Athens

Our hotel was so close to the Acropolis we could enjoy the view from our rooftop bar the first night of our arrival. It felt surreal to be so close to the iconic site. I remember being a kid in grade school, seeing its photograph, and learning it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Here it was, all lit up as a majestic reminder of the rise and fall of civilizations. 

After taking in the evening view, we spent several hours the next day walking through the Parthenon and being overwhelmed at this tribute to Athena. How the marble and rock made it to the top of the high city hill in mid-5th century bce is testament to engineering and force of will. 

That this building stands after two millennia strikes awe. The temple is now being restored. What a history! By the 5th century AD, the Byzantine Empire forbade worship of pagan gods and converted the temple to a Christian church; in 15th century AD the Ottomans converted it into a mosque. 

The temple was first destroyed by Persians in 480 BC and attacked by Venetians in 1687. After the Holy League’s assault, the Parthenon sat in ruins and treasures looted. In the early 19th century, the 7th Earl of Elgin removed the marble friezes and several other sculptures and shipped them to London, where I saw them on display in the British Museum. Greece maintains these were stolen but British PM Boris Johnson refused to return them saying they were acquired legally. 

Rob and I went sight-seeing on a city tour hop on/hop off bus.  The spectacular Panathenaic Stadium eventually became the home of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and remains the only stadium in the world built entirely out of marble. The Hellenic Parliament is an imposing neoclassical building, and a changing of the guards takes place every hour. The Plaka was a perfect spot for a late afternoon lunch and people watching.

During a long wait for the bus to arrive, we started chatting with someone who complained about how dirty, unorganized and chaotic things ran in Athens, adding "and that's coming from me, a South American. We are notorious for the same but this is far worse. I will never return!" He did agree that seeing the Acropolis and other ancient monuments to the past were well worth at least one visit.

The heart of the metropolis was layered in dirt, the air was heavy with smog and the traffic horns blared. Concrete magnified the heat. Tempers flared. I would hate to be there in the middle of the hot summer, and am so glad we went before high season. 

One of the places we found respite were the National Gardens in the middle of the city. Uncrowded, green and welcoming.

We entered through the grand entrance of Hadrian's Gate. Built in 130 AD, there are two inscriptions on the arch, facing in opposite directions, naming both Theseus and Hadrian as founders of Athens. So who was the founder depends which side you stand on, an apt metaphor. There was an early idea that the Arch marked the ancient city wall, but this has since been disproven. 

Literally the highest point of our visit to Athens was to Lycabettus Hill. It stands 277 meters above sea level, and looks down on the Acropolis hill. We took a taxi there and then walked up several flights of stairs, so arrival felt like an accomplishment. We explored the Chapel of St. George, enjoyed a cocktail in the cafe, and then stayed for a delicious sunset dinner at Orizontes restaurant. Truly a spectacular night time view of Athens. Rather than returning down the uneven stairs in the dark, we took the funicular.

 

Someone in the funicular was thrown out of the car for refusing to wear a mask, and then wearing it in defiant style where just his mouth was covered. At the restaurant we had just eaten, that was the preferred method of all the male waiters... Most people on the hop on hop off buses were wearing masks, and they were mandatory on public transportation. Greece is still one of the highest countries for incidents of Covid, probably due to a combination of high density, heavy tourism and defiant style of mask wearing.

Two nights and three days in Athens, and then a short flight to Santorini via Aegian Air.