Athens at Last

   Hey everyone, sorry for the delay but I’m finally back. I’ll pick up after the last post and finally finish Greece.

   So after taking the ferry from Crete into Athens, we took a taxi into the city to our hotel. Because we were so early, we ended up having to wait to check in, so we took advantage of our spare time and went to the National Archeological Museum. We spent almost four hours there, because the museum was massive.

    Eventually, after we had checked in, we walked into the city to see some of the ruins. The first thing we encountered was Syntagma Square, where we witnessed the hourly changing of the guards in front of the Parliament Building. Next we walked through the National Garden, right next door. It had some ruins of its own, but we were looking for the real deal.

   We eventually found our way to the Panathenaic Stadium, a huge marble stadium originating in 330 BC, built for the Panathenaic games. The stadium that stands today was heavily refurbished from the remains of the original in 1896, and held the first modern Olympic Games. The Temple of Zeus was right next door, but unfortunately was closed. So we headed towards the shopping district to grab a bite, went to a Greek Orthodox Church (which was being readied for the celebrations on the eve of Easter), and then hit the sack back at our hotel.

           

   Of course the next day was Easter, so almost everything was closed. Despite this, we saw quite a lot. After mass in a beautiful church, ourf irst stop was Mount Lycabettus, the only mountain in Athens. It took a 40 minute hike to get to the top, and once we were up there we had an amazing view. There was even a little chapel at the top, which was very nice.

   From there we went back to the National Garden, which actually has a tiny zoo, turns out. Then we walked to Hadrian’s Arch, a gate to the city built by Hadrian in 132 AD. From there we went to the area around the Acropolis, which had a few ruins and some very pretty streets filled with restaurants and shops. Although the Acropolis was closed, we still saw plenty of the sights nearby, such as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and Socrates Prison. Eventually we ended up at an ancient street that ran through a market area in Roman times, which still survives today. After visiting the Roman Agora and getting something to eat, we finally headed back to the hotel.

     

   The next day was Monday, and everything was finally open again. So we made sure to get an early start to see just about everything. First stop was the Kerameikos Cemetery, where many Greek and Roman graves still stand today. We also stopped by a few churches in the area, before moving on to the Athenian Agora. This site used to be a center of culture in Athens, so there were plenty of ruins such as statues and building foundations Then of course there’s the Temple of Hephaestus, the best preserved temple in Athens.

              

    Then we visited the ruins Hadrian’s Library and its next door neighbor, the Roman Agora. Hadrian’s Library was once where a large collection of Greek and Roman texts stood, and the Roman Agora contains the Tower of the Winds, an ancient structure used for telling the time in many different ways. Both were really beautiful and made for a perfect window into the ancient city.

 

   Finally we walked to the Acropolis, Athens’ crown jewel. After taking the short walk up the hill and seeing the Odeon of Herodes Atticus again, we finally reached the Acropolis. It was fantastic to see so many famous monuments in one place, towering above the modern city. The Parthenon was much bigger than in pictures, and in general everything was breathtaking! However, after being up there for about an hour, our sunny weather was being devoured by a massive raincloud heading our way. Soon enough it was right over our heads, and it started raining cats and dogs. Luckily we were able to run for shelter, and waited out the rain.

     

       

   Once the rain was mostly gone we continued to explore, and eventually ended up at our last stop, the Temple of Zeus. While we were there an enormous rainbow appeared, and I got this cool picture seconds before my camera ran out of juice.

   Finally it was Tuesday, our last day in Greece. However, our flight wasn’t until later in the afternoon, so we managed to see the Acropolis Museum, which gave us so much more insight into the history of the famous monument. My host family then slowly walked back to the hotel, while I ran up to the Acropolis again and stayed for about an hour.

   We then met up again, took a taxi to the airport, and said goodbye to Greece as the plane gently lifted off the runway. It was a great time, and an experience I’ll never forget. Well that’s it for Greece, and hopefully I’ll get back with another post soon so I can get all caught up. See you then!