Ancient History

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Day 13 - Tue. Oct. 4 - Athens



Today’s schedule included a trip up to the Acropolis in the morning and a visit to the Acropolis Museum in the afternoon, both of which are a short walking distance from our hotel. That is not to say that either destination is an easy walk because in both cases it was up rather steep hills. By the time we left the hotel on our first outing the temperature and humidity had climbed to a point that made the hike difficult and once we were actually adjacent to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, which is near the main entrance on the right hand side when facing the Acropolis, Brooke decided that due to the aforementioned humidity and temperature she would sit down and pass on this archaeological visit, since she had been up there 6 years ago. So three of us ventured on to the ticket line, which took over 45 minutes to navigate. Lines and lines of people all crowding into small spaces made Mary Ann rethink her desire to see the Acropolis so she bowed out and went to join Brooke, leaving John and I to venture on.



Finally with thickets in hand we joined the masses heading up the hill. In the six years since I was here last many improvements have been made to the ascent paths leading to the main portal of the Acropolis. Unfortunately the ancient architecture cannot tolerate the vast numbers of visitors, and at points bottlenecks form. Once past these points one can move about the Acropolis fairly comfortably.



Up on the summit of the Acropolis it was obvious that not only had a great deal been done on the visitor infrastructure but also on the temples themselves. The Parthenon west end is still encased in scaffolding and two large cranes hover nearby, but they project that by 2020 the work on that end will be finished. The East end, which was once the temple’s main entrance, is restored as much as they feel is possible. Its hard to tell that they will ever get this massive three dimensional puzzle put back together considering the vast number of pieces of wall blocks, columns, etc. that are still scattered around the site.



After our lunch at the hotel we wandered off to the Acropolis Museum. The building is a modern structure that preserves the finds from the Acropolis site. The building respects the ancient city that lies beneath the earth and the building straddles the ancient structures. The architects didn’t cover the structures over; instead they built decks with glass panels in them so you could see the ruins under your feet as you approached the front doors. They continued this practice in a number of places within the building. Outdoors there were other places over the ruins where they provided open air viewing galleries.



The Acropolis Museum is a stunning building that provides a superb setting for the treasures retrieved from the site and preserved for generations to come.



Back at the hotel John and I took the opportunity to go for a swim in the outdoor pool. Since the hotel is situated in a residential area the local laws restrict the use of the pool between 2:30 to 5:30 pm, as the locals enjoy their siesta time. For anyone who has ever dipped their toes into an icy lake in early spring then you have a reasonable understanding of what we encountered in the pool. Not what we were expecting since the outdoor temperature was in the high 20’s C.



Dinner was enjoyed at the hotel in their roof garden restaurant Socrates. Great food, most enjoyable company and the spectacular view of the Acropolis brightly lit rounded out our day.

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