Advertisement
Published: August 3rd 2010
Edit Blog Post
Our ship docked in Piraeus harbor (Athens) at 7 am. Panos bid us goodbye and we bid Adios to our group whom we had gotten real fond of. I told Panos that he reminded me of the movie “My Life in Ruins”; whose chief character was also a tour guide with a group of loony tourists in Greece. At that, he showed his pearly teeth and laughed like a jingle. We decided to experience a bus ride from Piraeus into Athens to the Acropolis. We bought ticket for 1 euro each which gave us the cheapest and the best tour of Athens for nearly an hour, passing through neighborhoods and landmarks, as well as shopping and commercial districts. The friendly Greek lady next to me gave me a running commentary and guided me where to get off. Greeks are the friendliest people and I love them.
We walked along the ancient cobbled road leading to the entrance of the Acropolis, dragging our wheeled luggage with us, for we didn’t know where to leave them. Panos had told me that there were no storage lockers available in any of the Athens train stations. I imagined horse-drawn carriages carrying nobility on those
very roads. If they didn’t allow our luggage inside, we would take turns visiting the Acropolis. But, the lady at the ticket counter told us to leave our luggage in the cloak room and directed us to it. Even Panos didn’t know about this!! Oh, what a relief!
The Acropolis (5th century BC) is the most accurate reflection of the splendor, power and wealth of Athens at its greatest peak, called the golden age of Perikles, who commissioned the monuments of Acropolis. The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the virgin goddess Athena, dominates the centre of the modern city from the rocky mount known as the Acropolis. The most celebrated myths of ancient Athens, its greatest religious festivals, earliest cults and several decisive events in the city's history are all connected to this sacred precinct. The monuments of the Acropolis stand in harmony with their natural setting. These unique masterpieces of ancient architecture combine different orders and styles of Classical art in a most innovative manner and have influenced art and culture for many centuries. Couldn’t believe I had finally made it there!
We started our accent up the sacred hill
of the Acropolis. Thanks to the vision of the project known as The Unification of Archaeological Sites, the area surrounding the Acropolis has been beautified into Europe's largest archaeological park; a network of paved pedestrian-only pathways weaving their way through green-topped hills, historically significant ancient ruins and renovated 19th century neoclassical buildings. Our stroll in this most unique open air museum and ecological park was surely a memorable one. We walked past The Ancient Theater of Dionyssos and The Herodeion, venues where ancient Greeks held their events and performances. The Propylaia (monumental gates) was used as the official entrance to the Parthenon. The ruins of the Parthenon still dominate the center of the Acropolis.
The Parthenon is the most recognized monument and symbol of Athens, past and present. Dedicated to the goddess Athena, the Parthenon is made of Pentelic marble and a beauty to behold minus the restoration work going on, which was truly annoying!! Other important icons in the Acropolis are the Temple of Artemis, and The temple of Nike. The Temple of Zeus and the Ancient Agora, we had already seen on our first day in Athens. I could spend hours just gazing at the Parthenon. So
many changes it had gone thru. In the Byzantine period, the Parthenon was turned into a church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. When the Turks came towards the end of the 16th century, they turned the Parthenon into a mosque. In 17th century, the Turks used the temple as a storage room for gunpowder. When the Venetians invaded, the temple exploded and this is why the temple does not have a roof today.
The Acropolis is no doubt rich in history and a great monument, but it paled in comparison to the grandeur of the Ephesus. While I was sitting under an Olive tree and pondering this, I heard Krazy Ken’s voice in my ear - “Stop stalking me girl!” And I was delighted to see him and Clarence. We sat talking for longer and Krazy Ken also voiced my sentiments that Ephesus was much more captivating. We led them to the Plaka, as we were familiar with the route and sat in a sidewalk café eating chicken gyros and chatting some more. We parted with hugs, this time knowing we were certainly not going to meet again as we had to go directly to the airport. Our return flight was at 4 pm. We bought some souvenirs to bring home; Rajesh bought me one last delish Greek ice cream to relish and sadly, we proceeded to the train station, to board the train to the Aerodromeo. It was one memorable “Big Fat Greek Vacation!”
Advertisement
Tot: 0.055s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0368s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb