couple of cancellations for economy!  I don't blame her for trying!

We buy the tickets at 32.5 Euros each and then contemplate how we are going to spend nearly 5 hours in Piraeus.  We are told we can board the ship from 20.00 so that's not as bad.  We decide to go and eat in one of the restaurants in the port.  We find a table outside and have a meal of stuffed tomatoes for me and chicken souvlaki for Peter.  We stretch out the time as long as we can until, over Peter's shoulder I catch sight of the Blue Star Paros moving slowly out of the port.  I could have cried!

Peter is keen to explore Piraeus but it is too hot for me - no so for an Egyptian!  First of all we find a small office between the ticket agencies where we can leave all of our luggage for the price of 6 euros - well worth the money.  We decide to stay around the port, stopping occasionally for a drink in a cafe and use of the free wifi.  There are a few teams of young people giving out free samples - we are given samples of Oral B Pro Toothpaste and some odd little snacks called Fonzies.  The port is huge.  The cafe's and ticket offices are surrounded by a one way system where cars and taxis enter and exit the port.  Trying to cross the road when a ferry has just arrived or is about leave is very difficult.  Now there is a real lull and the port is very quiet.  There is an air conditioned port waiting room where we sit for a while but we are restless and keep moving to different spots around the port hoping the time will pass more quickly. I think we try 3 or 4 different cafes during our wait.  It is whilst we are sitting in the last cafe that we see another large Blue Star ferry enter the harbour - without getting out of my seat I can see it is the Blue Star Ithaki.  Thank God!

We know there is no rush to get to the ferry but the opportunity to observe some of the frenetic activity that takes place during the loading and unloading of ferries is a greatly appreciated distraction.

As soon as we can we board.

We enter the foot passenger entrance, show our ticket and walk to the side of the car deck where we place our luggage in a storage rack. We take the escalators up to the middle deck and find a table and chairs near the back of the ferry.  This gives us excellent views of the action down below.

There appears to be a very intricate system if loading and unloading lorries, cars and boats. As huge juggernauts disembark, a queue of lorries, cars and motorbikes simultaneously enter.  Amidst lots of shouting and very animated arm waving, the traffic seems to converge into the same space but at the last minute vehicles glide slowly away - a bit like a juggernaut ballet.  I don't know what the capacity is on a ferry this size but the continuous uploading of reversing vehicles seems to continue for over an hour.  Peter tells me that one lorry continually enters the ship, offloads its goods, exits the ferry and then returns with another load of cargo several times.  All manner of supplies are being distributed out to the islands.  Even the foot passengers are carrying ice boxes, goods wrapped up in tight bundles and plastic bags bursting at the seams. The passengers are predominantly Greek - it seems that everyone from Athens is escaping to the islands - a sense of 'school is out'. It really is a fascinating spectacle.  I remember when arriving at the port of Symi seeing a family escorting a coffin on board.  It gives you a sense of how invaluable the ferry service is to islanders.  Someone is towing a large speedboat with a 4 x 4 which seems to have broken down by the harbour wall - a taxi driver seems to be offering assistance along with other passing passengers.  We've got our seats and a cup of tea which I seem to savour a lot more knowing that we will be on Paros tonight.  We settle down to watch this amazing real life soap opera!