Italy & Greece Tour Part XI: Athens
My Journey: Athens
4/6/2023
Our day started with a bus ride to the Olympic Stadium.
Panathenaic Stadium
With the stadium visit behind us, we went on a short driving tour.
After the driving tour, we stopped at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier to watch the changing of the guard.
Then, back on the bus to the Parthenon where we gathered as a group before heading up the Acropolis. As with all the other times, we had to go through the torturous process of listening to the spiel to get to the bit that would tell us where to meet and when after the tour finished at the Parthenon.
The Path
We started our walk in the parking lot at the Acropolis. Then, we took the very nice path up to the monument. We stopped twice, once to get instructions on where we were to meet at the end, and the other was near the top while the tour guide went on for a minute.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
While waiting for the tour to move on, we enjoyed the view of the Roman theater. It was a nice day, and if you got tired of the ruins, you could always enjoy the view of the city.
Dez and Lykee in front of Odeon of Herodes Atticus
On the move again we approached the sacred hill top. Once the path was clear to us, we broke away from the group and enjoyed the site on our own.
As you approach the Propylaia, to your right is the the Temple of Athena Nike. When you look up, the crowds disappear and it is just the magnificent ruins.
Once you pass through the Propylaia, you are in the main temple grounds. The Parthenon is before you and across the way is the Pandroseion. Besides the crowds, the site is also covered by the evidence of the on going work to preserve and restore the site.
Parthenon
I absolutely loved every minute that we were up here. Dez and I wondered about taking pictures, taking in the crowd, the view, and the history. I am torn between whether this or Mycenea was my favorite site of the trip. Ancient Greece, like modern Democracy, was not a perfect place but it has left us a legacy that provides a path to cultural and governmental progress.
Flagpole and Hellenic Flag
While there, we explored every bit that we could. One of the highlights of the Acropolis is the Greek flag that flies over the site. There was no flag here until WWII when the Nazi’s flew here. Some Greek boys snuck up there and replaced it with the Greek flag. Ever since the war, the Greek flag has flown here In remembrance of those that took a stand against Nazism.
The view from the Acropolis is absolute amazing. We took so many pictures and all the while I was being cooked by the sun.
Panorama from the Acropolis
With our time up, we headed back to the rally point to meet up with the tour folks at which point we told them we would walk back to the hotel. We then began day two of shopping and slowly made our way to the Parthenon Museum.
Acropolis Museum
Every museum, so far in Greece, had been laid out with the upmost of thought, with the architecture being as much about the experience as the artifacts and the whole presenting a narrative. In this case, you climb as if ascending the Acropolis with the artifacts reflecting this climb as they be come increasingly secured the higher you go. In the end, you ascend to the upmost point of the Parthenon where you see the marbles eye to eye with those depicted in the art. All the while looking out the glass walls upon the city scape of Athens and up to the Acropolis.
The section representing the slopes of the Acropolis has many objects on display from statues and architectural pieces to every day objects. As you climb, there is a visible shift from the mundane to the sacred.
When you arrive on the first landing, there is a collection of displays dedicated to tools, materials, and their use.
There is also a collection of gold coins.
The windows of the museum offer a wonderful view of the city and the Acropolis.
View of the Acropolis
Much of that first level is dedicated to sculptural and architectural pieces with limited allowance for photography. Don’t forget to look out the window.
The display dedicated to the Caratids is viewable from the landing of the first level and sits in its own dedicated space.
From the first level, that basically represents the Acropolis, you can take the stairs or escalator up to the level that allows you to view the display dedicated to marble reliefs that surround the top of the Parthenon. It is almost as if you are viewing them from the perspective of the Gods. The museum labels each piece with it provenance and the missing pieces have the current locations labeled as well. The whole experience is meant to not just inform you about the ancient history but to make it clear that Greece deserves to have there artifacts returned.
And to top it all off, there is a Lego model.
The museum was built on top of ruins just like everything else and these ruins were incorporated into the museum.
The ruins beneath the museum.
We spent some time exploring the ruins before concluding our time at the museum. The infrastructure of the city’s under city was very impressive. There is more to the water and sewer system than just drains and pipes. It is a whole laid out system beneath the ruins of the ancient city.
With the museum behind us, it was time for last minute shopping and a snack before going back to the hotel.
After our snacks, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our last dinner. Back on the bus for the drive to the restaurant.
We arrived at the restaurant that was slammed packed with people. I had to put in earplugs to keep from being over stimulated and getting a headache. This bothered the host to no end who must have asked me 8 times if I was ok or if there there was something wrong with me.
The food was less than impressive. By this point, I was done with tomatoes and when I found out the beef was in a tomato sauce I asked for a substitution, lied and said I had developed an allergy to tomatoes over the trip. They did give me a substitution of dry chicken and potatoes. We also asked for Pepsi and Coke instead of wine. The ouzo was weak and the only thing I truly liked was the fried calamari which I accidentally dropped one of my two pieces on the floor. While the dinner excursions might offer some cultural experiences, they fell short throughout the trip of meeting my needs for food.
While the food was less than I expected, the entertainment was fun. Throughout the dinner, they performed many traditional Greek songs and dances. Oh, and some Mama Mia of course.
I can’t help but to take one more panoramic
On the way back to the hotel, the bus stopped at the Acropolis parking area for one last photo op. We had to do it quickly as the police do not want you in the lot after dark.
Back to the hotel for a short sleep before leaving for the airport.
My New Book
While shopping, I was able to pick up some Greek coins which I then proceeded to make into rings.
Lessons Learned and Tips:
Don’t forget sunscreen.
Research where the good food is.
If you don’t like something, tell the tour company you’re allergic.