Athens, Greece: The Birthplace of Democracy

Like many others, what draws me to Athens is Acropolis. Most tourist make a quick pitstop in Athens on their way to the Greek islands. 1 or 2  days should be enough. So when I actually booked 5 days to go to Athens, I was afraid I had lost my marbles. What am I going to do in Athens for 5 days?!

The situation was quickly rectified by booking a coach tour to Delphi and Meteora. That still left me with 3 days in Athens, which wasn’t too bad.

It was close to 21:00 by the time I checked in at Central Hotel, Athens after a day visiting Meteora. I had been warned by the reviews on TripAdvisor that the rooms are small but who cares when I get the view of Acropolis from my balcony?

I’m easily satisfied.

Friday, October 21

I had a lie-in. After the crazy schedule the past few days, it was much needed. My brother and his family arrived in Athens that morning to join me on my trip. Like myself, they touched down at 03:15. He texted me earlier to say they’re getting some sleep before starting the day. No rush.

The first thing on our agenda was of course Acropolis. But any family trip has its own drama. My brother’s phone wasn’t roaming so there must have been a few delayed messages between us. Long story short, I got a text from him which said “We’re going to Acropolis. Meet you there.” I was like WHAT!?!!! How small does he thick Acropolis is?

So I made my way to Acropolis, resigned that I’d be spending the day on my own. But the Gods had mercy. I was still at the foothill when I heard familiar voices.

Acropolis: Athens’ high city

Acropolis rises above the city and can be seen from almost anywhere in Athens. You can see the Parthenon from ground level but still, what would a visit to Athens be without a trip to Acropolis?

Now, a lot of people think of the Parthenon as Acropolis and use the name interchangeably. A common mistake. If you’re that person, let me enlighten you. Acropolis is the hill or the “raised city”. Acropolis is crowned by 3 temples, the biggest is the Parthenon – the centerpiece of Acropolis.

A word of advice when visiting Acropolis: wear comfortable, sturdy shoes. There’s a lot of walking to be done. The grounds are uneven and the marbles can be slippery.

The Parthenon

Many people complain of the never ending restoration at Acropolis. Believe it or not, the current restoration began in 1975! Amazingly, the ancient Greeks took less than a decade to build the Parthenon. Repairing it is taking a bit longer.

Whether people like it or not, the restoration is necessary. If you take a minute to think, the Parthenon is 2,500 years old. During those years, it has been rocked by earthquakes, set on fire and shattered by explosions of gunpowder. Even some of the misguided restoration efforts caused further damaged to the structure. Somehow, it survived even though not in whole. It really needs the TLC to last hopefully for another 2,500 years to come.

The restoration is not to bring the Parthenon back to its original state but only to strengthen the structure to a more appropriately safe condition and to restore loose blocks where they belong. While the Parthenon is a complicated structure, lack of funding is also said to be one of the reason for slow progress. It seems that tourist will just have to bear with all the cranes and scaffoldings for a little bit longer. Yes, the scaffolding means that it is almost impossible to get a nice shot of the Parthenon, up close and personal. Despite that, I was still amazed by it. Use your imagination and try to picture the Parthenon in its glory days.

The ancient Greeks were master builders. One would marvel at the Parthenon and be at awe by its grandeur. The columns stand tall and uniformed, you think. But did you know that the whole building is in fact an optical illusion? The columns and beams aren’t straight. Neither are they of the same size. If all the columns are exactly the same size, the temple would have been seen to the eye as sunken in the middle. The columns on the ends are slightly larger than the others and bend inwards. What’s amazing is, the entire building was built to an almost faultless precision. And remember, this was 2,500 years ago when cranes and cutting edge technologies do not exist.

The Erehtheum

The Erehtheum is one of the first structure to be restored at Acropolis and sits on the most sacred ground. This was where the contest between Athena and Poseidon took place to see who deserved to be patron to the city. Poseidon hit his trident and water sprung. Athena tapped her spear to the ground and an olive tree grew. Athena was declared the winner and hence, the city of Athens was named after her.

Next to the building there is an olive tree which symbolises Athena’s olive tree and is said to be almost at the exact spot of the “original” tree.

The southern porch is famous for the statues of the 6 maidens also known as the Caryatides. The current statues at Acropolis are copies. 4¹⁄₅ are now placed at the Acropolis museum, 1 was removed by Lord Elgin and is in the British museum and the other ⁴⁄₅ was blown to pieces during the war.

Temple of Athena Nike

The temple is placed at the southwest of Acropolis, on the righthand side of the Propylaia, the gates to Acropolis. It is said to be one of the earliest temples built on Acropolis although it had been destroyed and re-built several times. The most recent restoration to the temple saw it totally dismantled to address the structural problems to the foundation. The frieze was removed and placed at the Acropolis museum leaving only copies on site.

Others

At the foothill of Acropolis, you will find the Odeion of Herodes Atticus. The amphitheater is still used to stage live orchestra during the summer months.

The Agora of Athens

Today, this is the archeological site located beneath the northwest slope of Acropolis. The word “agora” in modern Greek means marketplace. Minimal restoration has been done here but in the midst of the ruins, 2 buildings have withstood the testaments of time – the Temple of Hephaistos and the Stoa of Attalos.

Foodie heaven

The sun was starting to set and the girls were starting to get cranky from all the walking so the parents decided to take the girls back to the apartment to rest. With the girls tired, they thought it would be better to dine in that night. I had better plans. I wanted to sample the local food so I dragged Danny along in my quest.

Give me fried calamari any day.

Good food. Live entertainment. What more to ask?

Saturday, October 22

Someone must have made the Gods angry. The weather God decided to open up the sky and released its entire content. Luckily we hadn’t started the day yet, else we would be drenched.

The rain stopped but there were still dark clouds above. We decided it was best to do indoor activities so we headed to the Acropolis museum. We probably had another 200m to go when it began to rain heavily again. We were forced to seek shelter at the nearby shops. In our group, I was the only one who brought along a rain coat. Being the good aunt that I am, haha, I gave mine to my little niece, Iman.

And made her look like ET.

Acropolis museum

The Acropolis museum is new and modern, a contrast to the ancient artifacts it showcases. The place is both entertaining and educational and we enjoyed the time we spent there. Photography is not allowed in certain areas but there’s no clear signage so it was all a bit confusing.

The Temple of Zeus

The temple was built in the 6^th century BC and dedicated to Zeus, king of Olympian gods. It was not completed until more than six centuries later and for a short time, it was renowned as the largest temple in Greece. It fell into disuse after being pillaged and was probably never repaired.

Panathenaic Stadium

The Panathenaic Stadium hosted the first modern Olympic games back in 1896. The stadium is by the roadside and you can see it from outside the gates. For a small fee, you can enter the stadium grounds and do your lap of honour.

After a visit to the stadium, we headed back to Anafiotika for dinner and to check out the shops at Plaka.

My brother and his family would be flying to Santorini the next morning so it was an early night for them.

I went back to my hotel room to shower and proceeded to the rooftop bar to unwind and relax.

Sunday, October 23

My last day in Athens.

I wanted to go to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon but I couldn’t find any morning tour. The place is famous for its sunset, hence why most tour operators offer afternoon tours which didn’t suit me since I had a 19:55 plane to catch.

So I just stayed in town.

I went to see the change of guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Nothing as grand as the change of guards at Buckingham Palace but the pom-pom shoes make it almost worth it.

There you can see the parliament building. Once upon a time, it was the King’s palace.

Spend a few minutes to check out Syntagma metro station. You know the country is steep in history when even the metro station showcases its own collection of ancient artifacts.

I made some time to check out the Sunday flea market at Monastiraki.

I thought it would be good to chill out and have a drink at one of the steps cafe at Anafiotika, the place we had dinner yesterday. Unfortunately the place was packed so I snapped a photo and turned around.

There’s still some time for more ruins…

… and also time for a last Greek meal.

Efcharis was perfect for me. Good food, excellent service and with that little courtyard??

A great way to end my holiday.

It’s time to go to the airport and say goodbye to Athens.

Bye-bye Athens. You did wow me.