Thursday 26 November

It's a short night and soon we are walking through the cold deserted streets to the bus station. We get our boarding passes and wait by the bus. It takes awhile, but eventually we get on the bus. The ride to the airport isn't as long as initially thought and we wander around looking for departures. We check at tickets desk that we don't need to go to the check in gate. Getting through security is quick and painless. We have made good time. At Barcelona airport there is time to have breakfast before boarding our flight to Athens. I try and rest most of the flight and soon we are on the metro heading into town. It's a short walk to the hotel. My initial thoughts of the city is that's is dirty, poorly kept and covered in graffiti. The hotel is basic. We have a light snack for lunch then head out exploring. We catch the metro one stop down. I see a lady give a loaf of bread to a beggar lady in the metro and it's quite touching. There are ruins all over the place. As it gets darker they are all lit up by lights and the look awesome. We wander around the streets. Past tourist shops and stalls. Half way up a hill we stop for photos and there are some other tourists that ask me some questions. Unfortunately I'm not very helpful as I don't know the answers. We continue up the hill and at the top there is a great spot to view the ruins. The rocks are slick smooth. You are ok if you just sit though. Malcolm gets photos and there is a changing of the guards. It's an awesome place to view the city all lit up. Especially the important ruins. We head down off Mars hill and get some dinner. Not lots of great traditional dishes. But Malcolm gets stuffed vegetables and I get risotto.