Athens

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The rest of the day was whittled away with needless activities, but as I was feeling unwell it was just what I needed. Just to make sure I made it to my flight in time I headed off to the airport at approximately 3:30. I was incredibly surprised to find how small the Ciampino airport is. I had assumed that Rome, being one of the most renowned cities in the world would have a more expansive international operation. They do have another airport, which may in fact be much larger, but I was taken aback nonetheless. It was smaller than the airport at home, it was a little bit surreal. I checked in and dropped my bag off in preparation with no hassle. It was lucky that I had bought 20kg for my checked in bags as I was carrying 19.1kg. So I was a little bit stuck as to what to do for the next few hours. I decided that my carry-on bag needed a clean out and a reorder. Unfortunately the reorder made it much more difficult to fit everything in without squashing my books. It was a little bit of a futile process, but I was able to get rid of some of the rubbish I had been needlessly carrying around for months. So off to Athens I went. The flight was relatively uneventful, and definitely somewhat uncomfortable. Ryanair does not specialise in leg room. I also had the unwanted pressure build up thanks to my head cold. The landing was certainly something I wish never to do again. Still, I wasn’t maimed and we landed safely. I was the first cab off the rank in terms of collecting my bag, and I immediately made my way to the metro. It took me a little while to figure out where I was on the map and where I needed to get off in terms of getting to Acropoli station. It was relatively straightforward and I was able to find the hostel without any trouble. After checking in to my room (amidst some high quality drama) I headed out to get some food before heading to bed. I had a delicious great meal at one of the restaurants around the corner. Greek food is amazing. Having not had anything like it since leaving Australia, it almost gave me a little taste of home. After finishing up with a Greek coffee it was time to turn it in.



The morning didn’t bring any relief in terms of my health. One always has to get worse before one gets better. I attempted to head out for a walk, but after only half an hour or so I was beat. I admitted defeat and made my way back to the hostel to rest. Sometimes it’s best just to call it a day and let your body recover. So that’s what I did. I spent the rest of the day snoozing and relaxing in the hostel. It was all I could manage. And I was glad I did. Come the evening I was feeling a little bit perkier. I met some other Australian’s and we headed to the hostel owned sports bar to watch the Champion’s League. It was an enjoyable evening spent in the company of some likeminded people. We didn’t stay all that long after the game finished, and I was more than happy to head back to the hostel. Although I didn’t achieve anything significant, I allowed my body to recover, which meant I would be able to do things in the next few days.



I was feeling much better again the next morning excited to head to the Acropolis. I only just missed breakfast, which was a shame, and would lead to problems later. I decided to head straight to the famous landmark straight away. The 12 euro ticket sounds expensive, but it gets you into multiple historical precincts around this incredibly historic city. Just to be amongst construction done around 3000 B.C is mind-blowing. That something could last that long is unfathomable to me. It makes me wonder what footprint we are leaving behind today, how our civilisations will be remembered throughout history. The painstaking work that is going and has gone into the preservation and restoration of these monuments is inspiring. It’s interesting to read that most of the restoration they are doing is to repair the damage done by people that have tried to fix it in the past. The methods used in the early 20^th century apparently did more harm than good. The Parthenon, not just for it’s incredible construction but for its geographical position is spectacular. The view of the city from there is breathtaking. It must have been almost impenetrable in Ancient times. It still takes pride of place in modern day Athens, an incredible symbol of the times gone before. One gets the impression that the Greek’s are incredibly proud of their place in world history. After having a extensive look around at the Parthenon and its surrounding temples /buildings I went to the Ancient Agora. This was really interesting in that this section of the city was the political hub of ancient Athens. Real people of power occupied the spaces that one was walking through. Ruins let the imagination run wild, picturing busy streets, power brokers trying to get things done, ordinary people living ordinary lives. It was really interesting to learn about the different times of prosperity as well as times of hardship. Many times, Athens was overrun, but each time they were able to re-establish their individuality and sovereignty. After sitting down and enjoying the overview of the city and writing my journal I made my way back to the Acropolis through some backstreets and little paths. It was so quintessentially Greek it was a little odd. I decided that it would be good to go to the Acropolis museum on the same day, to keep some context and continuity. The museum was an extra 5 euros, but well worth it. It was an extremely well set out museum. It wasn’t an overload of information, it still gave an understanding of the characters and the context in which they were placed. Some museums just talk about the construction etc. but this was much more focussed on the society and the history of the Acropolis. It was an incredibly important place for the ancient Greeks. I had forgotten that the British Museum has the majority of the Parthenon marbles. Which up until now sat comfortably with me. But having clay casts of these incredibly important friezes and statues seems like a great injustice. They belong in the context for which they were intended. I think it’s incredibly disrespectful for the British Museum not to return them to their rightful owners. Still, the museum was fascinating, a really enjoyable experience. I had foolishly not eaten or drank enough during the day and I had started to develop a headache. By the time I made it back to the hostel and started downing the water by the gallon it was too late. It had settled in. I just ended up making myself use the toilet more than I needed to. In the spirit of being social I headed out with everyone else to get a drink. We visited a far too classy bar that had been recommended by some Greeks, but we were clearly in the wrong place. I did meet some really nice Finnish people, living in Denmark. My Baltic buddies spoke unbelievable English and we had a really interesting and intellectual chat. They certainly fitted the bill for this particular bar. We decided that the sports bar would be more our scene. Not long into the Karaoke, I called it quits. I wasn’t enjoying myself and was just going to end up wasting money. The headache hadn’t dissipated and wasn’t going to in the foreseeable future. I definitely made the right choice.



The early night allowed me to wake up feeling fresh, ready to tackle the day. I had a decent breakfast of toast and boiled eggs. I watched some A-League and chatted to the guys who had stayed on a little longer. They were clearly feeling the ill effects of the night before. After watching Adelaide and Sydney play out one of the more entertaining 0-0 draws I’ve seen in a while I’ve headed out to do some sightseeing. The weather has significantly cooled off today, the overcast nature of the day has certainly contributed. Hopefully the rain holds off for the next few days. I’m really enjoying the laid back nature Greece. It almost reminds of a more ordered Bangladesh. The buildings are all a little bit run down, but it adds to the rustic charm of the city.





Cheers,

Tikka

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