Monday, October 22nd: Athens, That Lovely Debris
(Written by Steve) I awoke early this morning as we were slowly pulling next to Cruise Terminal B in the port city of Piraeus, Greece. (There’s a song from the terrible musical “Ilya Darling” titled, “Piraeus, My Love”, but there’s not much to love here.). The skies were threatening, and seemed to be a reminder of the gray clouds hanging over Greece during this time of fiscal crisis. Being one of the major ports on the Mediterranean (not to mention one of the oldest), it’s huge. As the Equinox was being secured, two other ships came floating past us to make their way into the crowded harbor. We were at the furthest end of the port, and it would be shuttle buses again to get to the main gate. I have to admit that Athens was the port we were least enthusiastic about. Not only had I visited here for a week in 1972, but Allan and I had been here on the last Mediterranean cruise. We had already seen the Acropolis and staggered through the Plaka. Today was going to