We arrived in Athens late Thursday night and had all day Friday to explore a bit. I really wanted to take the kids to the Acropolis (I had been in 1992 with my family, and Steffen and I had been together in 2004) so I booked tickets to both the site and the nearby museum. It’s really nice that the girls were all free (under 25 year old EU citizens get into both places for free). Luckily it wasn’t a super hot day and also not as crowded as expected, so we had enough time and space to explore and take a million photos.

If you’ve been reading the blog for awhile, you may remember last summer during the Olympics when Luisa took photos doing various gymnastics poses at various locations, our favorite being at the Eiffel Tower. Well, we had to try here, too!

After walking around for a few hours, we headed into the museum. They had a few different scavenger hunts to get the kids engaged, so Steffen and Luisa did one, Olivia and I did another and Hannah and Charlotte wandered around a bit, alternating between an audio guide and various displays. I think the museum is well worth it but people were also hot and tired. The scavenger hunts definitely make things more fun! And even though we no longer organize our city tours around local playgrounds, if we happen upon one we will take a break.

The apartment we are staying in is close to the airport and very close to a great beach but unfortunately a 2 hr trek to the Acropolis via bus and metro. The public transit system is easy, cheap and clean, which is wonderful, but did make for a long day. Olivia found a delicious restaurant in the middle of a less desirable neighbourhood. We were all starving and tired and wanted to eat before the 1+ hour bus ride, so she looked on google maps and found a random restaurant. It was tucked away from the main road, and the staff were so friendly! A really nice way to end the day. One last glimpse of the Aegean Sea before heading to the airport in the morning.

It’s hard to believe we are already leaving our first country! It was a new country for the girls, and I think everyone fell in love. We are especially happy that we were able to find an island off the beaten track where we could spend most of our time outdoors, enjoying the sunshine, turquoise water and relaxed vibe. Now it’s time for India!