The Greek Adventure Part 1 - Athens

Upon arrival in Athens, after what seemed like the longest flight ever (and I have been on pretty long flights in my past - Australia, New Zealand) because we were packed in like sardines and had to share recycled air with about 400 other passengers for 10 1/2 hours, I arrived at the Hotel Titania, and set out to start exploring the city.

My first task - buy a hairbrush (since I had forgotten mine)! So I set out for the shops of Omonia Square and happened upon a Sephora (which, while not as good as the other European or North American versions of the store, yielded a hairbrush). I also had the first of many frappés during the trip! My preference - unsweetened, with milk.

Our first sightseeing stop was to the National Archaeology Museum of Athens. All I can say is - Wow! The statues, artifacts, and information contained in this museum is truly amazing. I could hardly believe that these artifacts were in such great condition, considering that many of them dated from the 4th century BC.




The most amazing of all is the statue of Zeus that holds pride of place in one of the many exhibition rooms. We were glad to have seen this piece as it was the subject of many a postcard in Greece!



Since we felt like we were on our personal Amazing Race, what with a time constraint and the inability to get a sense of place (Athens was clearly not built by an urban designer) , we hopped into a taxi to take us to Lykavittos Hill, which promised amazing views of Athens (and at this point the sun had started to set, so we were in a race against time).


Later that night we dined at the Olive Garden restaurant on the rooftop of our hotel. While a cold night, we had such amazing views of the Acropolis lit up at night.


It was finally, on Day 2 of the trip that we saw the Acropolis up close. The morning started off cold (unseasonably cold, and we later found out that the ferries had been cancelled for three days because of high winds), but warmed up throughout the day (except on top of the Acropolis where it was very windy).

We wound our way through the Byzantine streets of the Plaka armed with a very good map, thank goodness! There are no street signs directing tourists to the Acropolis! We could always see it, but travelled on an indirect route to the Acropolis and entered through the little seen North Slope (and it is true, we were 2 of 4 people on that side).




A lot of work has been done on restoring the Acropolis, with grants from the EU and the government of Greece, and it is necessary. These ancient buildings have withstood all kinds of weather and natural disasters, yet they are still standing! No shoddy workmanship there. What I was in awe about was the intricate design made possible by the extraordinary stone masonry, particularly on the porch of Maidens at the Erechtheum





Considering it was late September, there was still a lot of people on the Acropolis (particularly around the Parthenon).



The crowds seemed to fan out, and were quite dispersed when we reached the back of the Parthenon.


Having finally seen the Acropolis, and it is truly breathtaking, we made our way to some of the surrounding structures (and what a great deal - for 12 Euros we were able to see the Acropolis, the temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Agora).

The Ancient Agora (taken from atop of the Acropolis)


The Temple of Olympian Zeus


After having traipsed through the city of Athens for much of the day, we were dogged tired so headed back toward our hotel, but found that it took a little bit longer than we thought. We meandered our way through the Botanic Garden, and stopped at the Parliament buildings to watch just one instance of the hourly changing of the guard. It is rumoured that only the best looking men of Greece are chosen as guardsmen (and I would have to agree).


And, of course, the National Library of Greece (which, while not open on a Sunday, is housed in a beautiful building!)

Finally, we took the Metro to dinner in the evening. What an efficient service. Fast, clean, and well-used, and filled with archaeological treasures found while excavating during construction. Here is an example from the Acropolis station:


All in all, a great 2 days were spent in Athens. I wish I could have had more, but there is always a next time.