We awoke at 9:45 AM and were the last people into the breakfast room before it closed. Hastily, we decided to do the “old town” walk. We did so unprepared, without our backpack, our sunscreen, our water bottle, or our walking sticks.

Before walking too long, we reached the Arch of Hadrian, which is still quite impressive. Hadrian, the Roman emperor, had the arch built in 132 AD, and he went to Athens to celebrate its inauguration. Then we went to the Lysicrates Monument and Square, the only surviving monument that was once in that square. Next came Acropolis Hill. Acropolis means “high city,” and as such, it was a natural fortress. The road has many olive trees on both sides, which reminded me of the ones we saw in Sicily.

After that we approached  the neighborhood of Anaflotika, which consists of many tiny residences built along side of  hilly, rocky, narrow paths. After more walking, we reached  the Roman Forum (the Agora). An  open-air piazza  like this one was constructed in every city that Rome conquered. Nearby is the Tower of the Winds, which, according to our tour book, was once a clock, a weather station, and a guide to the planets.  The  tower features  carved  reliefs  that  depict  the  eight  traditional  winds  of  the  world  as  angels,  who  bring  in  the  weather.  This  angel,  who  is  holding   the  curved  rudder  of  a  ship,  brings  in  good  sailing  weather.

After much more walking we realized we were tired and hungry. Suddenly the air was filled with the scent of food being cooked. We passed a restaurant called P’sara and we wanted to have lunch there, because psara is the Greek word for fisherman, and that is the origin of  Pisarro, our surname. However,  every table was taken. Nearby was a restaurant called Melina. We found a table there. The restaurant was dedicated to the actress Melina Mercouri and had many photos of her on display. We ordered fish and chips. This doesn’t sound Greek, but it was not prepared in the familiar way. The coating was very light, and the seasoning was oregano. The fish was incredibly fresh. After lunch, we made our way back to our hotel so that we could rest before meeting our travel group.

Our guide, Angelos, was  Greek,  and was about my son Nicholas’ age. Like almost everyone we encountered, he spoke perfect English. There were twenty-six travelers in our group who were from ten different states, mostly couples and also a few solo women. Many had been on Rick Steves tours before, but for others, it was their first venture. We were  each asked to introduce ourselves. I was intrigued by someone who said his favorite movie was La La Land. because we knew Justin Paul, its lyricist, who went to high school with our daughter, Carla. I don’t recall what I said my favorite thing was, but I’ll always remember that Nick said his  favorite thing was me!!!

After  the meeting we walked to a nearby restaurant called Gods’ for dinner. The meal consisted of a Greek salad (it had may of the salad ingredients with which we were familiar including  olives, peppers,  cucumbers, and red onions,  but no lettuce); raw veggies with a  variety  of dips including tzatziki; deep fried cheese; a choice of main courses (we chose pork in a lovely sauce, while others chose chicken or pastitsio,  a baked pasta similar to lasagna. Dessert was Greek (of course!) yogurt topped with local honey, which was fresh,  light, and perfect!

Feeling exhausted after such an active day, I was relieved that our hotel was such a short walk away.

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