The Sacred Way

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Thursday: Not up early today … but well rested and joining the tourist world at 9:00 rather than 7:00. Another nice breakfast overlooking the Acropolis. We have new neighbors on our floor, someone who (according to the concierge) is not very important … but has TWO bodyguards outside their room! These are not your ordinary well-dressed plainclothes folks but more like grizzled musclemen in T-shirts. We are very polite as we sneak by on our way to our room.

Out the front door and into the day, walking down toward the Plaka and Monistiraki Square. We stopped for some small gifts for the ladies and then proceeded to the Flea Market and all the “junk” being offered, some of which was interesting but most of which could be thrown in the garbage. Still it was fun walking through. After a cappuccino at a local café, we entered the Agora with its fabulous Stoa and the Temple of Hephaistieon, god of potters and ceramicists. We walked the area, admiring every angle of the Temple of Hephaistieon, perhaps the best preserved Greek temple in the world. John took dozens of pictures, near and far. Interestingly, a couple of the sections of columns had been moved, we assumed during an earthquake at some point in the temple’s history.

Walking back under the Acropolis we visited the Stoa of Attalos which has been re-created and is an impressive building with long columned open areas and plenty of places to do business or sell something (in Hellenistic times). From here we proceeded to the Ceramics Museum about a quarter of a mile south. It was an interesting museum but nothing compared to what we saw at the National Museum so we made quick work of it. As we exited we discovered that we were standing just above the ancient roadway to Piraeus. In 400 BC there was a wall on either side of the road so that Athens’s access to the sea was always protected. But most important was the entrance into the city proper and the Sacred Gate, which happened to be exactly where we found ourselves after exiting the museum. What a thrill to stand where ancient Athens began with its Sacred Way up to the Acropolis … and it is NOT marked on any tourist map, and hardly a soul was wandering this important site.

After coming down from the high of visiting the Sacred Gate we had a not-to-be-remembered meal in the Plaka and then took a cab back to the hotel. A quick rest and we were out again, visiting the Bernaki Museum not far from the hotel. Bernaki was a very rich and very cultured gentleman who purchased everything Greek and put it in his collection. From ancient artifacts to more modern implements of war (modern meaning muzzle loaders and swords). It is an excellent collection in Bernaki’s large mansion, definitely worth a visit. From there we ventured to the Cycladic Museum a few houses further down the avenue. The amazing culture that created these beautiful and gentle figurines and pottery must have been special, because (as noted before) there are no weapons of war found at these sites. Only lovely pieces of art, whether funerary or celebratory, it doesn’t matter: they are beautify, elegant and expressive … and 5 to 7,000 years old.

Tired and ready to collapse we walked a few blocks and got a stiff drink! Refreshed we met our friends John and Yoshi, just arrived from San Francisco and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Oikeio Restaurants near their hotel. Then warm farewells and off to bed.

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