Slept in till 8:30 and were woken up by the church bells across the street ringing to announce the start of their service. By 9:30 Carole and LeVerne were still not moving much so Lee and I ventured out for breakfast. We ended up in a small café 2 doors down that our hotel recommended. We ordered the Breakfast #2 which comprised of juice, milk, 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, 2 ham cold cuts, 2 cheese slices, 4 pieces of toast and a pot of pressed coffee. Darned good breakfast!

  
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Once we were fed and watered, we decided to go for a bit of a walk to work off our breakfast. Our first destination was the Parliament Building which were about 8 blocks away. As we neared the site, the crowds were growing and people were starting to rush towards he building. Curious as to what was going on we joined the crowds and ended up on the street in front of the Parliament.

Yesterday, as we were driving past the Parliament Buildings on our way from the cruise port to our hotel, the driver mentioned that while there was a daily changing of the guard, a full ceremonial changing of the guard occurred on Sunday. As it so happened, today was Sunday. We had stumbled upon the full-blown changing of the guard.

      
      
  
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After the changing of the guard, we resumed our walk thru the park to the Presidential Palace. As we approached the palace, police were again present in numbers. Completed in 1897, the Presidential Mansion is the official residence of the president of the Hellenic Republic. It served previously as the Royal Palace, until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973.

      
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Just past the Palace we entered the Athens National Garden. It stands out for its many winding paths, wooden benches & bridges and small lakes dotted throughout. Its small zoo has wild goats, peacocks, chickens, and other animals.

      
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Continuing on, we took a brief look at the Panathenaic Stadium, which is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens. It’s currently the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. The stadium was built c. 330 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games with a capacity of 50,000 seats. After being refurbished in the late 1800’s, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896. It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place.

    
    
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Next stop was the Zappeion Hall, built in the 1880s for the first modern Olympic games. It’s now used as a conference center.

    
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Tiring quickly, we made our final stop of the morning at the Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion. It’s a former colossal temple at the centre of the Greek capital. It was dedicated to "Olympian" Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods.

    
    
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On the way back to our hotel we came upon the Arch of Hadrian, most commonly known as Hadrian's Gate, a gateway resembling a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

  
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Got back to the hotel at 1:00 and there was a note attached to our door. Carole and LeVerne had finally gotten mobile and were out for lunch. After lunch they wandered a maze of streets and through the flea market, arriving back at 1:30.

      
      
        
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Meanwhile, the weather had gotten a bit chilly. As well, it started raining intermittently so we decided to stay in for the afternoon and play some cards.

      
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At 7:00, everyone was starting to get a bit hungry so we ventured out a few blocks down from the hotel. Not far into our walk, with another stop at our favorite bakery, we found a nice-looking eating establishment. Had another exceptional traditional Greek dinner with homemade white wine and local beer.

    
  
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After dinner we walked back to the hotel and decided to call it a day. Back to our room by 9 and off to bed by 10:30.