Athens - According to legend Athena and Poseidon had a contest to decide who the city should be named after. Despite Poseidon offering up all the wonderful treasures of the sea, Athena won with a simple Olive tree (love it!)

As we emerged from the tube station,we were emersed in a city like no other. Modern life buzzes alongside the remains of the Ancient Civilization, we had come to see, separated only by a fence and ticket booth. The Acropolis was top of our must see list, but as we were walking through the flee market we stumbled upon a huge magnificent columned building and soon realised that there were a number of other sites we just had to visit.

These included; the remaining 7 columns of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus (the biggest temple ever built), Ancient Agora, which was the commercial, social and political hub of the Ancient city (probably where Aristotle and his mates did their thinking), the library and Arch of Hadrian ( which had its own resident wild tortoise roaming amongst the ruins) - The list was endless!!

We had a wonderful couple of days, exploring as many of the sites and museums that we could fit in, but we could have easily spent another couple of days there, absorbing the history and atmosphere of the city.

I had previously visited the Acropolis on the school cruise when I was 15, so I was keen to see how much I could remember. Not much as it turned out, apart from the actual Parthenon and the statues of women that acted as pillars on one of the buildings. As giggly girls we had stood for photos next to them standing in the exact same pose, with our noses stuck in the air, trying to look 'Greek Godess like'. I now know they are called Caryatids and that there are only five, as the sixth was taken to England, by Lord Elgon, along with the rest of his 'stash!' Supposedly to "protect"'it. The remaining five are no longer on site. They have been replaced by replicas and the originals are safely displayed, or should I say "protected" in the New Acropolis Museum, as you can see in the photo below. The Greeks are very proud of them as they were painstakingly cleaned by experts using skill and modern lazer technology and are displayed on their very own balcony, so that visitors can look all around them. So .. it makes me sad that the last of the set is still in our British Museum. Surely the time has come to return her, along with the rest of the marble statues from this magnificent site to their rightful home! The new Acropolis museum is huge, quite empty really, perhaps the architect was hopeful that it may just happen. Let's hope so - soon!

I shall get off my soap box now folks,
Next adventure - sailing through the Corinth Canal.
Donna and Ricky xx