Athens was great.

Athens was just great; we actually could have spent more time there.  In the first full day we had, we found the oldest bakery in Athens, a sweet little place in a neighborhood near our hotel, which was a surprise to me, as I had thought it was a place we could sit and have breakfast. So we bought a few items, then found a little coffee bar across the street where we could have coffee and eat our pastries. It was delightful, and obviously a neighborhood hangout.  Then we climbed the Acropolis, (yes, we really did!) toured it with a tour guide (who gave us waaay more information than we ever wanted to know, and kept chiding us for wandering away), had a little lunch near the Agora and then toured it, visited the Temple of Zeus, were driven to the top of Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in all of Athens, watched the changing of the guard (Nikos took us to the spot behind the presidential palace, where we could watch the guards up close and personal), then headed back to shower and head out again.  We got lost trying to find a particular tavern but ran into a local who could tell we were lost tourists and he took us to a place he likes, Taverna Plaka, which was fine.  Day two we found a nice little breakfast place right around the corner from our hotel with the most cheerful hostess ever, (it appeared to be just two people working this little sidewalk cafe.  Just darling) then we visited the Acropolis Museum.  Beautiful and very modern.  Nikos then drove us along the sea to Cape Sounion, and the Temple of Poseidon. Great views, impressive ruins. He took a different route back, and we stopped at the port of Lavrio for a while.  Then back to Athens, and another lovely evening that we spent in our neighborhood.

Takis bakery

Cute little coffee bar

Parthenon

Temple of Zeus

View from Mount Lycabettus

Guard

Neighborhood taverns

Acropolis Museum

Temple of Poseidon

Lunch at the Port of Lavrio