Cicadas, Socrates, and Sunday in Athens

Rickelle is napping, so you're stuck with James today!

Sunday in Athens!

This morning we rolled out of our hotel for another busy day in the historical areas around the Acropolis. As we exited the Metro in the Thissio district, we were greeted by two aural overtones to the natural hum of the city. The tolling of bells from numerous churches slowly gave way to the steady shurrruping of the cicadas as we traveled from the city streets into the wooded hills.

Our first stop was the 6th century BC graveyard known as Karamikos, which has survived relatively intact through the ravages of war, occupation, and the elements. In its heyday, the Karamikos contained the Dipylon gate, a massive four-towered structure that was the main gate of Athens. This opened into the Street of Tombs, where wealthy citizens and heroes of the city were buried, often with elaborate marble carvings marking their resting place. Luckily, even in this somber spot, Rickelle and I ran across a "speedy" looking denizen who wasn't at all shellshocked by the weight of time and history surrounding him. This turtle was so mellow he allowed Rickelle to walk right up for a close up. After visiting the onsite museum, we detoured through a Sunday gypsy craft fair before heading back to the Metro for our next destination.

After a traditional Jarvinen "death march" (our inside name for a 'short hike'... yeah, right!) from the train station, we arrived at the Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris, a small Byzantine (that's 9th century AD, for those of you keeping track at home) church surrounded by trees. Services were in session, so we weren't able to go inside to peek at the original icons and frescos that reside within. The hill country west of the Acropolis is riddled with small cave networks, and we saw two of them -- the first was where the Cult of Pan held their festivities, and the second had the intresting fact of having been the hiding place of the Acropolis artifacts and treasures during World War II. Another cave in this area was the prison of Socrates. We now believe that death was a sweet release for that famed philosopher since the racket made by the cicadas would have been pure torture.

On Saturday we had observed some sort of structure on a hill southwest of the Acropolis, and today discovered what it was: The Monument of Philopappos, which resides at the top of the Hill of the Muses. "Hill" is kind of an understatement, as it required a serious hike to get to the top -- but the reward was spectacular! Standing on the marble benches around the monument offers a panoramic 360 view of the city of Athens! We must have spun around ten or more times just trying to take it all in. We had to admit to being a little smug again, knowing we had this hill all to ourselves while watching the thousands of tourists winding their way up to the Parthenon. I think the Parthenon is the most impressive thing we've seen here, but the view from this hill has been the most stunning.

We finished our morning excursion by visiting the Ancient Agora, a large open space in the city used in historical times for speeches, proclamations, assemblies, and commercial activities. The Stoa of Attalos, which was reconstructed in the 1950s, gave us an idea of the size and grandeur of Athens during the time when the Agora was the center of city life. Our last stop was the Doric temple of Hephaestus, which stands in relatively good condition on a hill on the west side of the area.

With our list of visits accomplished, Rickelle and I meandered back into the market streets of the Plaka, and stopped for lunch at her "Greek hot dog stand" where we made short work of chicken souvlaki and lamb and pork pitas. Then it was time for some shopping and souveneir hunting. Rickelle and I are trying to figure out what karma of hers caused me to bang her toe and then not five minutes later to have one of the street vendors step back directly onto the same toe again! I'm glad it wasn't the other way around, because it's rare for me to hear Rickelle swearing in Spanish, and I don't blame the shop lady for quickly scurrying away after a quick "so sorry" after seeing the look on Rickelle's face. Eep!

Back safely at the hotel, we're settling in for an afternoon nap before heading out to find some Greek dancing and dinner this evening! Goodbye for now!

James & Rickelle

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