Athens Reprise

Acropolis and Parthenon from agora below, Athens

As we contemplated our third visit to Piraeus, Greece (the port for nearby Athens), I considered having another day where I didn’t do a shore excursion.  Back in 2008 we had done a comprehensive and excellent tour which took us out to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, high above the coast outside Athens, then back to Athens for a panoramic tour, the daunting climb up to the top of the Acropolis to see the Parthenon for a close up view, and back down to the city for lunch.  As a result, last time we were in Athens, we opted not to do a trip in Athens.  But this year, I decided to do the Panoramic Athens and Plaka excursion.  I figured it would be enjoyable to see Athens again and maybe get some good pictures from the bus and then, because it was a walking tour, I’d be able to get some good pictures as we walked.

I am going skip the familiar history of Athens and we have described the background of Greece in earlier blogs.  Our drive into Athens was fairly short, passing some of the private boat harbors in Pireaus as well as a couple sports stadiums and some venues for the 2004 Summer Olympics that were held in Athens.  We made a short stop to see the marble stadium that was the site for the first of the modern Olympic games in 1896.  We passed (on the other side of the bus of course) the ruins of Hadrian’s Arch, a statue of Lord Byron, and the Temple of Zeus.  Athens uses electric powered public transportation with the power from overhead wires.  Those plus the other wires make picture taking difficult as wires are everywhere.  Add the trees, photography from a moving bus even for personal enjoyment doesn’t create excellent pictures.  Our guide also pointed out a church on the highest mountain in Athens.  A second stop was at Constitution Square where the former Royal Palace was located, gave us a chance to see the Guards who watch the guards in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.  The changing of the guard, which happens every four hours, in a formal ceremony was just ending, so a number of people dashed up to have a picture taken next to the stone-faced guard standing at rigid attention.  Across the street is the location of some of the recent political demonstrations occurred as Greece was struggling with its fragile economy, but all was quiet today.

One of our primary destinations was the area below the Acropolis for us to have a view of the Parthenon and other ruins on the top of the hill.  We had made the tedious climb in 2008, so I didn’t feel it essential to accomplish the difficult climb again this year.  Our guide noted the scaffolding, saying that it was a pretty constant sight now (and I remember that in 2008). She told us that the Acropolis and Parthenon had been part of the Athens landscape for about 25 centuries, but that until the late 19th century there had been no restoration of the ancient site.  Fortunately now the area is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  At the base of the Acropolis is the agora, the gathering place, was once an area of private housing but in the 6th century BC, Peisistratus reorganized the agora and closed homes and wells and turned it into the center of Athenian government.  Today, along the busy walk, one looks up in one direction to the Acropolis and in the other direction to see upscale modern buildings and some government offices including a scattering of national embassies.  Likewise, a major attraction is the new Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009, displays many artifacts from the Acropolis and Parthenon, now housing in one place items that had previously held in storage or in other museums in Athens and other cities.  It was interesting to see the Parthenon from various vantage points as well as watching the people who were doing the same thing.  Inside the gates leading up the hillside were groups of young children, mostly dressed in white, that seemed to have some purpose though I didn’t quite figure out what that purpose was!  I wasn’t sure if they were kids on field trips or if they were going to be a part of some performance.  We weren’t there long enough to solve that mystery.

When our small tour group gathered at our meeting point, our guide told us we would be going through the plaka, or the Old Town area.  The description of the tour said we would take a walking tour through the plaka.  I assumed (correctly) that it would be a fascinating place and provide lots of interesting pictures.  We were told it would be about a two hour walk which was fine with me, but the guide had a wonderful idea, suggesting that if everyone agreed, we could each pay 5 Euros and take the small tourist train through the narrow streets and she would have a mike and narrate what we were seeing.   One of the competing trains was especially good, said she, so we coughed up our extra money and boarded.  The little trains were open on both sides but covered at the top so it was impossible to see anything high on either side.  When a couple of people piled into  the seat next to me, it made it harder for me to see what was on the other side.  Several of the people were physically challenged, including a man with a walker, so I was sure several of those people were relieved at the opportunity to ride.  Actually I was disappointed as once again it was harder to take pictures.  It was not my day for pictures!  It was the first time ever that I have done an excursion and was asked to pay extra money beyond the tour price without being told in advance that there would be an extra charge.  I could have objected but that would have disappointed some of the individuals who wanted to ride.

The train wound through the plaka, passing a myriad of shops selling everything from souvenirs to expensive jewelry, and enough restaurants and outdoor cafes to feed a cast of thousands.  The narrow streets were filled with throngs of people, some watching us and calling out “hello” to us.  We were so close to pedestrians that one or two tried to “high five” people on one side of the little train car.  We seemed to be the ones that were being watched by those who were walking and dining in the outdoor cafes.  We reached one point where people could get off and get on and we were at a standstill for about 10 minutes waiting for the train to resume.  (It seemed to be a waste of time for me.)  I was rather surprised to see the train return to where we had started and then complete the same exact loop about halfway again before our guide had us get off.  She led us past a jewelry store where she had a friend who would offer really good prices(!).  A short distance from there she identified a meeting point and suggested we could browse or shop the nearby stores or have a quick look at a couple of Greek Orthodox churches, one of which was the largest in Athens but was under renovation inside and out, and the other a small, picturesque one next to the large church.  I browsed a bit and some made purchases including some jewelry (surprise, surprise).  One thing I notice here and everywhere around Athens was the extreme graffiti which nearly destroyed the natural beauty of the city.  It appeared to be totally out of control with little effort being made to stop it.  Most travelers in Europe find graffiti to be common throughout the continent, but the graffiti in Athens was excessive.  While it is also an issue in the US, it is not nearly as severe.  Even in Chicago, graffiti is substantially less than I’ve observed in Europe, especially Athens. 

We were on our way with a short walk uphill to the restaurant for our typical Greek lunch.  I was a bit wary because we have had several lunches while on tours so was not looking forward to this one, but happily it was among the best on the entire cruise.  We ate in an outdoor restaurant and once again, we were squeezed into a small area with little elbow room.  I was at one of the few tables for four, along with a lady traveling by herself and an Australian couple where the man was struggling with his walker.  We were served starters that were quite good, including some delicious bread which had been dipped in olive oil.  It also included some items like olives, a few cold vegetables, something made with eggplant, and surprisingly some breaded zuchini that was actually tasty!  Entrée incuded lamb (which is not my favorite), but it too was actually good, and some wonderful chunks of boiled potatoes that had been cooked in olive oil.  For dessert there was yoghurt with honey that gave it a good, sweet flavor.  This was a great restaurant for a Greek meal.  We were under awnings and umbrellas but had a nice view of some old buildings with bourganvilia in bloom creating an attractive backdrop of the meal.  Right near the restaurant, we could look up to the lower structures in the Acropolis.

Following our meal, we made our uneventful trip back to the ship.   While I had seen the sights on the panoramic tour, the rest of the tour, including the plaka, was new to me and, while I personally would have enjoyed the walk more, it was a fascinating place to visit.  Greece still is beset with its financial problem, but as our guide pointed out, Greece has survived centuries of good times and bad, and have survived them all.  While the economy is still bad in Greece, she was confident that Greece will survive and see better days. And I have no doubt that will be the case!

CT