Athens

 Back in 2006 I was invited to visit some friends who had moved from Whidbey Island to Greece.  They had been vacationing there for many years and decided to pack up lock, stock and barrel and move to Paros, Greece.  They had invited me before but something about the time or something in me decided to just say yes.  Since I had to fly into Athens on the way to Paros, it seemed silly not to stop there for a few days.  The church that my parents attend was supporting a missionary couple who lived in Athens; they were willing to host me for a few days so everything just fell into place.

Seattle - Atlanta – Athens, arriving about 11 am; it was a long day.  I lucked out and had an empty seat next to me on the Atlanta/Athens flight, but I was not able to get any sleep.  I wish I could perfect the art of sleeping on a plane.  I landed in Athens and sailed through customs, no one said a word, they could have cared less why I was there or what I had with me.  Diana met me at the airport and we caught a bus back to their apartment in Glyfada.  It was a spacious place on the second floor of a nice building in a nice, quiet neighborhood not too far from the coast.  After I took a short nap, we walked into central Glyfada.  As we got closer to the beach, the houses got larger and fancier.  We ate a nice Greek dinner at an open air restaurant.  So far everything I have seen reminds me of Spain; the lifestyle, the stores, the buildings, the homes, the streets.  If the signs were not written in Greek, I would have sworn I was in Spain. 

The next day we took the tram into Athens.  We visited the open market, the archeology museum, and Lykavittos Hill.  The open market was huge but it was just like every other open market with raw meat, fish and lots of other stinky items.  The museum was completely overwhelming; it had items from as far back as 6000 BC.  The coolest thing I remember was seeing parts of the actual antikythera mechanism; an old metal object with many clock-like wheels that was found by sponge divers on an ancient wreck.  No one is positively sure what it was but most people think it is some type of astronomical calendar.  I had seen shows about it on the Discovery Channel many times so it was exciting to see it in real life.  Lykavittos is a pointed hat shaped hill and it has a spectacular 360 degree view of Athens and the Acropolis. 

The next morning we caught a bus from Glyfada to the first metro stop and rode the metro the rest of the way into Athens.  We got off at the Acropoli stop and crossed 8 lanes of a very busy street to see Hadrian’s Gate and the temple of Zeus.  It was strange to be looking at something constructed in 146 BC while you listened to modern traffic whiz by.  Back across the road we entered the narrow streets of ancient Athens.  Acropolis simply means “high place in the city” and many ancient towns have an acropolis.  At one time it was the highest point in the city but Athens has grown to incorporate higher hills.  I was surprised to see the number of people swarming all over the place; just like a hill of ants.  We bought a 12 euro ticket and went inside.  It was nice to have Diana there since she had been there before.  There is so much it would be easy to miss something.  You are not given a map as you enter so I suggest you buy a map in order to get a feel for the layout and an idea of what each building is all about.  Most of the literature about the Acropolis says it has been occupied since 3000 BC but the buildings you see today were built about 500 BC.  The size of the buildings, width, height, columns, and the size of each individual building block is overwhelming. 

The slaves used to build these buildings must have swarmed over the Acropolis much like the tourists do today.  Many of the buildings were covered in scaffolding for cleaning and repairs.  Back in the late 1600’s the Parthenon was used as an armory and gun powder storage, when the Venetians invaded they fired cannons into the building and started a fire that burned up the wooden roof and did a lot of damage.  From the Acropolis, we head down to the Agora; the center of public life in ancient Athens.  The Agora is much more “ruined” than the Acropolis.  You can see many foundations, aqueducts and a few statues but the only real building left standing is the Temple of Hephaestus.  In my journal I write that I have no clue who/what Hephaestus was but today when I Google it I read in Wikipedia he was the patron god of metal working and craftsmanship.  The Agora was the place where you went to the market, listened to public speakers, went to the gymnasium, and had buildings that housed public documents and the official weights and measures. 

After all this walking it was almost 2 pm so we went to Monastraki Square and ate lunch at a café in the square.  It was a total tourist trap but it was a great location so we did not care.  As we ate we were approached every few minutes by someone selling something; little girls selling Hello Kitty trinkets, young men selling black market CD’s, and old women selling table cloths.  There was also a local dog roaming around the tables for scraps.  The dog had more success than the roaming vendors.  After lunch we roamed around the Plaka; the old market district.  I saw some wonderful antique furniture, many leather goods and tourist trinkets of every shape and size.  Too bad I could not ship home some of that furniture!!  I have to thank Ron and Diana for hosting me at their home and showing me around town. 

The next day I caught the bus back to the airport and flew out to the island of Paros to see Al and Ardy. 

KAREN’S ATHENS TIPS…

Ø  Wear good soled tennis shoes.  Who cares if you look like an American – so do many Greeks.

Ø  Schedule one full day for the Acropolis and Agora.

Ø  Get a map of the Acropolis & Agora before you go.

Ø  Take your time – do not rush – you have all day – sit and read about each location – absorb the history.

Ø  Go early in the morning to avoid the heat.

Ø  Stay downtown – the cost of the hotel is worth avoiding the time on the bus into town plus you have a home base to use as a rest stop.

Ø  Avoid July and August – they are miserable in the city – September was almost too hot.

Ø  Get a pass and use the metro.

Ø  Don’t miss Lykavittos Hill.

Ø  Taxis can be a rip off – negotiate the fair up front.

Ø  Take the metro from the airport to the city center.

Ø  Pack light but bring a couple of “dressy” items – the Greeks dress very well!!