I recently had the good fortune to travel to Greece for a long-overdue vacation with my husband. After a long flight, we didn’t want to drive too far, so we decided to start our trip to Greece at Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon. After a too-long detour on the highway (and paying more in tolls that we should have) we arrived at the Aegean Beach Hotel. The room was small by American standards (but typical for a European hotel) and simply furnished. The bathroom was modern and the terrific water pressure on the rainfall showerhead was a welcome surprise.
All rooms at the Aegean have a sea view and the balcony was a terrific place to view the sunset. As we were arriving, a couple kayakers were pulling in their boats, making me wish we had more time to stay.
After settling in, we went in search of dinner. Though the hotel has a restaurant, we had plans to 
eat breakfast there the next day and decided instead to try the restaurant on the road in, a fish tavern. Though it was a bit chilly, we opted to eat outdoors (when would we have another chance to eat seated next to the Aegean Sea?). With our limited knowledge of the Greek language (read almost none), we decided to count on the recommendation of our waiter and were not disappointed. Our introduction to Greek cuisine and portions left us full and happy. We started with a Greek salad, followed by possibly the most delicious mussels I have ever tasted (we couldn’t determine whether it was because they were 
fresh or if there was a secret ingredient in the sauce our waiter neglected to mention – I asked what was in it). After asking our preferences, our waiter recommended a grilled fish (which we were relieved to learn was priced by weight, not portion) which he brought to us whole, then removed (almost all of) the bones so we wouldn’t have to. We joked about the cats lurking about, hoping for us to drop a piece of fish. (Our waiter told us they get the bones, later.) Over his protests that it might be too much food, we decided to add calamari. When we had (mostly) finished our meal, baklava appeared for dessert, “on the house,” which is a pleasant surprise in much of Greece. Of course we found room, it would have been rude not to.
We walked back to the hotel, admiring the view of the temple lit up at night. The bed was comfortable and the sound of water lapping the beach from the open door was soothing, making sleep come easily. The morning greeted us with gulls calling and dogs barking in the distance. Breakfast was an extensive buffet, including hot choices as well as yogurt and spoon sweets, breads and cakes, meats and cheeses. A Nescafe machine produced coffee that was surprisingly good (unlike experiences with Nescafe here).
We set off to visit Poseidon, via a trail from the hotel parking lot (which allowed us to leave our car there, rather than struggling to find a spot around the buses). The walk was an interesting one – the terrain changed from grass to rocks to lava rock and we encountered a bit of looped barbed wire adjacent to the Temple property along the fork of the trail we chose to take.
When we arrived, we saw a notice that there was a film crew making a movie and that entrance gave permission to be filed. (So if you happen to see a Chinese movie filmed at the Temple of Poseidon, look for me in the background.) The temple itself is awe-inspiring and there are other things to see. In addition to the temple, there are ruins from the settlement 
of Sounion which was an important port as early as 510 BC. The day we visited, there was a strong wind, making me wonder how many people Poseidon caused to be tossed into the sea from where I stood. While there were some interesting ruins near the edge, the wind kept me from getting too close to investigate closer.
Nearby is the Temple or Sanctuary of Athena. Unfortunately, this has not been as well preserved as Poseidon’s. All that remains is the foundation of a temple, which was built in the middle of the 5th century BC.
Saying goodbye to the cape, we decided to stop for lunch in Lavrio, a small town we drove through on our way there. After a short walk through town, we randomly chose a place with outdoor seating and decided to share a plate rather than ordering too much. We decided on a grilled meat platter for two. The meal started with a dish of tzatziki (the best I’ve had before or since) and toast. Our meal shortly followed which was a mounded plate with a variety of meats, and pita. As we quickly discovered, lurking cats (and sometimes dogs) are frequent sights at outdoor restaurants. Here we wondered how often one particular cat caught a new patron unawares while sleeping on one of the chairs. We failed to finish this time and took the
leftovers with us to snack on later. Again we were brought dessert, (gratis) which was just as tasty as the rest of the meal. I asked the waiter what it was, commenting that it was delicious and from his reaction, I wondered if it was his own concoction. It was deceptively easy: biscuits with layers of yogurt and apricot. I’m not sure I’ll be able to duplicate that either. After lunch we were back on the road, headed north, to continue our adventure.
Note: No compensation was provided by any business or organization mentioned here. The opinions are solely those of the author.