Paul next took us on a driving tour of Athens. Since it was Saturday, the traffic was lighter than normal, but still busy. We stopped at a few other sites, including the old Roman agora (shopping area), and the Parliament building (to watch the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier). Paul just drove slowly by others, but we both got a good look at the city.
About 12:30 we left Athens for the coastal drive down to Poisendon's Temple at Sounion, the southernmost point of mainland Greece. The drive was beautiful and reminiscent of the Amalfi coast, with the sparkling Aegean below the cliffs and beautiful villas above us on the cliffs. We stopped at a small town and had a delicious lunch about 2:00 pm. Paul said he chose the restaurant for its good food and clean bathrooms, and he was right. Juanda and I stuffed ourselves on bread, Tzatziki sauce, Greek salad, fried zucchini (yummy with the sauce), moussaka, and chicken skewers. It was very good, and the ice cold water and wine tasted good too. We had a table right on the water in the outdoor part of the restaurant. Very nice! Meal was 45 euros for the 2 of us, but we had way more food than we needed. We should have NOT gotten the mousakka or the chicken and just stopped after the appetizers.
At about 3:00 pm, we left the restaurant and drove the last few miles to the Poseidon Temple. According to Greek mythology, it was built to honor Poseidon after he and Athena had their "contest" to decide who the Parthenon in Athens would be dedicated to (Athena won, because she gave Greece the olive tree and all Poseidon could give them was sea water). The Poseidon Temple sits high on its own Acropolis overlooking the sea. It's a beautiful site, with the wind whipping across the cliff. Of course, it was uphill, but we both managed to make the summit.
By 3:45 pm, we were ready for the air-conditioned ride to the airport. Our time in Greece and in the Mediterranean was coming to an end. We had sailed on an elegant new cruise ship from Venice to Athens, enjoying the quaint, picturesque ports along the way. However, we both agreed we enjoyed our time on the Seabourn Odyssey as much or more. The staff was friendly, competent, and accommodating. Our fellow cruisers were interesting and well-traveled, and the food and service were sublime. The good news is that the Yachts of Seabourn have two more identical ships on order, giving cruise lovers even more options for marvelous luxury cruises!
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary cruise accommodation for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
