Athens is one of THE cities of the ancient and modern world. We focused (for obvious reasons) on the ancient. Like The Sphinx or The Colosseum, The Acropolis is one of the iconic places (yet extant) of the Ancient World. As a student and teacher of Antiquity; I have longed to see this spot most of my life (as soon, really, as I knew it existed and understood what it is). This experience was and is a dream come true. Nothing, not all my reading, study, imagining, poring over photos, viewing programs, nothing prepared me for how I felt as we made our way through the Temple of Athena Nike and saw the Parthenon for the first time even in scaffold and missing roof and crumpled walls. Scars on an old friend.
I’m sure to some The Athenian Acropolis (Parthenon and assorted temples, buildings and ruins) is just a pile of dry dusty old rocks; irrelevant. To me it is the very embodiment of the ancients desire to connect with the infinite, the immortal. As we made our way around the site, a profound sense of gratitude filled me and moved me, almost to tears the this place is still here, that so much of our history is still accessible and not lost to the depths of time and forces of nature. How fortunate we are that those who went before left us all a legacy so magnificent, so ambitious, so audacious, so deeply human. As I scanned the unfortunate modern Athenian skyline, I marveled at the wonder of it all, human intelligence -the duality blessing/curse to be able ponder our own mortality and legacy. It made me think of something Michele said to me earlier (on our way to Delfi from Corinth)... she said “We’ve studied what people were doing and how they lived and believed five hundred to five thousand years ago- what do you think people will be doing and believing and how will they be living five hundred or a thousand years from now?” That deeply insightful question from a few days before washed over me the entire time we were up on the Acropolis. I am a fortunate man to have married so well. ~S
PS Later that night on a solo jaunt around the Acropolis I met an art professor from Indiana. We were standing on the massive Pnyx rock below the Acropolis but above the Agora; it’s where the Athenian assembly used to meet. He was sketching a small pen-and-ink of the Acropolis complex. I told him it was beautiful. He said he sketched everywhere he went around the world and always had since he was a young art student. I commented that he must have quite a collection. He told me “No” he gave them all away, sent them all to friends, family and former students who’d stayed close. I was moved there in this gathering dusk- told that was noble and kind, he smiled. I wish I could give you all Athens, as I see it. ~S
This has been such a nice and enjoyable day. Stanley woke early with intentions of taking the car back to the airport without me so that I wouldn’t have to endure the stress of driving in the city and the unfamiliar paths of having to navigate the metro and bus lines back to our hotel. That was such a great thing for me and while he was out in the world making all this happen, I slept peacefully in our hotel room :)
He returns, I get ready, and we head out about 11:00 for our day in Athens. Our hotel is really close to the Acropolis, within several blocks walking distance. We walked through the streets of Plaka using our trusty road map, and found a delightful little corner cafe where we sat down to enjoy an early lunch. I ordered the baked macaroni dish so I could enjoy it from different restaurant perspectives... the one the night before was better :) After our little lunch, we head up the hillside toward the sites. This is quite a climb... the Acropolis sits atop a very large rocky hill that is a serious walk to get to. The way we walked, the path took us from nearly the front of the hill on the left side, all the way around the back to the other side completely around before letting us in. Seemed weird they made us walk that way, but it’s good we did because the sites were very cool. Caves on one side, the South Slope sites on another side, ancient theaters on the last side and a final climb to the top where the view was absolutely amazing. The first thing you see is the Temple of Athina Nike. It’s massive and impressive and really the most impressive structure I’ve seen in Greece. We walk up many stairs and through the temple into the center of the Acropolis. There, just as you pass through the Temple of Athina Nike is our first amazing view of the Parthenon. The Parthenon is being reconstructed and repaired. Around it is scaffolding and iron, but this does not obstruct the view of this beautiful structure. It is massive, it is huge, it is ancient and ever so impressive. Stanley has waited his whole life to see this magical place and today, his dream has come true. I can feel the happiness and joy radiating off of him and this makes my experience even better... knowing that the man I adore is having the time of his life right here, at this place, in this moment, with me. I am so lucky :) Around the Acropolis we explore... a cool museum, temples and amazing views of the entire city of Athens.
We make our way down to the bottom to explore the Ancient Roman Forum. Through pathways we go and we find an unexpected treat... a Stoa that has been reconstructed and rebuilt per the ancient blueprints from back in the day. Very cool. Inside is an impressive museum with pottery, statues, weaponry, etc from ancient days here and we enjoy the cool of the air conditioned rooms while exploring this place. Back out into the forum we make our way over to the Temple of Hephastius. This temple is almost 100% intact and is incredibly impressive. It is amazing to me how well some of these places have remained so intact over the years and how lucky we are to be able to see them here, in 2007 AD. I am at awe here...
By this time we’ve been in the hot sweltering sun for nearly 5 hours. I am soaked clear through to my bones and trying to stay hydrated. The humidity here is high and we heard that Athens is having record high temperatures... I am not surprised... we are experiencing them first hand :). We decide to head back to the hotel to cool off for a bit. The walk to the hotel is pleasant and we see some very cool shops along the way. Into our cool air conditioned room I strip naked, wring out my dripping clothes and lay on the bed for a nice little afternoon nap. Ah - does it get any better than this?
Stanley wants to explore more and I am perfectly content where I am so he heads out to the other side of the ancient city where the Temple of Olympian Zeus is. From the top of the hill at the Acropolis I saw this temple and took some far away zoomed pictures of it, but Stanley ventured out to see it up close. His pictures are really quite cool and afterward I wished I had gone with him. My nap was nice though :)
When Stanley came back we walked down into the streets of Plaka again to find some dinner. One of the worst things about Athens (and some places in Italy) is that the restaurant owners stand outside on the street and urge you into their restaurants, almost like annoying car salesmen who are trying to get you into their dealership, only not as irritating. These owners are nice and very charming and they are also excellent salesmen. Tonight - we encountered such a restaurant owner and both Stanley and I were suckered in before we knew what was happening. Neither of us wanted to eat there, but we were there, at the table and the waiter had already served us the water that they would charge us for (all water comes with a cost here, as does the privilege of sitting down at the restaurant... a “cover fee”). Crap - what do we do? We cant just get up and leave, or can we? We dont want to be rude and we certainly dont want to insult anyone, so I suggest ordering a cappuchino and a baklava for a quick “snack” and even quicker getaway. Eating in Greece and Europe in general is not a quick experience like we get in the US. There is no “in and out” dining here and meals take several hours. Getting your check takes even longer. So a baklava and coffee seemed the fastest way out. It works! We are back on the road and navigating through the streets of Plaka toward the sounds of hustle and bustle in search of a restaurant we both want to eat at.
We find one - Stanley orders souvlaki and I order a chicken gyro, which are not served here as they are in the States. A gyro here comes with diced up meat on a plate with diced up onions and tomatoes and a side of yogurt sauce with the pita on the side... sort of a “build it yourself” gyro. I sort of liked this approach better cause I could eat the parts I wanted and leave the other stuff behind. It was really delicious... possibly the best chicken gyro I’ve ever tasted. The meal was delightful and the corner was busy, so we finished our meal and made our way back to the hotel. What a great day!
Tomorrow, we’re on the road to Patra, but not by car because we turned that in, so instead we’re going by bus. Stanley has it all planned out and I am trusting him completely from this point forward :) Go Stanley Go!!! ~M
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