Vikki: Now back in Athens, after a calm boat cruise in from the islands, we've geared back up into sight seeing mode, to check out the ruins around Athens.
Today it was just me, Harley & Anouk, as Raj is still out of action with a cold. We headed into the city and went through ruins for the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Gate. Hot and dusty but amazing to see and still reasonably intact. We then visited the Panathenaic Stadium, home to the first modern Olympics in 1896. An unusual shape for a stadium, we had a great audio guide which talked us through it's history and how it is still used today. Seating 68,000 and made of marble it's a pretty amazing structure. There were great views from the top and of course action on the track itself (check out the photos). We ended our day with a wander through the streets, looking at lots of tourist shops, many offering 1/2 price on goods, as the tourist season comes to an end. We decided to wait until tomorrow when Raj is with us to complete our shopping, hopefully picking up a few bargains along the way.

Harley: Today we went to Hadrian's Arch. Hadrian's Arch was a defence wall and now it is a monumental arch, that is over 1900 years old!!! It was build for Hadrian who was a Roman Emperor coming to the city. Next we went to the Temple of Zeus. It was a large temple that had 104 pillars but only 15 are standing today. They (no one knows exactly who) started to build the temple in 515 BC and it took 300 years to complete, and was made of lime stone. Zeus was the father of all gods and men. Lastly we visited the Panathenaic Stadium. The stadium held the first modern olympics in 1896. The stadium is made out of marble, weighs 85,100,000 tones and can seat 68,000 people. Also it holds every single olympic torch from all the previous olympic games. We got to go on the track, which was not oval but more rectangular in shape.