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M - Our original plan was to work our way north from Istanbul through Bulgaria, Romania to northern/western europe but:
i) the weather further north wasn't looking quite as warm as we had expected and
ii) we felt we may not fully appreciate a series of back-to back capital city stops (and frankly we figured we could do that later in life).
Hence a change of plans. Head south to Athens (admitedly a capital city) to see the Acropolis (we have always wanted to see it) and then take a less direct route back to France, perhaps even continuing south to do some greek island hoping?
Hostel world did us proud again in Athens. A double room within a short walk of the key sites with en suite, a balcony and a view of the Acropolis from our bed/balcony - all for 40 euros (53 dollars) !
After a short flight from Istanbul we used our first afternoon in Athens to take a stroll up to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. Our initial reaction was horror at the rennovation works they were performing but after a few minutes we came to terms with them and
agreed that in the longer term once the new marble has blended in with the old it will be spectacular. That is provided the Greeks can finish the job. Note to selves to visit again in 20 years!
The view of Athens from the Acropolis is breathtaking. The city fills the valley below with thousands of white houses. Very, very relaxing. Even more so given that we only saw about 50 other people at the top. We sat for about an hour reading and taking in the ancient sights and the views. Fabulous.
Next day we took in decided to walk the other major sights - the Panathenaic Stadium, Ancient Argos and the Acropolis Museum. All are well worth a visit. My only regret is that i) we had not visited the museum before going up to the Parthenon and that ii) I had not challenged Kate to a race around the track at the P Stadium. I know I could have taken her!
At one point we were the only people in the Panathenaic Stadium, quite amazing. The audio tour of the stadium brings it all to life and made what we though would be a
quick visit into an interesting hours tour. Walking up and out of the tunnel, dug deep into the hillside, into the stadium with the cheers ringing in your ears make the hair on your neck stand up. The original stadium dates back to ancient times c.566 BC. It was renovated and used for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Originally the stadium had wooden seats but these were remade in marble in 329 BC. Today it has a capacity of 65,000 and is the worlds only all marble stadium. Odd that at one stage we were the only people there!
The museum at the Ancient Agora is pretty good (lots of ancients pottery) but the Acropolis museum is one of those modern museums where they really get it right. The highlight for us was the 3rd floor where they show a decent video describing the Parthenon and then you get to walk around a combination of real and replica copies of the marble carvings 'in situ' as they would have sat at the top of the columns. Here the columns though are in brushed steel which helps to make the real art pop. One of my top
museum picks.
Athens also has lots of street cafes. Most are obviously targeted at the foreign tourist trade but at this time of year that is pretty slow. As a result we were able to find some great lunch deals in old style tavernas where because of the slow trade host was able to look after us in true mediterranean style. We were very happy foodies. A million miles from the more hectic tourist area of Istanbul. We couldn't wait to move further into Greece. Next stop the old capital of Greece, Napflio in the Peloponesse.
But before that, back to the title of the blog: Gyros - food of the gods? Most definately!
You can't beat some meat, a few chips, a bit of salad and dressing all rolled up in a pitta. The kebabs in Istanbul were great but the Gyros in Greece are better. I can see a few more of these being eaten in the next few days ...
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Carl Harris
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Usain Bolt or John Travolta ... take you pick
Definately John Travolta