Adriatic Trip Day 10: Athens

Thursday, June 19, 2025

After breakfast, Kenna and I made our return visit to the Athens Laundry. Our entire laundry load cost 18 euros, about the same as a single shirt would have cost at the hotel. We enjoyed the walk again as well.

We met up with Dave and Jan at the rooftop terrace of the hotel for lunch, and met the other participants in our pre-cruise tour of Athens. The view from the roof was, of course, excellent. Unfortunately, the service was slow, and we were a little rushed to meet the bus for our afternoon tour.

We met up with our local guide and toured the Acropolis Museum. Many of the original artifacts from the Acropolis are stored in the museum to protect them from the elements. In a few cases, replicas have been made that are on display at the actual Acropolis. Like much of Athens, the land on which the museum is built also has historic ruins, so the museum is built on piers that avoid destroying the artifacts below. The building is very modern and bright, and displays the artifacts clearly and comfortably. Our local guide provided context and historical details as we walked through the galleries.

After returning to the hotel to relax a bit, we joined our group briefly for a cocktail reception, but I had made dinner reservations well in advance, so we couldn’t stay long. Our dinner tonight was at Strofi, a local restaurant that I had eaten at in 1983, 42 years ago (almost to the day). I was in Athens on a business trip, and the hotel had recommended Strofi. Everyone on that trip loved the restaurant and the food, not to mention the view of the Parthenon from their rooftop terrace. We ended up eating dinner there every night of our visit to Athens. I had since recommended Strofi to others and was anxious to try it again myself. Dave and Jan came with us, and we had a most enjoyable dinner, again on the rooftop terrace looking up at the Acropolis.

This article is part of a series about our recent trip to Italy, Greece, Albania, and Croatia. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.