Museums Galore

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Wednesday: This is museum day! We both got up early and ate a quick breakfast before catching a taxi to the National Archaeological Museum, which was created to hold all the fabulous finds from around the country. Every single item is exquisite and speaks to the breadth of culture of the Greeks. We started with the Cycladic Period (

Truly the National Museum was spectacular. We continued through the Mycenaean Period (

There was even a special exhibit of the finds on the island of Santorini. A village fully evacuated in 1525 BC just prior to the volcano blowing up, leaving behind all their household goods as if it were yesterday. Covered in thick ash until the 1970s it has become quite the find and a great education on the same level as Pompeii or Herculaneum. The frescoes and objects displayed were quite a treat, especially as we will be visiting the village when we take our cruise.

After leaving the museum we took a taxi to the Acropolis Museum. The cabbie initially thought he might start the meter at E3.15 but John noticed and mentioned it, at which point he took the meter to the proper amount making the whole ride less that he wanted to start with. We walked up the road to the fancy new museum – built just prior to the 2005 Olympic Games – and stopped for a little refreshment before going in. Most notable in the museum – which houses artifacts found on the site as well as all the friezes from around the Pantheon – was the empty space where the English Lord Elgin took all the sculptures that were above one end of the building. Taking advantage of the Ottoman Turks willingness to sell the entire set, Lord Elgin whisked them away to the British Museum where they currently are housed. It is a point of serious upset that they have not been returned … and that the British argue that they are best able to take care of this priceless set of sculptures. Neither the British nor the Turks come off well in this scenario. And we must remember that the Turks used the Parthenon as a storage place for artillery shells, which exploded when they used the building for target practice. The current state of the building is the result of the explosion that took out a number of pillars and the roof.

Exhausted from many hours of museum air, we made our way back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and a sauna. Most relaxing and invigorating, enough so that we went out into the world again for a drinks and a view. We took a taxi to the St George Hotel on Lycabettus Hill, the tallest one in the city. The view from the bar was wonderful, despite a sprinkle or two. Then back to our hotel and some tea and coffee before retiring. Tomorrow it will be the Agoura, Stoa, Temple of Hephaestus, the Plaka, and souvlaki.

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