Exploring the Valley of the Temples in Sicily

Our third port-of-call was Palermo, Sicily where we took a 2.5 hour tour bus to the Unesco Heritage Site of Agrigento--an old Greek colony on the south side of the island. Here we saw the Temple of Hera, the amazingly-preserved Temple of Concordia, and the ruins of the Temple of Hercules.

Enjoy these photos of our tour!

Doric Temple of Concordia

Doric Temple of Hera

Doric Temple of Hercules

Ancient Treasures of Two Athens Museums

Our second port-of-call was the ancient port of Athens, Piraeus. Leaving the ship, I walked around the port to the Metro which I took to the National Archeological Museum. After scouring this fine museum for a few hours, I took the Metro to the new Acropolis Museum which I toured until closing time. Taking the Metro back to the port I walked in the night back to the ship with my heart and head full of unmatched art that I'd longed to see in the flesh since I was a dreamy teenager.

Enjoy these images of world-classy art from the birthplace of democracy!

Bronze Zeus throwing thunderbolt

Minotaur

Hermes with bunny

Ceres and Persphone bless Triptolemus

Bronze Jockey

Shy Venus caught bathing

The wounded Gaul

Socrates

Touch me like that again and I'll whop you with my sandal!

The Erechtheion Caryatids are well preserved at the back but eaten away by acid rain in the front

Athena adjusting her sandal

Graffiti on this metope tells that Luigi and Lucca were climbing around the Acropolis in 1841

Centaur gets the upper hand