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Published: April 11th 2013
Panathenaic Stadium
The marble lasts so well it was hard to think about the age of this stadium.Our morning started with a two-hour Greek lesson. For me (arriving a bit late for the 8:00 start), it was mostly review. I had learned the alphabet, numbers 1 – 10, and basic greetings by posting them on my fridge (copied from internet sites). A bonus in the live lesson was learning the Easter greetings.
Befuddled by strange words, we drove in the bus through well-kept streets to the Parthenon/Acropolis site. One brief stop was at the stadium of the modern Olympics (1896), brought up to date for the 2006 Olympics as the site of Archery and the end of the Marathon. The all-marble construction looked timeless, plus sore on the bum!
From the drop-off for the Acropolis there is a wide, obviously new pedestrian walkway to the base of the hill and the ticket office. From there the walk steepens sharply with stairs and marble strewn paths. Easy to see why there are warnings about slippery-when-wet, because it was slippery on this sunny day.
Probably thousands of people were on the terraced approach to the main site. Kriton stopped a couple of times for history lessons – both about ancient times and about the fifty-year restoration project.
Acropolis
We were part of an excited swarm of tourists. As we ascended, even the non-Parthenon sites blew our minds with their massive columns.
The wind was also blowing – very hard, which made keeping our balance on the rough, marbled site difficult. Kriton stopped again after we entered the tall gate to the Parthenon for more history. From where we were seated on the rocks, we could see the process of the restoration work, although no one was working, possibly because it is “Good Thursday”, as they call it. Because the buildings on the Acropolis were built and destroyed several times, archeologists have found pieces all over the hill and the city. They are trying to bring back all the pieces possible and are fitting them together in the correct pattern, i.e., returning each column, pediment, etc. to its original state. They have developed a computer program that analyses the dimensions of a piece and tells the archeologists where it fits. New material is in white marble to contrast with golden ancient marble, informing our view of the restoration. In several places on the site are cranes, collections of old stone pieces, and even rail tracks – all for the restoration project.
[While I write this, the
Parthenon
This internationally important restoration project has been going on for years, funded by Greece, the EU and other organizations. bells from many churches are tolling.]
My/Our half hour of free time disappeared quickly into exploring and photography. With full sun on the marble columns and deep blue sky, the opportunities for photos were endless. My new 80-200 mm lens made me very happy as I transcended distance and tourists. Some of the views of the valley below were breath-taking – as was the wind that threatened to move the camera, even at high ASA while being held in both hands!
All too soon, I was carefully rushing down marble slopes and steps to meet the group at the entrance. Whence we walked to the very new New Acropolis Museum. The thoughtful design of the building exceeds anything I have ever seen. Even in the external courtyard (Narthex) and the interior lobby, a Plexiglas floor allowed us to see the excavations below. (Kriton told us that every hole dug in Athens reveals archeological ruins that must be checked by authorities.) The first two floors of the building flow into each other in a gradual ramp. The artifacts rise in age with the most refined statues at the top floor, which is as big as and is aligned with
Lean into the wind!
The Parthenon withstands the weather, but the wind was strong and cold! the Parthenon. Here are the original fragments of the pediments and the friezes, mounted as they would have been in the Parthenon, except closer to eye-level so we can see them. Kriton rightly had another go at Lord Elgin for the damage he did to the friezes. He also showed us how the statues in the pediments were as perfect in the back as in the front, because, although people couldn’t see, them the gods could. Free citizens of Athens built the temples, because they are gifts to the gods who would know who did what (slaves mined the marble).
A brief walk through the old Plaka district brought us to a tavern for lunch (late at 2:45). To our astonishment, each table of four was told to choose ten dishes from about 15-18. The waiter brought a large tray with cold dishes and we could also order deep-fried calamari, deep-fried anchovies and thick-cut fries. We had calamari, anchovies, Greek salad, fish roe salad, cuttlefish (tender, in a delicious sauce), pork in a sauce, greens (unidentified), stuffed vine leaves, eggplant plus bread and wine. An almond sweet for dessert. Stuffed!
Those who wished, including me, went with Kriton
Metroman grave
Inside the display is the skeleton of a tiny man dated to the fourth century. into the subway. This new facility was a beneficial headache because every moment of excavation revealed ruins and artifacts – some previously unknown. The subway stations in the ancient area have artifacts and photos mounted with the same quality as any museum. One huge photo shows where a worker broke through what was the wall of a well where broken pottery had been discarded – a huge wealth of archeological treasures. Along one wall in each station, a sort of stone/rubble mural shows the layers found from Mycenaean to present day. One skeleton is mounted in the wall in a “crypt” and he is nicknamed the “Metro man”.
After a quick nap at the hotel, I went out to search for a pharmacy that carries “Travel Gum”, which Kriton said cures seasickness in progress (different from Dramamine). Over the last 24 hours, I asked at several pharmacies, and, although they should have been open, two more were closed (about 5:00 p.m.) this evening. Finally, one was open and had the gum. The young woman who helped me chatted a bit (in English) – she graduated from university last year. She was interested in the French-speaking people in Canada because
Ayioi Theodoroi
This quaint church was a quiet, sacred space amidst the cars and pedestrians of the city. she had studied French, too.
Right by the pharmacy was an old, small church . I photographed the outside, surrounded by low walls, almost protecting it from the traffic. The interior was smaller than my house; the walls were covered with icons of various types – painted and silver. No one seemed to mind that I took photos. I donated and lit a candle.
On the way back to the hotel, I passed by a book fair in one of the squares. Then I bought a second large cup of tea for the afternoon – seriously dehydrated since arrival. Out front of the university was a loud but sparse demonstration by the Afghan Asylum Committee; riot police and detention trucks were one street away. Seemed doubtful there would be trouble. Dinner was at the hotel buffet – not much needed after lunch. Then early to bed; broken sleep.
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Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
Travel seasickness
Are you foreshadowing? Seriously, the photos and description are great - not sure I'd appreciate the wind chill, but otherwise I feel as if I'd been there.