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Published: April 19th 2006
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We didn't get up and going until 9.30, but when we walked outside our hotel we could see The Acropolis and Parthenon. We checked a menu for breakfast, but it didn't look that promising so we settled on fruit from the market which looked very fresh. Then we headed up towards The Acropolis.
It was easy enough getting to The Acropolis, although we did take one wrong turn, but actually getting inside was another matter. The first time we were turned away at the gate because we had to take our backpack back down to the cloak room. The second time was because we simply didn't have tickets! There was a ticket booth about 50 metres away from the gate, and after the exchange of money for tickets we were in.
There is a bonus that comes with the admission ticket, you also get entry to the Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Keramikos, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and The Theatre of Dionysos for free as long as you visit all of the sites within 48 hours.
Obviously we weren't the only ones taking in the sights, which made taking photos difficult, and I think there may be a few strangers featuring in
our photos. Many of the monuments on The Acropolis are under construction, which lessens the impact a little, but the architecture and how old these structures are is still mind blowing. Especially for an Australian.
At the top you get to see how far the city of Athens stretches. I had no idea Athens was such an urban sprawl. Even though I haven't been there it reminds me of pictures I've seen of South American cities. After taking in the sights (Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion, and the museum), and taking heaps of photos we decided to head to the next site. Another bonus for us being in Athens was that we were getting around in t-shirts, we felt liberated.
The next attraction we visited was The Theatre of Dionysos, and I wasn't sure if we were wasting one of our tickets, as we had taken photos of it from on top of The Acropolis, but we still went in. There was also a smaller theatre that was overgrown a bit called The Theatre of Herodes. The architecture, particularly the marble tiles in the main theatre was very impressive, and there were workers inside who looked like they were
putting the finishing touches to restoration works.
In the grounds surrounding the theatres there were ruins, and bits of marble lying around everywhere. Also lying around everywhere are dogs, and to a lesser extent cats. They all seem very placid, don't appear to be malnourished, but we are unsure of where they all come from, and whether they have owners or not. So even though they seem harmless, if you're not a big fan of dogs (Hi Ginko), I don't recommend coming to Athens as there are dogs sleeping nearly everywhere you look.
The next ancient site we went to would have to be my favourite - The Temple of Olympian Zeus. It is absolutely massive, and originally had 104 Corinthian columns that are 17 metres high and have a base of 1.7 metres, but there is only a fraction of these columns still standing. There is actually one column that lies in ruins on the ground after being blown over in a storm in 1852.
From here we went to Beck's favourite site the Roman Stadium. It is very impressive to look at, but it would have been even better if we could have sat in the stadium that
hosted the first Olympic Games. It looked in immaculate condition.
By now we were starving so we went looking for somewhere that would get some Greek food into us. We found such a place and I had moussaka, while Beck had tomato on peppers that was stuffed with rice. While both meals were good, we both preferred what the other ordered. After lunch we rang DV to wish him happy birthday.
From lunch we decided to walk towards the Ancient Agora. We climbed a hill which also had monuments on it, and gave a fantastic view of The Acropolis and Parthenon. I'm hoping to get back here to take photos at night.
We finally got to the Ancient Agora just before 15.00, as the gates were closing. All of the entries to the major monuments shut at this time. In The Lonely Planet it said the museum would still be open, but when we got there sure enough it was closed. We had more disappointment ahead of us as well.
On the way back to our hotel we tried to locate the bus ticket office (OSE), as we are planning on heading to Northern Greece tomorrow. The map we were
using in The Lonely Planet wasn't detailed enough, and even helpful locals of which there were many, weren't sure of it's location. So we wasted nearly a couple of hours before we finally gave up, with the positive being that we had seen most of Athens, and got a good workout in the process.
When we got back to the hotel the information we required for the bus was given to us by the receptionist. The departure times of the bus suited so we took up the offer of the receptionist, who said she would call the hotel we wanted in Litohoro and book the following night for us.
We told the receptionist where we planned to go for dinner, and she recommended a different place, and gave us directions. We went with her advice, and were pleased with dinner. The waiter took us into the kitchen on arrival, and showed us all the meals that were on offer. On returning to our table it wasn't long before our dinner was served up. Beck went for calamari/squid on rice, which I really enjoyed, and Beck liked my braised beef in a tomato based sauce. We didn't order a dessert, but
he gave us a traditional Greek dessert anyway. We felt bad because we didn't really like it, a bit sweet and dry, so we didn't get through it all.
The staff in the restaurant lived up to our excellent first impressions of Greece/Athens and it's people. Athens has a really cool vibe, and even though it isn't the prettiest city, and looks a bit slummy in places, it has a really good feel about it. The people are so friendly and helpful, and this combined with amazing history and architecture makes it a really cool place.
On the way home Beck couldn't help but call into McDonalds and get a chocolate sundae as they don't have them in the UK, and that ended a very busy day. Andio. Kali nichta!
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ancient
I thought I was ancient, that is unbelievable. P.S. after a week with my class I feel like the acropolis, ready to collapse!