September 5 – Athens, the Cape of Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon

We started out mid-morning for the Acropolis.  Big mistake.  We should have headed out much earlier.  By the time we arrived there if was mobbed with bus-loads of people.  However, the sight was fascinating to see and explore.  There has been a lot of restoration work done on it so that more of the columns and lintels were now in place.

Sites included the Odeon of Herodes Attica (a small theater that has been restored and looks to be used currently for performances),

the Propyaea (or main gateway),

the Parthenon (of course),

The gold stone is original and the white is restoration.

the Erechtheum (dedicated to both Poseidon and Athena),

the Temple of Athena (with not much remaining but the footprint),

and many other areas that were mainly loose stones.

There were very good views of the city from the Acropolis.

After leaving we stopped at a local restaurant for something to drink and to enjoy the views of the Acropolis from below.  

Then it was off for a drive down the coast to Cape Sounion.  The drive was along the coast and very pretty.  

There were many resorts along the way with gazillions of beach umbrellas for the beach goers.  We must try the beach sometime.

There was also a fair amount of sea farming in the waters off the coast.

The Temple of Poseidon is on a high point at the far end of Cape Sounion.  We had lunch at the restaurant there, with great views of the temple,

and then we took the short walk up to the Temple. 

Views from the temple of the surrounding bays and waters were awesome. 

Then it was back to Athens where we stopped at the Temple of Zeus,

the Panathenaic Stadium that us the site of the original Olympics and was rebuilt and used for the 1896 and 2004 Olympic games,

and the Parliament building with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.