A Day in Athens

As you guys know, I recently had the pleasure of cruising around Europe with my friends over at Royal Caribbean Cruises. It truly was the experience of a lifetime and one I will never forget. I had the chance to visit countries and cities I had never seen before and am so fortunate to have experienced this incredible opportunity. One place that I absolutely couldn't wait to soak in the rich history was Athens. From the Acropolis to Poseidon's Temple on Cape Sounion, my head was spinning with excitement.

First thing, we hit the Acropolis. It is extremely busy, as you can imagine, so I recommend arriving as early as possible. It can be tough to get an image of the incredible ruins without hoards of tourists (and it took us about 15 minutes just to walk back out because of the shuffling lines of people. But regardless, it's definitely worth it to take in the history of this ancient citadel (and see the Parthenon). The ruins are also located high above the city of Athens and provides stunning views. The word 'Acropolis' comes from the Greek word 'Akron,' which translates to 'the highest point.'

Afterwards, we headed into the city of Athens to do a little tourist shopping and have lunch. But then, we headed out of the city toward Cape Sounion, which was so incredibly breathtaking... and I am so glad we took the time to do so. It's abut 40 miles outside of the city, but the drive is incredibly scenic.

Cape Sounion houses the ancient Temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea in classic Greek mythology. The remains sit perched on the rocky cliffside high above the Aegean Sea. The site was constructed here as it is surrounded by sea on three sides. I absolutely highly recommend visiting here. When we arrived, there was hardly anyone there except a few yogis getting their ohm on.

As you can see, the views of the sea are breathtaking. The site is rich in history as it was built approximately in 444-440 B.C. If you ever have the chance to visit, I highly recommend you don't miss Poseidon's Temple.