03/05/2026 - 03/08/2026 and 3/19/2026

Getting from Singapore to Athens was a true nightmare! Trump had started his illegal war in the middle east which meant the airspace there was closed. Our flight, which connected through Doha Qatar was cancelled. We got zero communication from the airline, and, when looking at the website, they showed our flight as still scheduled and everything said to wait until your flight was within 48 hours. Unfortunately, we were stupid enough to believe they would provide some kind of assistance in re-booking, so we didn’t book different flights on our own at that point (about 84 hours out) when there were still some ok options.

We couldn’t get ahold of the airline, so we made a trip to the airport the next afternoon (about an hour each way). The nice (and completely overwhelmed) ladies behind the desk confirmed that regardless of what the website said, our flight was, indeed cancelled and we would eventually get a refund (we’re still working on that!). Additionally, they let us know that the airlines would not be assisting in any way to re-book or find alternate options. We were on our own. Any other time during this adventure, we could have pivoted and changed our plans, but this was the one and only time during the entire year that we HAD to get to our next destination. We had a cruise booked and Erin and Colleen meeting us. Not going was not an option!

We went straight back to the hotel and spent the entire evening trying to find flights to Athens… with no luck! We had to hunt down and eliminate anything that connected through the middle east (which was most of them), and then go from the third party vendors to the airline websites to see if the flights really still had availability… which they didn’t. We worked on it until well after midnight, then got up bright and early the next morning after not sleeping a wink and got back to work. We eventually found an option - instead of the 12 hour (1 connection) itinerary we had originally planned on, we were stuck with a really jacked up 30 hour (2 connection) itinerary … for the mere price of $2k each (UGH!!). After killing an entire evening (and most of the next morning) getting it sorted out, we also had to leave Singapore a day sooner. So we lost a full day and a half of our already short Singapore stay.

We flew in the wrong direction north to Chengdu China and sat around the airport for 4.5 hours until our long flight to Cairo Egypt that took off at 2am. Once in Cairo, we had to apply for visas, go through customs (as if we were staying there), then collect our luggage and drag it to another terminal (while being hounded by taxi drivers). Once in the other terminal, we had to start from scratch checking in for our flight on a completely different airline and going through security and all that mess. It was a pain… and of course, we were so tired as it was now over 24 hours since we had left our hotel in Singapore. And we were still nice to each other! 😊

We had a total of 4 days in Athens – 2 on our own and 2 with Erin and Colleen. We ventured out our first two days for a bicycle tour and a walking tour. Both were really good and we got to see the main attractions within the city. Athens is ok - there are obviously some pretty iconic sights, and some really nice areas, but otherwise, it’s a big dirty city.

We saw the guards at the presidential mansion which was really interesting. The changing of the guard in Athens takes place every hour - 24 hours a day. It is a highly choreographed military ritual performed by the Evzones, an elite ceremonial unit of the Greek Presidential Guard. We didn’t see the changing of the guards, but we saw them switch places, which they do every 20 minutes.

The Evzones are hand-picked volunteers from the Hellenic Army's Infantry Corps. Candidates must be male and at least 6'2" tall. The selected soldiers undergo five weeks of "top-secret" training focused on maintaining absolute stillness. Nearly half of the candidates fail this phase. Guards are forbidden to speak, flinch, or show any expression while on duty, regardless of weather or external threats. In past incidents, guards have remained at their posts even during bomb explosions and fires.

The uniform is steeped in historical meaning, with each piece handcrafted over several months: A white skirt featuring 400 pleats, represents the 400 years of Ottoman occupation and is made from roughly 30 meters of fabric; A red felt cap symbolizing the blood shed for independence, with a long black silk tassel representing the tears of mourning for victims; Red leather clogs with large black pom-poms - each shoe weighs about 6 pounds and has 60 to 120 nails in the sole to create a rhythmic "clop"; And an intricately hand-embroidered waistcoat that can take up to six months to make.

The guards use a slow-motion, synchronized high-step march that symbolizes stepping over bodies on the battlefield. The subsequent powerful stamps on the ground are meant to let the "dead heroes" buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier hear that the Greek nation remains alive and free.

And then came the HIGHLIGHT of our time in Greece… Erin and Colleen arrived!!! We were SO happy to see them (especially considering all we went through just to get there!). 😊

We visited the Acropolis which was pretty amazing! The word "Acropolis" really just means big hill (or something like that). It comes from the Greek akron ("highest point") and polis ("city"). Many Greek cities had an acropolis for defense, but the one in Athens is considered the most significant.

It is located on a limestone hill 500 feet above the city. While human habitation on the site dates back to 4000 BC, its most iconic structures were built during the 5th century BC.

There are four primary standing structures: 1) The Parthenon - the most famous structure on the Acropolis which was dedicated to Athena Parthenos. 2) The Erechtheion - an unusual asymmetrical temple dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. It is most famous for its Caryatid Porch, where six sculpted female figures serve as supporting columns. 3) The Propylaea - the monumental gateway to the Acropolis, designed to impress visitors and control access. 4) The Temple of Athena Nike - a small temple built to celebrate military victories, situated on a bastion at the southwest corner.

On the southern slope of the Acropolis there is an Amphitheatre - the Odeon of Herodes Atticus which is a well-preserved Roman-era structure still in use today. We had incredible views of it from above.

We also visited the Panathenaic Stadium which is the world's only stadium built entirely of marble. It was originally constructed in the 4th century BC and rebuilt to host the first modern Olympics in 1896. The stadium holds 50,000 spectators and still serves as the final handover spot for the Olympic flame to the host country. This is not, however where it is lit – more on that later 😊

This is also the location of the finish line for the Athens marathon. Runners start in the town of Marathon and finish at the Panathenaic Stadium to mimic the legend of the first marathoner (Pheidippides) who ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver the message that Athenians had won the Battle of Marathon… then died on the spot. All just a legend, but it inspired the creation of the real original marathon that was run from the town of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium for the first modern Olympic games. And is held annually.

Colleen wanted to run around the stadium. I did not! In the end we decided it was too cold and windy and not worth the entrance fee. So we settled for a couple photos from the gate and went on our way.

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