SV Laurin: Day 360 to 361: 9th & 10th June 2018

Saturday

Up early as our bus from Nidri to Lefkada was due at 8:15am. Given that the kids seem to be surfacing at something approaching 9am at the moment this was always going to be somewhat of a challenge, but the excitement (of the cool apartment in Esme's case rather than any historic sites,) meant that our early morning call was met by smiles rather than groans. A quick breakfast then we packed our final bits and pieces and prepared Laurin to be left for a few days before heading to the bus stop. It was really nice to be travelling light for a change... our trip to Corsica we didn't know how long we were going to be so had to pack school stuff, and our trip to Rome was on the way back from the UK after Christmas so were dragging back a months worth of stuff plus Christmas presents! Sat waiting for the bus outside the Athos Hotel it felt like we were waiting for a school trip to begin, however we were very soon starting to get concerned as 8:15 came and went with no sign of the bus. A quick chat with the local shopkeeper told us there was another bus at 8:45 but he was unsure of if it would get us to Lefkada bus station in time for the 9:30 bus to Athens. We reached an agreement that we would wait until it arrived and then ask the driver. If it was going to be too late we still had time for a taxi. In the end the bus arrived and somehow the shopkeeper had already spoken with him and he just ushered us on saying "yes, I know, Athens, quick quick!"

We made the Athens bus with 5 minutes to spare and settled down for the 5 1/4 hour drive, iPads, kindles and books at the ready. It was a pretty uneventful journey, but beautiful scenery, first passing Vonitsa and then crossing a bridge over to Patras before eventually crossing the Corinth Canal and the last stretch into Athens. From there we got a local bus towards our rental apartment where we were met by our wonderful host.

The apartment was absolutely amazing and all that Esmé and AJ had anticipated. It was quirky, funky, had a swing, climbing wall and hidden music room, all for the princely sum of 39 Euros per night! We can highly recommend.... here's the link. Not only was it an amazing place at a cheap price but the owner left us lovely cakes one day, and wristband presents for the kids the next!

I had vague ideas about exploring once we had settled in to the apartment but the kids loved it so much we just chilled out in the afternoon before finding a lovely place for dinner, just 5 minutes walk away, where we all ate our fill for under 40 Euros.

Sunday

Up early as we wanted to visit the Acropolis before it got too hot. We were keen to arrive as it opened at 8am so it was an early alarm, quick breakfast and then out to find a taxi. Once we were there we walked up the hill and explored the site, first viewing the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the lower slopes.

Next up to the entrance at the top of the hill where we passed an old crane which was indicative of the ongoing restoration of the site.

AJ was particularly interested in the Temple of Athena so we took a look at that first. He commented on how it was smaller than he expected as we walked round it looking for the olive tree!

Then on to the Parthenon which was being significantly renovated on one side which was covered in scaffolding. It was disappointing not to have an uninterrupted view of this magnificent structure however it is nice to see that they are being preserved for future generations and at least the view from the other end was much less interrupted.

The views of Athens from the top were magnificent and we also took time to look down upon the Theatre of Dionysus before heading back down the hill to the Acropolis Museum.

The Museum was a bargain at 5 Euros per adult and free for kids. The entrance was really impressive with a glass floor through which you could view archaeological excavations of the site! After dropping our rucksack at the cloakroom and picking up a kids pack we headed straight to the café (via the lego model of the Acropolis) for a snack.

Water was provided immediately free of charge and we got the cheapest item on the menu to fill kids hungry stomachs which was home made bread with local marmalade and honey!

The café had a wonderful view of the Parthenon and we spent a while enjoying the air conditioning and the view whilst Esmé and AJ played with some of the contents of the kids pack.

The whole museum was laid out pretty much as the Parthenon with exhibits being positioned in the corresponding place mirroring the physical building which could be viewed through massive windows on each floor.

AJ and Esmé were kept amused by a treasure hunt found in the kids pack where they found specific exhibits and filled in a worksheet with corresponding stickers.

It was amazing how the museum had taken time to reproduce parts of the carvings to recreate broken parts before putting them in their relevant positions.

It was also nice to see models of what each end of the Parthenon would have looked like with it's carvings.

All in all the museum was a big success but by then we were ready for lunch and a rest so headed back to the apartment by taxi.

Once rested and chilled out we walked to the National Gardens where the kids had a play in the playground before we listened to a local high school choir perform in the lovely surroundings.