It's all Greek to me

We began our first full day in Athens by walking Surya to the ferry port because she was going to Ios (one of the Greek islands) that day.  After that, we went on a really great walking tour.  It was so amazing to see such ancient, historic sites.  We started in one of the main squares and saw the Monastiraki (little Monastery).  We then went to the Roman Agora (marketplace) which was constructed in the first century BC, then saw the library of Hadrian, the remains of ancient public toilets, and the tower of the winds.  After that, we headed to the Classical Agora, laid out in 530 BC, where we saw the altar of the twelve gods, a fountain house, the Council House, courts, the shrine of the Mother of the Gods, and the Temples of Hephaestus, Zeus Phratios, Apollo Patroos, and Athena Phratia.  This was the same agora where Socrates taught.  

We continued our walk heading up to Mars Hill  which is the place Paul (from the Bible) apparently preached from and which is now known as the make-out spot for young Athenian couples).  We then walked up the path to the incredible Acropolis which sits proudly on the rocky mountaintop.  Here we saw the Parthenon, which was amazing, as well as the Temple of Nike.  We also stood at a lookout point where there was an amazing view of the vast city below.  After this, we headed to the Amphitheater of Dionysius where public assemblies were held in the late third century AD.  Our next stop was Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.  After that, we walked by the Panathenaic  Stadium, and then finished the tour outside the Parliament building where we saw the changing of the guard.  

That night Sonja, Annalea, and I all went for dinner at this great little restaurant for Annalea's birthday celebration, since her actual birthday was spent in such a bogus manner.  We had some really delicious Greek food, then walked around Athens for a bit, and then went back to the hostel.

The next day we had a slow start then walked around the city for the afternoon. We went to the Archeological Museum, and on the way there almost walked into a dangerous ghetto neighbourhood, but were thankfully warned to go back by a stranger passing by.  We went to some gardens and a market, and then we were going to go see the National Gardens by the Parliament buildings.  However, as we climbed the stairs from the subway into the main square above, we realized we had stumbled into the heart of a protest.  There were hundreds of people crowding the square, many waving Greek flags, and towards the front and closer to the Parliament buildings people were shouting some Greek word in unison.  It was still quite calm, despite the shouting, though police were lining the edges in case it got ugly.  We asked a girl what was going on and they were apparently yelling "Thieves! Thieves! Thieves!" in regards to some debt that the government had.  It was all very exciting.  It also meant the gardens were closed, so after a few minutes we left.  After going for dinner, we went back to the hostel for the remainder of the night.  We left Athens early the next morning and headed for the island of Ios.