Athens Day 2: The City by Day, Agora and Acropolis

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We got up at a reasonable time this morning, around 8:30AM but I ended up wrestling with the internet connection I am stealing from some building across the street for about an hour after we had breakfast in the lounge so we didn't leave the hotel until around 11AM which worked out fine. We basically hit all of the spots we had hit the night before and then some.

Athens: The Basics

Since the guard last night said "7 to 7" for the Acropolis we headed straight there to make sure we didn't miss out on anything. There are a lot of tourists, especially French but you don't feel overwhelmed here like you can in other tourist destinations. We keep seeing tour buses but I am not sure where all of the people are. Maybe its because there are so many places to see and be that are spread out all over Plaka. But ultimately I think there just aren't that many tourists relative to the tourist value that Athens offers. Good for us, not necessarily so good for Greece . . . or maybe it is. What surprised us is that at one time they appeared to charge for all of the sites we visited but we were not charged once, perhaps that is because Mondays are free. I secretly hope that is the case because God knows that Greece will need the money for all of the investments they are making in caring for these priceless structures. The only down-side of the Acropolis currently, as you may sometimes catch in the photos (we tried to hide it) is that they are undergoing serious restorations. On the up-side all of the temples up there are amazing in their own right but I would not say we were dumbstruck by their splendor since you come to expect it, but rather we were mesmerized by the views and layout of the city below the rock.

Our favorite place on the rock is the Odeon which is very well restored (and still ongoing) as well as the Theatre of Dionysus. Otherwise my favorite was the Agora and the long history of that area going back to the neolithic as far as habitation plus the evolution of the structures that were built there.

Odds and Ends

We then headed over to what looked very interesting from the rock - the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, really magnificent and even more enjoyable as there is simply no one there and you have the whole place to yourself, it makes a huge difference. Imagine walking through Versailles with no one else, you almost can start thinking of yourself as Louis XIV . . . well I do anyway, who am I kidding? We also walked a little further and visited the Panathinaikon Stadium which I believe was used in the 1896 games, the first of the modern Olympic Games.

Mad Greek

By 5PM we had seen enough ruins, they are absolutely everywhere in the city, it is easy to walk past them in the darkness of last night but today it was just about every other block that had a ruin, many of them overgrown with grass and "extra" columns and statues lined neatly awaiting their day in the triage that seems may never come.

So we headed over to our favorite street, Adrianou for some drink and food. Unfortunately this turned out to be our first disappointing experience in Greece with a server who was very rude, but we'll take this anyday if it is the worst we get. We sat down with the intent to not overeat in favor of a few Mythos and wine and though it seems acceptable for locals to linger for a long-time in the tavernas and eat very little, our server did not like the unexpected fact that we would attempt to do the same and that we might interrupt his "lunch" as he said it. So our menu was taken away from us as he did not care to be interrupted again. I did not get upset, we finished our wine and zucchini and when Jennifer left for the bathroom I smashed the breadbasket to the floor which was ultimately the only way I was able to get him back to the table without having to pleadingly summon him over like a whipped dog. I think he felt stupid for having lost his cool but he drank that half liter of beer during his "lunch" a little too quickly and it all went to his head. So the breadbasket was my chance to do the same. As Mr. Portokalis says in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, "and so there you go!"

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Photos

The Odeum
On the east side of the Acropolis.

Dionysus Theatre
With the thespian in front of it.

The Parthenon
Unfortunately certain parts were undergoing restoration and it was crowded, but an amazing place with even better views of the city to boot.

Near the Agora
I hate this, I can't remember the name of this temple, but it is one of the best preserved anywhere. Was a church most recently.

Hadrian's Gate
Looks much better at night!

Turk in the Bushes
At least he looks like one, at the foot of the Acropolis in Plaka, no inscription as to who this fellow is. Greeks out there, please help!

At Zeus' Temple
We noticed this from the Acropolis, it would be easy to miss in the city and does not seem to be on the major tour itineraries, a cool place, very impressive colonnade.

City Market
Looks very Ottoman . . . that is because it is. We got here at 4PM and they were putting everything away and hosing down but there were whole carcasses of mammals everywhere, very cool!

Comments

[Linda]

temple
I think that is the temple of hephaestus. We loved Athens as well. (So many people discount it.) You are a wonderful writer. Good luck to you and Ms. Barbie.