For some reason today we were all more tired than usual and slept in later than we have the past several mornings. We got a late start to the day and left a little after 1:00 pm with the intention of walking through the flea market in Monastiraki square and visit a few of the ancient ruins that we didn't make it to yesterday but were sure to pass. To start the day off we headed to Monastiraki square for some lunch. The girls shared a sandwich from a local coffee ship and I went back for another delicious chicken souvlaki from the take-out restaurant that I ate at several times already. It is located right across from the square. In all, the three of us were able to eat lunch for 5 Euros, what a deal! After we all enjoyed another delicious meal in Greece we walked down the flea market that was located nearby. On the way, in the Monastiraki square, there were a few gentlemen attempting to sell homemade bracelets by using high pressure sales tactics. The girls smartly brushed the individual away and he proceeded to try to convince me to purchase said item, of which he had no success nor any chance. Before entering the flea market we went into the Blue Star Line Ferry store that happened to be located within the square. We were planning on buying ferry tickets from Athens to Santorini and thought that buying the tickets at the store in prerson would be the easiest way. We are all excited to be on a boat for nearly 8 hours and to see a few other of the greek islands (albeit very briefly, and from the ferry)! The girls weren't looking for anything in particular once we arrived at the flea market and we walked past several stores. We stopped in on that was selling customized bracelets but Kaela and Kyra did not see anything that caught their eye so we moved on.
At the end of the flea market we stumbled upon, by happenstance, an ancient ruin that we had free access to due to us all purchasing tickets to the Acropolis the day before. It turns out that the place we happened to walk by was the Ancient Agora. This was a large area that had many different ruins! I believe that the site map listed around 20 different places with historical importance all within a relatively small area. We visited some of the most well preserved, as well as ones that had been restored in order to give viewers more of a sense of what these magnificent buildings looked like when they were in their prime. One of the most magnificent buildings, and it definitely seemed to be one of the more popular ancient ruins in the city because they went out of their way to illuminate it at night, was the Temple of Hephaestus. We took our time walking around this building because it was simply so well preserved and magnificent! The viewer/visitor could really get a sense for the size of the structure. We took several pictures before we moved on to the next area. However, it seemed that I spent a little too much time taking pictures of the building because I just missed the opportunity the take a picture of a tortoise that was crossing a patch of grass near the building. I got there just as he/she was crawling under a bush. What a bummer!
After seeing the Temple of Hephaestus we walked around the grounds for several minutes before arriving at one of the more popular buildings, due to it being fully restored a little more than 50 years ago (it was financed by John D. Rockefeller!). This building is what would have been Stoa Attalos. It was a fantastic building that housed several sculptures that were dated back as far as a few centuries A.D., I believe. The building functioned as a museum and it was both fun and interesting to be able to see and admire such amazing sculptures that were over 1500 years old. Also, we were able to get another good picture or two among them 
After we finished walking through the museum we all rested on a bench that was located within the halls mesmerizing corridor of collums to enjoy some cold water until we couldn't drink anymore because a water fountain was nearby. Both Kaela and Kyra enjoy their breaks! I definitely push them further than they would go by themselves.
After that we left the Ancient Agora in search of a store that we passed the day before on the way to the Acropolis and both of the girls thought the gentleman who worked there was very nice. The girls both saw several items there the day before that they would enjoy getting for others and, more importantly, for themselves! We ended up getting a few t-shirts and a few key chains. The shop owners were incredibly helpful the entire time that we were in their store! They kept trying to show us new items in an attempt to get us interested. When we finally decided what we were getting the owners even gave us a discount of a few Euro! How nice of them . On the way back home from this gentleman's shop we passed Hadrian's library and decided to go inside and view the ruins quickly because we could also get in free here due to the ticket we bought yesterday from the Acropolis. This place was quite ruined but it was interesting to see tile mosaics that were still partially preserved from over 1500 years ago. Much of this area was extensively ruined yet there were still a few awe-inspiring monuments that we got to take some pictures around. After 15 minutes or so we started our walk home.
Kyra has been looking for a hat over the past several days, particularly a floppy hat, and has been speaking about getting one for some time now, especially with us visiting Santorini within two days. On the way back to the apartment she found a hat that she quickly fell in love with and, lucky for all of us, it only cost 7 Euro! Kyra decided to get the hat and she definitely seemed to be glowing the rest of the way home. We stopped for sunscreen but we were unable to find anything that was to out liking. We are excited to be able to spend so much time on the beach once we get to to Santorini (and sunscreen will be needed)! We rested at home for a few hours before heading out for dinner around 7 pm.
Kaela saw a restaurant earlier in the day that she was wanting to go back to (it was ranked number 15 in Athens out of over 1,000 restaurants). However, it turns out that we went to the restaurant directly next door after the server offered all of us a free beer and shot (that is difficult to turn down)! The dinner was absolutely delicious! We all split a small meat platter; which included various sausages, chicken, pork, duck, tomato, and tzatziki; and a Moussaka; which Keala heard to be a specialty of Greek culture (and it is an eggplant/potato based dish) that she has been hoping to try it for several days now. We weren't even able to finish all of it! It was all so good. The funny thing is that Kaela wants to go back to the restaurant next door (the one that she originally wanted to go to), which is called Maiandros, tomorrow because it had marginally higher ratings than the one we went to tonight.
After dinner we stopped at several drug stores in search of sunscreen(and bought a few postcards for souvenirs), considering that we have been running dangerously low lately, on both postcards and sunscreen. A Greek lady informed us that it would be 36 degrees celsius tomorrow, which is nearly 100 degrees fahrenheit! We were unable to find sunscreen and went home to recoup for an hour or so before heading back out to AthenStyle Hostel to enjoy the view and watch Brazil vs. Mexico from their rooftop bar. It was another beautiful night! Unfortunately, the game ended 0-0 and I am sure I will hear about how baseball is better and more interesting over the next few days. After the game ended, much to the delight of Kaela and Kyra, we headed down to Monastiraki square for late snacks. The girls split a chocolate Oreo cake slice from a local coffee shop while I enjoyed the always delicious chicken souvlaki from across the street. It was so good! I can't get over how absolutely delicious the food is here. It is simply indescribable!. Right now we are all back at home hanging out. By hanging out I mean that both Kaela and Kyra are asleep (and have been for quite some time) and I am up late writing this post to keep everyone informed about our daily adventures!. Thank you all for reading along with us and for your comments and suggestions along the way. We will be sure to respond to them all soon! It is amazing how busy/tiring life can be for a few travelers. Until next time.
Love,
Justin, Kaela, and Kyra
Taking pictures around Hadrian's Library, including a picture looking through a magnificent arch onto the Acropolis!
Picture from the Ancient Agora looking out over Athens
Kyra acting silly around the 4th century carvings in the museum
Pictures in front of and of the Temple of Hephaestus! It is so well preserved! Quite the site to see
Kaela looking out over the Ancient Agora from Stoa Attalos
Dinner in Monastiraki! So delicious!
Kaela wanted to wear this outfit to the hostel to watch the Brazil game. Kyra and I quickly said no because the shorts.. didn't quite match the rest of the outfit. Kaela eventually relented and put on jean shorts, much to her disapproval
Wandering Around Athens: Ancient Ruins and Shopping remains copyright of the author JK_Adventures, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.
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