We were up bright and early in the morning so that we could grab breakfast and hit the road running. After eating a very lacklustre breakfast buffet, we were off. The first destination of the morning was to be Acropolis, but our route was a little indirect so that we could explore a little.
Of course, we needed to have some food for the road, so we grabbed some Koulouria; sort of a greek-styled pretzel typically circular in shape with sesame seeds and surprisingly tasty, while we wandered to and through central market.
There was certainly no shortage of olives at central market, however, olives would have to wait as we were full and in search of roasted almonds and white figs for snack later (a recommendation that did not disappoint :).
After our experience at the
meat market in Thessaloniki, we opted to leave the meat side of central market (located in the building below) unexplored ;).
As we walked we peered into store fronts to see what was on offer. There was no shortage of t-shirts, leather sandals and wood canes....
All the while we could see our final destination coming closer and closer on the hill.
We got to see Montostiraki Square, Souvlaki Row, and the Temple of Hadrion in the light of the sun (all of which we had seen the
night before on our walk). Then as the sun began rising higher over the buildings, we began climbing higher up the side of the hill passing the Roman Forum on our way and journeying in the area known as the Plaka (
the area that was the orignal city before Athens became capital it grew substantially).
Exploring the Plaka was a lot of fun. The variety of buildings and narrow, uneven roads ooze character.
Jason was continuously patient as he was concerned we were lost but someone was too far off in photoland to even notice that he was concerned (oops!).
As we encountered plenty of steps, we were pretty grateful that we had opted for the lighter single stroller on our trip (instead of our inline double we were going to bring). Atticus sure didn't mind being hefted up stairs like a little king in his stroller.
And the closer we got to the top, the more photos we started taking of the beautiful view.
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| Ancient Agora below with the Temple of Hephaistos standing strong |
After all of our slopes, stairs, zigs and zags we made it to the top only to discover an access road that comes straight up the other side. It is sure a good thing we enjoyed our little hike so much, or a discovery like that could have made a couple bitter travelers ;). We loved our exploration route!
We followed the signs to the coat room where we traded the stroller in for a back carrier for Atticus and then snapped a photo of Mars Hill (more about that later) before heading for the ticket booth.
Now, typically, we are pretty DIY travellers and don't do much in the way of tours, but something about the tours here caught our attention and before we knew it we were splurging on a private, guided tour with a wonderful Greek lady with a doctorate in archaeology and it was well worth it!
Entering the grounds really jolted us all awake as we seemed to all realize at the same point just where we were. History was seeping through all the cracks in the stones as the sun bathed us in it's light. The sparkle in our eyes was so literal that our tour guide took notice immediately.
First stop after entering was the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. This odeon, named after it's benefactor (whom has a name that we are rather fond of ;), used to have a roof covering it but that has long since crumbled away. After being reconstructed it is used for various concerts (no extra microphones needed, thanks to some ingenious acoustics).
Our tour guide doubled as our family photographer, though she was much better at informing us about the history of the site than holding the camera steady.
This gorgeous almond tree was already blooming magnificently; a sign of an early spring for Athens.
We talked about the sermon of the Unknown God as we looked down to Mars Hill. Our tour guide remarked that all sorts of religious people flock to Mars Hill to deliver various sermons of their own every Sunday.
We mused over the differences between the history of Mars Hill and the temple of Athena that lay just behind us.
Then we entered through the grand entrance hall and emerged on the other side to see one of the most photographed sites in the world, scaffolding and all...
With it's brilliant mathematical construction, the Parthenon was built using Pentelic Marble and was so brilliant white that it needed to be painted as to not blind those who looked upon it. It was detailed in rich red, capped with a roof flooded in azure blue to match the sky and adorned in the gold of the stars. The optical illusions of this intriguing structure were fun to see in person; the bowed steps, the columns leaning in (which would eventually meet if they extended far enough). Interestingly, the Parthenon, unlike many other structures of the day, was not built using slave labor; a move that some historians credit as the reason for its' quick completion (less than 10 years).
Also on top of the Acropolis is the Erechteion with its' Porch of the Caryatids.
Then there is the Greek flag that waves proudly. The nine stripes on the flag are rumored to stand for the 9 syllables in the Greek phrase for "Freedom or Death". When the Nazi's had entered Athens, they ordered the man who was guarding the flag to take it down, so he took it down, wrapped himself in it and proceeded to jump to his death. Then, Manolis Glezos and Apostolis Santas (two greek teenagers) climbed the walls to remove the Nazi flag and replace it with the Greek flag. Their act is seen as extremely heroic and their names now sit on a plaque on the base of the steps.
The wind on top of the Acropolis was so strong and cold that we were all beginning to freeze. Even Atticus, who was eagerly listening to every word of our tour guide (and nodding along!) was asking to start walking down.
On our way down we caught views of the Pentelic Quarries (where the marble comes from) and the remains of the Theatre of Dionysus with the New Acropolis Museum in the background (a stop for later in the day).
Then off in the distance we noted the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Panathenaic Stadium (aka: Olympic Stadium), both of which would be visits for later.
When the tour was done we thanked our lovely tour guide (so glad we splurged on that!), retrieved the stroller and decided to send off some postcards before heading down the hill. Of course, we could have taken the paved, stairless access road but we chose to take a meandering path with stairs instead as it afforded us a new view of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
One last picture of the Acropolis then we headed for the New Acropolis Museum.
This museum was wonderful!
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| love those orange trees :) |
The floors on the ground level and at the entrance are made of glass so that you can see through to the excavated ground below.
Inside, the museum is filled with recovered statues and artifacts from the Acropolis. We snapped a photo of one
very happy boy who loves museums and
loves being in photos at museums before we were sternly informed that there is zero photography allowed in the museum (even without flash...); too bad.
Having to leave the camera in the bag certainly did not dampen our enjoyment though. The museum had so many statues to look at and Atticus was particularly enthralled by the holes in the statues that were used for support as well as the display of all the different tools used. One of the floors in the museum is set up as a full recreation of the Parthenon using real segments from the building itself. They had a very informative video about the history of the Parthenon and the future plans for it. We all loved it.
After a long morning of exploring, it was time for lunch, and we opted to enjoy lunch at the cafe in the museum looking out at views of the Acropolis. It was delicious and relaxing. A perfect way to refuel for the afternoon that lay ahead.
