We arrived in Athens on July 20. It was a beautiful sunny day and warm at about 90% Fahrenheit. We had anticipated a long wait at the baggage claim, but contrary to popular belief things came quick with no glitches. When you disembark at the Athens Airport, you walk right into the runway as is common of smaller airports. You immediately are greeted with the mountains on one side and the Aegean Sea on the other.

I had arranged for George Kokkotos to pick us up. He is a taxi driver recommended through Matt Barrett's Greece travel information web site. Click "Taxi" below.

This worked out great because we knew exactly what it was going to cost and he took us right to the Grand Bretagne in an area known as Syntagma. Actually George didn't make it (must be a popular guy) but his partner Ed came instead. We rode in an air-conditioned Mercedes taxi. Ed was very conversant, spoke great English and gave us good information as we drove along. We approached the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus (I didn't expect all of these to be right in the midst of the city). The Grand Bretagne is just across from the Parliament. We had a great view of the highest peak on the left (Aeropagos Hill) and the Parliament guards on the right. The Grand Bretagne has some historic points to note; a British architect built it in the late 1800s. During the Second World War, it housed the Greek Army, then the German Army.

The hotel sent us a fruit basket and wine twice, first from Starwood, then from Sheraton. It felt very special. The hotel was also in a great location. Five minutes from the Plaka, the Acropolis, and the Agora, two minutes from the National Gardens and walking distance from many places in the old district of central Athens.

We first walked to the Plaka and visited some of the shops. Above are columns in the Agora, and below is the view of the Erectheion from the Plaka.