The Acropolis in Athens

The Acropolis is literally a giant rock upon which is built one of the most famous buildings of all time...the Parthenon. But it is not the only building atop the outcrop which sits at the southernmost part of Athens, Greece. All that remains are three contrasting temples and a unique gateway that leads to the Acropolis.

In the center is the Parthenon, although few sculptures remain on this temple to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. Only the outside columns remain. The new Acropolis Museum located to the southeast of the Parthenon near the Theatre of Dionysius contains many of the original sculptures from the buildings on the Acropolis.

Also atop the Acropolis is the Erechtheion famous for its Caryatids, or the statues of women used as columns on the south porch. The original statues are now in the Acropolis Museum while casts are now on the Erechtheion. An olive tree now grows beside the Porch of Caryatids where Athena first planted her tree in a competition against Poseidon.

The massive Propylaia gateway was built in 437-432 B.C. as a "new" entrance to the Acropolis and beside it is the tiny Temple of Athena Nike, built to honor Athena of Victory. At the base of the Propylaia is the Beule Gate, the original gateway to the Acropolis.

Two theatres lie at the base of the Acropolis. The larger of the two, the Theatre of Herodes Atticus, also known as the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, was built in A.D. 161 and lies near the Propylaia. It is still used today for outdoor concerts.

The smaller theatre is also the older . The Theatre of Dionysos was built in 333-330 B.C.

Located just west of the Acropolis is Areopagos Hill, or Mars Hill, where St. Paul delivered his sermon in A.D. 51. Greeks called their god of war "Ares," while he was called "Mars" by the Romans. While on the Areopagus, in the shadow of the Acropolis, Paul preached one of the most memorable sermons recorded in the Bible (Acts 17:22-31).

Passport Fees Could Increase

According to this article from CNN, the state department is trying to raise the fees for new passports and to renew expiring passports possibly by April of this year. It is not yet a done deal, but if you are needing a new or renewed passport you might want to go ahead do so to avoid this higher possible cost.

A new passport fee would increase to $135, up 35 percent from the current $100 fee. A renew fee would increase to $110 from the current $75.

You may want to apply for or renew your passport now. The State Department is anticipating that there might be a rush of passport applications from people trying to beat any possible fee hikes and they say they are ready to handle it.

Visit the official U.S. Department of State website for more information on obtaining or renewing your passport. You can obtain passport applications at many post offices. Visit the USPS website for this information.

Saturday, March 27, is "Passport Day in the USA" where you can apply for a passport at one of 23 regional offices without a reservation. A new office was added in Dallas this year. This website will help you locate the nearest Passport Acceptance Facility.

Another EF Price Discount!

EF is currently offering another price discount for potential travelers who want to join our June 2011 tour of Athens with a Greek Island cruise. Until March 31, participants may enroll and receive $150 off the current price.

Adults may enroll for $3,719 with double rooms while persons age 23 and under may enroll for $3,174 in quad rooms. If a person under 23 wants a double room then they will be subject to adult fees.

Feel free to share this information with family and friends. Full information on the trip is in postings below, including a slide show on the sites we will see and links to the full itinerary and a video of the cruise.

Happy Holidays from the Farmers

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Join Us for Our Athens and the Islands Tour!

We are planning our next tour and it will be to Athens with a 4-day Greek Isle cruise to Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete, and Santorini with a stop in Kusadasi, Turkey to tour Ephesus. The 10-day tour is June 16-25, 2011.

This tour combines highlights from multi-cultural periods including Classical Greek, Byzantine, Roman, medieval, and the ancient Minoan civilization with all the natural beauty of island life on the Aegean Sea.

For a full itinerary from EF Tours...

For complete cruise details from EF Tours...

For a video on the Greek Isle cruise from Louis Cruise Lines...

And if you would like to see the slide presentation of the sites we will visit on this tour that I presented at our introduction meeting Sept. 13...

Athens and the Islands

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by sfarmer Upload your own presentation

Click on the forward button in the middle of the screen to start the show. To advance the slides, click on the forward button at the bottom left to view this size. To view full screen, click on the square in the lower right corner of the slide show and simply click your mouse on the screen to advance the slide show. Enjoy!

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General Information for Athens and the Islands Tour 2011

--We are traveling with EF Educational Tours.
--This is a 10-day private tour June 16-25, 2011 especially for our adult group. (We are not doing the 3-day extension.)
--The all-inclusive tour price is $3,942 per adult. This includes the $95 enrollment fee, current departure fees*, program fee, weekend supplement, all-inclusive insurance plan, private bus, adult supplement, 4 nights Athens hotel in double rooms with private baths, 4-day Greek Isle cruise with inside double rooms with private bath, roundtrip airfare from DFW, all breakfasts and dinners in Athens, and breakfast, lunch and dinner on the cruise.
--Ship to shore transportation is provided in the tour cost. Optional excursions are available for all ports of call through Louis Cruise lines while on tour.
--This price is good through Feb. 26, 2011 when the final payments must be received. $125 late fee will be charged if final payment is not received by that date. *Departure fees are subject to change according to the airport tax.
--The $135 All-Inclusive Insurance Plan covers medical and accident, baggage and property, and tour cancellation and interruption. The insurance is not required, but I do recommend it. The insurance is automatically billed to all travelers and must be paid upon enrollment or within 30 days of enrollment. If you do not want it, you must decline in writing. Once you decline it, you cannot get it back.
--Each participant must have a roommate or will be subject to a single supplement charge. As of 2010, the single supplement is $40 per night in a hotel or cruise cabin. That would be $40 x 8 nights = $320.
--Enrollment options:
Internet: enroll online quickly and easily at http://www.eftours/enroll. Our tour number is 193839. (The lower student price appears first; the adult supplement appears on the next page after you register with your birthday to provide your age)
Phone: call 1-800-665-5364.
Mail: send in the enrollment form with the full payment in the prepaid envelope provided (I have these).
Fax: complete the enrollment form and fax to 1-800-318-3732.
--Payment options:
--Manual payment: the full price is due upon enrollment through Feb. 26, 2011.
--Credit card or direct bank debit: pay $95 ($230 with insurance) with enrollment, then the balance is automatically divided into monthly payments deducted monthly from your checking account or credit card. With this plan you have 2 more months (until May 15, 2011) to make payments (30 days prior to departure) and do not have to worry about late fees.
--When registering, you MUST put your name on the application EXACTLY as it is on your passport or birth certificate. This is the same name that will be put on your airplane tickets (and passport if you don’t have one yet) and the names must match. Married women use your married name. EF requires you include a middle name (or maiden name if that is on your passport) for enrollment.
--You will need a passport to travel abroad. If you have one, make sure it will be valid at least six months after our return in 2011. Adult passports are good for 10 years; children’s passports are good for five years. If you do not have a passport, then wait until about 6 months prior to departure to apply.
--Once we have organized our traveling group, I will keep you informed of everything you need to know. I will have meetings a few months prior to departure. Until then I will keep you informed on sites we will see, what to expect, what to pack, how to obtain currency, where to shop, how to get passports, inform you of airline flights and hotels…everything you need to know through this travel blog at http://luv2go.blogspot.com/.
Right now you just need to decide if you want to join us…and we hope you do!
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Begin Info for Greek Isle Tour 2011

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