On the return flight from Santorini, we had a day layover in Athens. We also had a day layover in Barcelona. Not ideal, but they were free tickets so we weren't complaining. We arrived in the morning and checked into the Athens Hilton. The hotel had just finished being refurbished and it was magnificent! Breakfast alone cost us €50, so it was a good thing we were using points for the room :)

The hotel was about a block from the metro, and the metro was clean, air conditioned, and a very convenient way to get around the city. We were two stops from Monastriaki, which was walking distance from the Plaka and Acropolis.

After much needed showers at the hotel, we headed out for a day of sightseeing. Our first stop was the Acropolis, where we saw the Parthenon, the Porch of the Maidens, and the Temple of Nike. We also visited the museum, which houses a lot of the original statues and architectural details from the structures. It was hot. Very very hot. After the Acropolis, we visited the Agora - by this time it was too hot so we decided to retire to the hotel for an air conditioned siesta. We awoke to learn that our room had a view of the Acropolis, the sea, and the islands (when we arrived, the haze covered everything but the Acropolis). We hired a car to take us to Lycabetus Hill, where we took the funicular to the top which had a great view of the city. Very odd to look down on the Acropolis. The car then dropped us in the Plaka, where we visited Hadrian's Arch, the Tower of the Winds, and had dinner at a lovely restaurant named Daphnes. After dinner we walked around the Plaka before heading back to the hotel. Athens is officially checked off our list.

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