Athens

We visit Athens on Monday, 24 August arriving at 8AM; we leave at 6PM. The port, Piraeus, is south west of the city of Athens.
Athens the capital and largest city of Greece, is one of the world's oldest cities; its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. It has a population of 745,514 [2001]. A bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. It is rapidly becoming a leading business centre in the European Union. In 2008, Athens was ranked the world's 32nd richest city by purchasing power and the 25th most expensive in a UBS study. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics.
It is very likely to be very hot. We will have a driver guide to take us to the Benaki Museum and the National Archaeological Museum. Alas, the New Acropolis Museum which just opened on 20 June, is closed on Mondays. I was so looking forward to seeing it. We will try to, at least drive by. We plan to have lunch on the roof of the Grande Bretagne Hotel which looks across at the Acropolis. We may leave further exploration until we arrive. 38 days and counting