Athens 2012

Last summer, we took one of the best trips of my life. I'm starting to plan for next summer's European excursion, so I thought I'd share the highlights in exchange for the information I am gathering from fellow travelers. Our party was my husband, me, my adult brother, my 13 year old nephew and my 10 year old daughter. Athens Acropolis . Excellent location – easy walking to the Acropolis and the metro. We toured the Acropolis ourselves. Try to go early in the day when it is not so hot. Also, the museum is absolutely key. (Also, it is very clear that the Greeks want their valuable antiquities back from the British – there are spaces here in this state of the art museum that are all ready for their return). Allow plenty of time for the Acropolis and the museum. We had lunch in the museum's café , which we enjoyed very much. A favorite of my daughter and nephew in Greece waffles with ice cream on top – like a sundae on a waffle! We often call them Belgian waffles, but they call them American waffles. I would stick to Greek food, however. You cannot go wrong by eating freshly grilled little fish, sausages, salad – whatever they recommend. Walking around the Acropolis neighborhood, we stumbled across an outdoor concert. No fee. We just stood on the sidewalk and listened to some lovely opera in the early evening. We spent two days in Athens, including seeing the not-to-be-missed National Archeological museum. I think that was enough. Despite concerns that we heard back home, we never saw any protests or felt concerned about safety. My brother's camera may have been pickpocketed on the subway, but that was it (and could easily happen the same way in the US). There was a lot of graffiti everywhere and since we couldn't read it, we didn't know if it was political. Interestingly, some of the ancient ruins also have ancient graffiti carved into them. Susan