Top to Bottom:1. View of the Parthenon from our hotel balcony.
2. Me in front of the Parthenon.
3. Stephen in front of the Temple of Zeus.
4. Theater of Herod Atticus. They still use this when the weather is nice.
5. Parthenon at night.
6. Athens meat and seafood market.
7. Street drummers.
8. Athens.
9. Changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
10. Me at the original Olympic stadium built for the first modern Olympic games.
Saturday, September 19
5. Parthenon at night.
6. Athens meat and seafood market.
7. Street drummers.
8. Athens.
9. Changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
10. Me at the original Olympic stadium built for the first modern Olympic games.
We arrived into Athens after an all night flight out of Atlanta. Immediately out of the airport, we got on the train to check into our hotel, drop off luggage and freshen-up. The train passes by what seemed to be suburbs and also what appeared to be a shanty town. Obviously out by the airport is not the "hot spots". We had a bit of trouble finding our hotel but it was okay because we were excited and because the first thing we saw out of the train-stop near our hotel was the Acropolis! Our room was very, very basic but clean and had an amazing view (picture above).
After we freshened up we decided to go exploring. We found ourselves in the very tourist market area. Lots of junk shops-- t-shirts, mugs, magnets etc. Tons of immigrants sitting on the sidewalk selling whatever they could. We started part of a walking tour we read about in a guide book and made our way to Parliament for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (picture above). After this we were starting to get a bit tired so we headed back to the hotel for a nap.
Around 8 PM we decided to go for an evening stroll and get a bite. At the very last minute we saw a tourist train that we thought would be fun because even though we couldn't understand a word of what the guide was saying, it would help us get our bearings in this huge city of 4 million. We basically did a huge circle around the Acropolis, rode right through pedestrian walkways and outdoor restaurants (which I sure thrilled everyone)! For the first time we saw children begging. They appeared to be homeless and alone. Halfway through the ride we are stopped in the middle of what appears to be a crowd with a mob like mentality. Protesters are speaking to the driver. I'm kind of starting to freak out and think we should get off train and vanish into the crowd. We're in the back so it would be easy, plus the protesters are about our age. Finally the train moves. Turns out the crowd was a Communism rally. Elections are in two-weeks and Greeks are ready for change. The Communist party has representatives in Parliament and seem to be very popular with the younger generation. We're worn out and head to bed.
Sunday, September 20
We are woken up by a marching band. Quite surprising! Our hotel owner tell us it's a ceremony with marching band and military honor guard at the church down the street for a person running for political office.
After getting ready we headed into the Plaka neighborhood. Lots of wild dogs roaming the streets and graffiti is everywhere-- almost every building, occupied or not, old and new has graffiti. We are surprised at the grime in the city (Athens was at one point the most polluted European city). Nonetheless, we are really enjoying ourselves. Athens is alive 24 hours a day. We're also surprised at how there will be a beautiful building and then right next to it an abandoned building. With some investment to renovate these buildings and get rid of the graffiti the city would be phenomenal.
Today we visited our first ruins with the Temple of Zeus (pictured above). The columns are huge, over 50 feet tall but the remains are limited. We head to lunch and decide that we'll go to the Acropolis afterward. We took the back way in and wind through old, narrow streets with beautiful houses and gardens. We get our ticket and see the Theater of Herod Atticus (pictured above), Parthenon (pictured above) as well as other ruins at the Acropolis. These are huge, amazing beyond words. It's crazy to think these are from BC. On the way down we stopped into the Agora which is an excavation of an ancient neighborhood. It's strange the way the city has ancient sites everywhere. You can walk all around the Agora, nothing much is roped off. It seems they aren't concerned with preserving this area as much as other sites. There is even a train station running along the side of this site.
We decide it's time for a drink so head to a cafe that has a awesome view of the Acropolis. We sit and watch the lights turn on. While there a young child comes up to our table. She has a very vacant look in her eyes and won't go away. She tries to pickpocket Stephen. All the homeless children are beggars and pickpockets. It's extremely sad. While walking back to the hotel we stumbled upon street drummers (pictured above). They were great! After changing into warmer clothes we made our way to a rooftop restaurant for dinner. We both had traditional lamb dishes which were very good but heavy.
Monday, September 21
We woke up ready to tackle the Acropolis Museum but first we finished our walking tour by going to the Panathenaic Stadium (pictured above). This is where the first modern Olympics were held as well as the end to the marathon of the 2004 Athens Olympic games. On our way to the museum we swing by the fish and seafood market (pictured above). You can imagine the smell because by now it was 11 AM. But, everything certainly looked fresh and would be a great place to buy stuff early in the morning.
We are finally onto the museum but discover it is closed on Mondays! To fill the time we walk through some neighborhoods. Have a bite to eat and then back to the hotel for a nap and some relaxing time. We feel we've seen all the historic stuff in Athens so we took the train to the port to investigate getting tickets for our boat ride to the island of Aegina and just see what's out there. It's really nothing special. Lot's of office buildings, a few cruise ships, lots of cargo ships and commuter boats. Truly a working port.
Next: Aegina
