BSA Course Day 7 - Shopping, site-hopping and cat-spotting!

Weather: Sunny, 32 degrees

Step count: 17105

After the intensity of the first week of the course, it was bliss to have a day free to do whatever we chose. Some headed to the beach, others to the library, but my first port of call was the bakery! Fortified with a latte and a bougatsa, a huge custard-filled filo pastry, savoured on the Finley Terrace imagining the view of the Acropolis, I set off into the city with a fellow course-mate.

We wandered around the many shops in Monastiraki and Plaka, picking up souvenirs and gifts, then strolled around the base of the Acropolis. There is so much history here, and every few paces there is something to see. So it helps to slow down and savour the surroundings, which the cats that live in and around the city seem to have down to an art. Every one we saw was so friendly, happy to say hello and strike a pose for the camera before slinking off to find a shady spot to sleep away the heat of the afternoon.

Feeling the need to do the same, we found an icecream shop then made our way back to the Acropolis Museum for a more leisurely look at the ceramics and sculpture in the cool of the air-conditioning, and closer inspection of the Lego model of the Acropolis.

The museum restaurant has a large terrace with expansive views up toward the Acropolis and across the city and we enjoyed a cold drink whilst anticipating the climb up Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in the city, which tomorrow has in store.

We got to see the excavations of the ancient neighbourhood that were found beneath the museum, and managed to identify some of the features dating from the Roman period such as drainage and layers of tiling in the walls.

I was determined to find the choregic monument to Lysicrates at Tripodon Street (the 'Street of the Tripods' where winners of contests at the City Dionysia commemorated their victories) before making our way back to the BSA, and I wasn't disappointed as it is huge!

Alongside the monument we found another group of sleepy cats, totally oblivious to their ancient surroundings.

We timed our walk back perfectly, arriving at the parliament building at Syntagma Square just in time to see the changing of the guard. Such a shame that my phone ran out of battery so I only managed one picture as it was really impressive!

Our step count for a day off was higher than most of the course days, so we definitely made good use of our free time!