Athens, Greece

The Safkos in front of the Parthenon

Lisa and I finally made it to Athens for a long weekend between July 27 and July 30, 2001.  Our flight left Copenhagen early Friday night, and we arrived at Athens' airport after 11 PM and found the bus into town after hitting the ATM.  Unfortunately, we had only big bills (10,000 Drachma notes, which equals about 25 bucks), and there was a huge line behind us, so I felt kind of bad as the driver counted out my change.  Well, that feeling quickly dissipated when I got to my seat and realized that the bastard shorted me by 1,000 Drachmas ($2.50).  The book warned me that people would try to screw you, but I wasn't 100% sure of the ticket cost, so I let it go.  I found out later, that I had indeed been screwed:  I hope that bastard choked on whatever he bought with that money.  Welcome to Greece, where they'll screw you in the first half hour or your money back (I'm kidding, but I do hope he choked on something:  I'm vindictive like that). 

It took us almost two hours to reach the city center (they are now building a highway for the 2004 Olympics, and traffic was a mess), but finally, we made it to Syntagma Square.  The square is actually quite impressive, but we managed to totally miss it (we didn't even realize that the Parliament building was there).  We just wanted to get to the hotel and rest up for the next day.  Two turns and a ten minute walk later, we found Hotel Titania and went to bed.

Saturday started bright and early:  we were down at the hotel breakfast by 8 AM.  We quickly gobbled up the typical European breakfast (scrambled eggs, little hot dogs, etc), and were on our way.  We successfully navigated our way through the mazelike streets of Plaka (Athens' oldest district) on our way to Greece's top attraction:  The Acropolis.  Every now and then it would pop into site between a few buildings.  Even in ruin, the Parthenon (which means "Temple of the Virgin") looks mighty impressive sitting atop those cliffs.

Visitors to the Acropolis (which means "high town") first climb the stairs and pass through the Propiléa, which is a gateway designed to generate awe and respect and also prepare mortals for a meeting with the goddess Athena.  We paused momentarily to admire the gateway, but it's hard to resist the draw of the Parthenon, so we hurriedly ascended the stairs and entered the Acropolis.

As you walk through the gate, you cannot help but be awestruck by the magnificence of the Parthenon.  The sun was still rather low in the sky this early in the day, and the temple dedicated to the Athena almost seemed to glow.  Construction began in 447 BC, and it took 9 years to complete.  The marble used to construct it was transported from Mount Pentelikón, which is 10 miles away!  How the heck were the ancient Greeks able to create such a wonder without modern devices?  Even more impressive is that it would be in even better shape today had the Turks (they ruled Athens several times) not used the building as a munitions store:  the Venetians managed to hit it with a shell in 1687, causing a major explosion and the biggest cause of disrepair.

Here are some other pictures of The Parthenon:

• The view of The Parthenon as you come through Propiléa
• A closeup of the west (back) side of the building
• A closeup of the east (front) side of the building
• Mike & Lisa in front of the west side of the Parthenon
• Two sides (north and west) of the Parthenon

There are several other structures up on the Acropolis.  One of these is the Erechtíon, which was the legendary site of a contest between Athena and Poseidon.  The most impressive feature of this structure is the Porch of the Caryatids, where six female statues hold up the roof.  Today's statues are replicas though.  Five of them are in the Acropolis Museum (another structure on the acropolis which is pretty much underground so a modern building does not mar the Acropolis).  Unfortunately, there's not a lot in here.  It seems that when Athens was under Turkish control in the early 19th century, the Turks allowed Lord Elgin (some British guy) to remove many artifacts including many of the sculptures from each pediment (the triangle forming the roof atop the two ends of the building) and one of the Caryatids.  These are on display in the British Museum (we saw them when we were there).

Here are some other pictures taken at the Acropolis:

• Mike in front of Propiléa (from inside the Acropolis)
• The Erechtíon - notice the Porch of the Caryatids on the right
• Mike & Lisa in front of the Erechtíon
• Athens' Olympic Stadium & the Olympieion (ruins) from the Acropolis
• I miss traveling with Big Mike - he would have taken this picture, so I had to

After spending a few hours atop the Acropolis and snapping tons of photos, we decided to head back down the mountain.  We bought a couple of frozen orange drinks to try to beat the heat (which was getting pretty intense).  The projected high temperature was 39 degrees Celsius, which is 102 Fahrenheit.  Add to that the fact that the marble reflects heat, and we were about ready to melt.  We enjoyed our icy drinks in the shade and then left for the Agora, which is the site of the ancient marketplace and town in the shadow (just south) of the Acropolis.

Our guidebook map showed a separate path down that looked to be the road less traveled.  It took a few minutes, but we eventually found a path through an open gate, so off we went.  There were a few people here and there, but it was largely deserted, and we couldn't figure out why.  We had a great view of the Acropolis as well as the Agora, and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenic walk.   At the bottom of the hill, though, we found a large chain draped across the path with a large metal sign saying "No Admittance!"  Oops.  Hey, the area was wide open at the top, and we did see several other folks back there.  Oh well.  Nobody showed up to arrest us, and we got to some views most tourists don't get (legally anyway)!

The Agora's main attraction is The Temple of Hephaistos, which is also known simply as Thisío (I can't imagine why they'd want a shorter name).  The Thisío is about half the size of the Parthenon and the best preserved of all the temples in Athens.  The condition of the building is remarkable given it's age, and the detail is amazing.  It's hard to believe that philosophers such as Socrates and Plato walked in the shadow of this building (Socrates was seen almost daily in the Agora), and it's still around today. I can only imagine what the Agora and Acropolis looked like back then (Check out this view of the Agora under the Acropolis).

There are a few other sights in the Agora.  There are ruins of old buildings all over the place.  We played around for a while checking them out, but it was just too hot in the sun.  One new building dominates the former marketplace:  a replica of the Stoá Attálou, which was originally erected in the mid-second century B.C. to pay homage to Athenian culture.  It was rebuilt in the 1950s by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and now houses a museum filled with ancient pots, coins, and other artifacts.  It is not overly interesting, however it has one amazingly large draw:  it has air conditioning!  I've never looked at ancient coins and pot fragments so long in my life!

It was mid-afternoon by the time we left the Agora, and even though we weren't that hungry (probably from the heat), we saw several cafes in Plaka with outdoor seating under the shade of umbrellas.  The waiter from one dragged us to a table and forced us to order something.  I'm only kidding, but they really do approach passers-by and try to persuade them to sit down and eat.  We found a place where no one accosted us right away (I'm always a little leery of a place where they have to convince customers to stop), so we sat down.  We ordered a couple of beers:  Mythos is the local brew, and it was pretty good.  As an appetizer we had the tomato and cucumber salad (which I assumed would have lettuce along with the tomatoes & cucumbers:  nope, it was just tomatoes & cucumbers).  As our main course, I had the Gyros (this was my first authentic Greek meal, so I played it safe) and Lisa has the Chicken Souvlaki.  Both dishes were excellent.  This was the first of many spectacular Greek meals.

After lunch, we went to check out some more ruins:  this time it was the Roman Forum.  This is the site of Athens' main marketplace when the city was under Roman rule.   There really isn't a lot left here:  it's just a small city block in Plaka beneath the Acropolis.  At one end stands the " Gate of Athená Archegétis," which marked the entrance to the market area.  On the opposite side of the square stands the Tower of the Winds.  This was built by an astronomer in the first century B.C., and each of the eight sides represent a compass point.  Beyond those two things, there are really just a bunch of ruins that are neat, but not overly impressive.  It was worth the 1000 Drachma fee though (about $2.50) since we got to refill our water bottles and douse ourselves with water before continuing on.

Our next stop was Syntagma Square, where we actually noticed the Parliament building this time.  It actually reminded me of many of the royal palaces we've seen throughout Europe, and I later learned that it was the royal palace until 1935.  The main attraction here are the Republican Guards, though.  We were lucky enough to time things perfectly so we got to see a changing of the guard:  one guard inspects the current guard troop, and then the new set marches in, and the original guys are relieved.  The really cool part was the marching route was not marked off in any way.  If someone was in the way, the guards literally shoved them out of the way (and they did it roughly, too).  Several kids got flung aside when we were there.  The whole ceremony was pretty cool.  I can't imagine how hot those guys must be, though:  It's amazing they don't pass out!

I had made a comment after leaving the Acropolis that nothing for the rest of the trip would compare to what we'd just seen.  Our next stop proved me wrong (fortunately that doesn't happen very often [me being proved wrong, that is]):  the Olympic Stadium is unbelievable.  The structure, built in 1896 for the first modern day Olympics, holds 70,000 people and is made entirely out of marble.  It sits on the site of the original which was built 330 B.C., and there is just an energy to the place.  I ran up the stairs (and thought I was about to die) and walked around the top.  There isn't a bad seat in the house.  I can only imagine what this place would feel like packed full of spectators.  It's almost sad that Athens is building a new stadium which will be used for the 2004 games.  I hope some events are still held here, though, as this place is awesome!

Here are some other pictures taken at the Olympic Stadium:

• The view from the top row at the end of the Stadium
• If you look closely, you'll see me in the top row!
• Lisa poses by the naked discus man outside the stadium
• The Acropolis as seen from the Olympic Stadium

The heat reflecting from the track and marble of the stadium finally drove us out of the stadium.  We continued on through the heat toward Mount Likavittós.  This hill is the highest point in Athens at 910 feet (277 meters) and offers spectacular views of the city.  The climb to the summit would be rather tough, but there is a cable car inside the mountain (that reminds me of the inclines in Pittsburgh, except that it's in a tunnel) that takes you up the toughest part of the mountain.  You still have to climb quite a few stairs to reach the cable car, though, but the view is worth the ascent.  You can see for miles from up here.  There is also a very small church at the top, and it's pretty cool.

We decided to stay on Likavittós and watch the sunset, but we had several hours to kill before then so we decided to have an early dinner (early for Athens, anyway).  We ate at Dyonisis (sp?), which is one of two restaurants atop Likavittós.  The view from our table was nice, but I'll always remember this place for a different reason:  it is the restaurant that turned me onto one of my new favorite foods... Mousaka!  For those who have never had it, it's tough to describe.  It's sort of like lasagna, but it has eggplant in it. Trust me, it is delicious!  Lisa had a pasta which was also very good.  By the time we were done eating, we didn't have to wait too much longer before the sun would go down, so we left the restaurant to get a good spot.  We found a couple of great seats by the church bell tower where we spent the remaining time relaxing and people watching.  Finally the sun sank below the horizon providing a great show.

Here are some other pictures taken from atop Mount Likavittós:

• The Olympic Stadium as seen from Likavittós
• The Parthenon from Likavittós
• The inside of the church atop Likavittós
• Lisa enjoying the shade of the Likavittós bell tower
• Mousaka and Mythos: the perfect Greek meal
• The suns sets on Athens

Following the sunset, we slowly made our way back to the hotel.  We were both exhausted from a long day in the sun.  We got to the room and took showers.  Now nice and clean, we went up to the rooftop of the hotel where there is a restaurant and open air piano bar.  There is also a great view of the Acropolis from up here.  All of the buildings in Athens are about the same height (there are regulations on the building heights due to earthquake potential), so most places have a good view.  We enjoyed the scenery over a drink (here is a pic of us looking beat, but those dim lights above us are the Parthenon), but then had to hit the sack.

Our first stop on Sunday was the National Archeological Museum.  This was one of the "must-see" attractions in our guide book, and I would have felt like I missed something had we not gone.  However, after going, I can now offer some good advice:  don't waste your time or money (2000 Drachmas each, which is only about 5 bucks, but still).  First of all, the museum is NOT air conditioned.  I thought for sure it would be to help preserve the artifacts, but it is not, and it gets damn hot in there.  Since we went first thing in the morning, the place was pretty empty (at least the guidebook was right with that tip).  I can only imagine how hot it gets in the afternoon when the place is full.  The trip wasn't a total loss as there were some neat things there.  The Jockey of Artemision was a neat bronze statue, but mostly because it was recovered from the ocean where it sat for over 2000 years. They also have some Greek statues and artifacts, but not as much as you'd think since most of the good stuff is in the British Museum.  To make matters worse, the second floor was closed.  What a disappointment!

We followed this up with a trip to the War Museum.  There's nothing like planes, tanks, and other various weapons to brighten your day (unless of course they're firing on you, that is).  The most impressive stuff is sitting outside the museum, but there is plenty to see inside as well.  The best part?  There was no admission fee.  They had plenty of guns, small artillery, paintings, and official documents inside.  Unfortunately, a lot of the signs did not include English, which makes it tough to tell exactly what you're looking at.  While it doesn't compare to the Imperial War Museum in London, it was still pretty neat.

On the way to our next destination, we took the long route through the park (the National Garden) and past the Olympic Stadium again, just to get another look at it.  We eventually found ourselves at The Olympieion, which is the site of both ancient Greek and Roman ruins.  The largest temple in ancient Greece sat here:  the Temple of Olympian Zeus had 104 columns, but today only 15 remain.  You also get a great view of the Acropolis from here also.  This was another worthwhile stop.

Here are some other pictures from the Olympieion:

• The ruins of the temple - I like the fallen column
• Hadrian's Arch - An arch built and named for Roman Emporer Hadrian, under whose reign the Temple was completed in 132 A.D. (you can see the Acropolis through the gate)
• A close-up of the Acropolis from these ruins

We were pretty hungry by this time, so we headed over to the Plaka neighborhood where there are lots of little cafes.  We selected one, and had an excellent meal.  With lunch and all of Athens' major attractions now out of the way, we decided to just wander around the streets of Plaka for a while.  There are tons of shops through this area, mostly selling the same tourist crap, but we still found it interesting to meander around these streets checking out the shops and old churches.

We eventually tired of this and found our way back to the National Garden.  There is a small zoo in there that has some goats and lots of birds (ducks, swans, chickens, etc) including a couple of Ostriches.  We just walked around stopping now and then to relax.  On the way back out, we stopped back in front of the Parliament building and saw another changing of the guard ceremony.  Then we just found a bench in Syntagma Square and sat down.

Our flight back to Copenhagen was scheduled for 5:45 AM Monday morning.  Since we had to be at the airport so early and it took over an hour to get there, we had checked out of our hotel that morning (don't worry, we had packed really light).  We weren't ready to head to the airport yet, so we hung out in the Square for a couple of hours just people-watching.  The scenery wasn't bad with the Parliament building overlooking the brightly lit square and fountain. The highlight was a crazy homeless guy who liked to chase the stray dogs by sparking his lighter (I wanted to chase HIM, but Lisa wouldn't let me).  It was really relaxing just hanging out watching the world go by.

Around 11 PM we finally boarded the bus and went to the airport.  We made it through the night and found ourselves back in Copenhagen the next morning.  We got to bed around 11 AM on Monday morning which worked out perfectly since I was working nights this next week (starting at 8 PM).  Obviously, we both slept really well.

In closing, I should say that Athens is a fantastic city.  You can just feel the history here.  Pictures could never do it justice:  the Acropolis, the Agora, and the Olympic Stadium are sights I never imagined I'd see in my lifetime. Now I can't imagine how I could have missed them.  If you're coming to Europe, Athens is a must-see Destination! I would definitely visit again.

Athens' Olympic Stadium

Go Back to The Safko Main Page

© 2000 Savington Enterprises
	EMAIL US!
mssafko@yahoo.com		lsafko@yahoo.com