The journey from Paris to Athens was beautifully eclectic to say the least - Alps on the one hand, not snow capped for a change and then changing into intemperate zones as we headed to the Aegean belt and the beautiful islands therein. It was just amazing to see the number of islands littered on the Adriatic and Ionian seas of different hues and shapes from small to big, green to rough and the changing shades of water as well around them– blue to turquoise to aquamarine to green.
The Greek territory comprises 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea, a truly unique phenomenon of the European continent; of these islands only 227 are inhabited. One of the most famous of them is the Santorini Island. It differs from the other islands in the group because of its geological morphology which is the result of action by a volcano now dormant. Santorini, officially known as Thira, is regarded as the most spectacular of all the Greek islands. Unfortunately, my short duration did not allow me to make a trip there but I surely plan to visit this romantic island sometime down the line.
Thankfully, the people speak more English that their Italian, Spanish or French brethren and thus, it wasn’t a big challenge to find the nearest taxi stand and make the long journey to the hotel. Strangely after Paris, Athens felt more like home with soaring temperatures of 40C+, a veritable furnace if it were. The other interesting fact was that the city had a much lower cost of living compared to the other southern European bigwigs leading to expenses being much lesser there, even though the strengthening of the Euro has resulted in a number of European cities (Athens included) moving significantly up the global cost of living index. Hence if I paid 75 Euro for a certain distance in the morning at Milan, traversing roughly the same distance at Athens cost me only 30 Euro 4 hours later. Different strokes, as they say, for different folks but I was surely not complaining.
After having a quick nap, I was ready to hit the Athens evening with aplomb and once the hotel shuttle dropped me at the Syntagma Square, the city centre, I was right in the middle of history. Syntagma Square is the most famous square in Athens if not all of Greece. No matter where you have to go in Athens, if you can find Syntagma Square you can find your way. The name Syntagma means Constitution. At the top of Syntagma is the Parliament Building, formerly the King's Palace. The original idea was to put the king's palace on the Acropolis but luckily this never happened. From the top of Syntagma is the terminal for the Athens Coastal Tram to take rides to the beaches. Bordering the Syntagma is the Metro station, thus making it a hub for many forms of public transportation in Athens. The Syntagma area is a large public square with tree shaded walkways and fountains, benches and cafes where Athenians and travelers could talk politics, sports, movies and anything under the sun.
The Square is also located near many of Athens' oldest and most famous neighborhoods & tourist attractions. The neighborhoods of Plaka, Monastiraki, Psiri and Kolonaki are all within walking distance of the Syntagma, and most of the famous sites of ancient Athens are nearby, including the Acropolis, the Theater of Dionysos, the Areopagus, the Ancient Agora of Athens with Hadrian's Library, the Tower of the Winds in the Roman Agora, the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Pnyx, the Philopappos Monument on the Hill of the Nymphs, the Kerameikos Cemetery and many more. Historic churches also dot the area, some dating from the middle ages.
Pláka, the old historical neighborhood of Athens just under the Acropolis, with labyrinthine streets, many restaurants and plenty of souvenir stores, was my next destination. It is visited by many thousands of tourists every year and is the perfect place for picking up some Greek artifacts and is a must see for anyone visiting Athens. The Pláka is full of street musicians, flower sellers, photographers and people who sell beads or will write names on a grain of rice. An occasional restaurant would also throw some traditional Greek song and dance routine to attract customers, like it did to me. I picked up some Olympic paraphernalia, a Parthenon T shirt, and some beautiful antiques and relics for back home. Since it was late for visiting the Acropolis which closes at 7 30 pm sharp everyday, I routed myself to the Monastiraki Flea Market, another shopping area, which I felt was a logical extension of the Pláka. The area is named after Monastiraki Square, where the metro station is located. Sunday is special because people come from all over to buy and sell in the Monastiraki flea market. In fact that day, the flea market really is a flea market and not just a collection of small shops.
After roaming all over the city centre area and the markets, it was time to catch the metro back to the hotel for a well earned sleep, as early next day was planned for the Acropolis. The Acropolis literally means the edge of a town or a high city. For purposes of defense, early settlers naturally chose elevated ground, frequently a hill with precipitous sides, and these early citadels became in many parts of the world the nuclei of large cities which grew up on the surrounding lower ground. The word "Acropolis", though Greek in origin and associated primarily with Greek cities may be applied generically to all such citadels.
The ticket to the Acropolis cost 12 Euros and allows one to also visit the Theater of Dionysos, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus & the Kerameikos Cemetery. It is valid for a 4 day period during which time one can visit any of the historic
monuments which was fantastic for tourists for me trying to plug in some travel & leisure time amidst business.
The base of the Acropolis has the Theatre of Dionysos, which was a major open air theatre in ancient Greece. Dedicated to Dionysos (also known as Bacchus by the Romans), the god of plays and wine (among other things), the theatre could seat as many as 17,000 people, making it an ideal location for ancient Athens' biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia. It became the prototype for all Theatres of ancient Greece. Dionysos often alludes to being the birthplace of Greek tragedy and was the first theatre built of stone. It was amazingly romantic to be standing in the ruins of an amphitheatre that existed in 500 BC and held Greek plays. I haven’t been to Pompei yet, but standing at the Theatre of Dionysos, I knew exactly why the avant-garde Floyd foursome sans Syd could make such a path breaking VHS.
From the Theatre upwards, is the scale up to the Acropolis. Being there was a dream come true. History had always fascinated me, especially such great civilisations that existed centuries ago. The Acropolis, if anything, was the epitome of the Greek civilization. Having read about the legends of Greece as a kid in school, being there was absolute magic. One just could not wonder and amaze at how life and an entire society and culture existed more than 5000 years back. The structures inside this amazing historic monument would make even the best in today’s world proud. Such historical places across the world should be restored in a bigger and better manner.
monuments which was fantastic for tourists for me trying to plug in some travel & leisure time amidst business.The base of the Acropolis has the Theatre of Dionysos, which was a major open air theatre in ancient Greece. Dedicated to Dionysos (also known as Bacchus by the Romans), the god of plays and wine (among other things), the theatre could seat as many as 17,000 people, making it an ideal location for ancient Athens' biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia. It became the prototype for all Theatres of ancient Greece. Dionysos often alludes to being the birthplace of Greek tragedy and was the first theatre built of stone. It was amazingly romantic to be standing in the ruins of an amphitheatre that existed in 500 BC and held Greek plays. I haven’t been to Pompei yet, but standing at the Theatre of Dionysos, I knew exactly why the avant-garde Floyd foursome sans Syd could make such a path breaking VHS.
From the Theatre upwards, is the scale up to the Acropolis. Being there was a dream come true. History had always fascinated me, especially such great civilisations that existed centuries ago. The Acropolis, if anything, was the epitome of the Greek civilization. Having read about the legends of Greece as a kid in school, being there was absolute magic. One just could not wonder and amaze at how life and an entire society and culture existed more than 5000 years back. The structures inside this amazing historic monument would make even the best in today’s world proud. Such historical places across the world should be restored in a bigger and better manner.
The entrance to the Acropolis was a monumental gateway called the Propylaea. To the south of the entrance is the tiny Temple of Athena Nike. A bronze statue of Athena originally stood at its center. East of the entrance and north of the Parthenon is the temple known as the Erechtheum. At the centre of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. It is the most famous and talked about edifice of the Acropolis. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece and is one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of restoration of the entire Acropolis.After spending a couple of hours at the Acropolis, it was time for lunch and some Greek beer, the famous Mythos 
lager. And then the descent down to the dual Agoras – the Roman and the Ancient. The Roman Agora actually has nothing to do with Romans, but took this name because it was constructed during Roman times. The Roman Agora consists of a large, open-air courtyard surrounded by colonnades (a very Greek structural trait as I observed) on all four sides. Agora means market place and on the eastern side, there were a series of shops. On the southern side was a fountain. The Roman Agora apparently became the main market of the city, taking over many of the commercial functions of the Greek Agora, which had become something of a museum (or archaeological park) by that time. It also houses The Tower of the Winds, designed to be an elaborate water clock, sundial and weather vane.
The more famous Agora of Athens is however the Ancient Agora. In the 5th century BC there were temples constructed to Hephaistos, Zeus and Apollo. Of these, the Temple of Hephaistos is the most famous. It’s one of the few temples that has survived the centuries intact. Even the frieze has survived in its original position in a remarkably complete condition. As a result, it is a favorite spot for tourists and archeologists to view. As with virtually all of the ruins, visitors are not allowed inside the temple. However, one can see enough from the outside to get a good understanding of the form and function of a Greek temple.
Down the small hill where the Temple of Hephaistos sits is the Stoa of Attalos. The Stoa was rebuilt by archeologist in the 1950s to serve as the Agora’s museum. The museum on the Stoa's round floor contains finds from 5,000 years of Athenian history, including sculpture and pottery, a voting machine, and a child's potty seat, thankfully all labeled in English. The Hellenic ministry of culture has done a stupendous job in maintaining the artifacts.
The next destination was the Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery of Athens. One can only make it out as a cemetery by the several burial tombs. Apart from that, Kerameikos is strangely beautiful. The Eridanos River which once passed through the sacred gate still flows beneath the site. There is a small yet lovely garden with blooming flowers. There is a small museum to the left of the site entrance with some really nice pottery and sculptures, one of a huge bull that will give its more famous New Yorker brother a run for it money.
It was late afternoon when I headed to the last destination, Temple of Olympian Zeus. It is not to be confused with the “wonder"ful statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the seven original wonders at the ancient town of Olympia, where started the original Olympic Games in 776 BC (in fact the ancient Greek calendar starts from here). The Roman Emperor Hadrian dedicated the temple to Zeus Olympios during the Panhellenic festival of AD 132, on his second visit to Athens. He also set up a gold and ivory inlaid statue of the god inside the temple, a copy of the original by Pheidias at Olympia. Next to it he placed a huge statue of himself. Both these statues have since been lost. Only 15 of the original 104 Corinthian columns remain, each 17 m high - but enough to give a sense of the enormous size of this temple, which would have been approximately 96 m (130 ft) wide. The temple is situated next to Hadrian's Arch, built in AD 131. It was positioned deliberately to mark the boundary between the ancient city and the new Athens of Hadrian.
It was evening already and the setting sun indicated the end of a glorious day at one of the most historic locations that I had ever visited in my lifetime. Even though, I had not explored Athens and Greece well enough, this was certainly a very exciting start to the Aegean belt. I knew already that I had to come back to the Aegean waters, to visit romantic Santorini, to visit Olympia, to visit the Saronic isles, Delphi and Sounion and many other such jaw dropping historical landmarks. And with one of my all time soccer heros Rivaldo, plying his trade with AEK Athens at the most beautiful Olympic stadium, I am sure Athens and Greece will happen sooner rather than later. Till then I shall continue to play the wonderful 2 days at Athens in my memory and relive those magical moments over and over again.
lager. And then the descent down to the dual Agoras – the Roman and the Ancient. The Roman Agora actually has nothing to do with Romans, but took this name because it was constructed during Roman times. The Roman Agora consists of a large, open-air courtyard surrounded by colonnades (a very Greek structural trait as I observed) on all four sides. Agora means market place and on the eastern side, there were a series of shops. On the southern side was a fountain. The Roman Agora apparently became the main market of the city, taking over many of the commercial functions of the Greek Agora, which had become something of a museum (or archaeological park) by that time. It also houses The Tower of the Winds, designed to be an elaborate water clock, sundial and weather vane.The more famous Agora of Athens is however the Ancient Agora. In the 5th century BC there were temples constructed to Hephaistos, Zeus and Apollo. Of these, the Temple of Hephaistos is the most famous. It’s one of the few temples that has survived the centuries intact. Even the frieze has survived in its original position in a remarkably complete condition. As a result, it is a favorite spot for tourists and archeologists to view. As with virtually all of the ruins, visitors are not allowed inside the temple. However, one can see enough from the outside to get a good understanding of the form and function of a Greek temple.
Down the small hill where the Temple of Hephaistos sits is the Stoa of Attalos. The Stoa was rebuilt by archeologist in the 1950s to serve as the Agora’s museum. The museum on the Stoa's round floor contains finds from 5,000 years of Athenian history, including sculpture and pottery, a voting machine, and a child's potty seat, thankfully all labeled in English. The Hellenic ministry of culture has done a stupendous job in maintaining the artifacts.
The next destination was the Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery of Athens. One can only make it out as a cemetery by the several burial tombs. Apart from that, Kerameikos is strangely beautiful. The Eridanos River which once passed through the sacred gate still flows beneath the site. There is a small yet lovely garden with blooming flowers. There is a small museum to the left of the site entrance with some really nice pottery and sculptures, one of a huge bull that will give its more famous New Yorker brother a run for it money.
It was late afternoon when I headed to the last destination, Temple of Olympian Zeus. It is not to be confused with the “wonder"ful statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the seven original wonders at the ancient town of Olympia, where started the original Olympic Games in 776 BC (in fact the ancient Greek calendar starts from here). The Roman Emperor Hadrian dedicated the temple to Zeus Olympios during the Panhellenic festival of AD 132, on his second visit to Athens. He also set up a gold and ivory inlaid statue of the god inside the temple, a copy of the original by Pheidias at Olympia. Next to it he placed a huge statue of himself. Both these statues have since been lost. Only 15 of the original 104 Corinthian columns remain, each 17 m high - but enough to give a sense of the enormous size of this temple, which would have been approximately 96 m (130 ft) wide. The temple is situated next to Hadrian's Arch, built in AD 131. It was positioned deliberately to mark the boundary between the ancient city and the new Athens of Hadrian.
It was evening already and the setting sun indicated the end of a glorious day at one of the most historic locations that I had ever visited in my lifetime. Even though, I had not explored Athens and Greece well enough, this was certainly a very exciting start to the Aegean belt. I knew already that I had to come back to the Aegean waters, to visit romantic Santorini, to visit Olympia, to visit the Saronic isles, Delphi and Sounion and many other such jaw dropping historical landmarks. And with one of my all time soccer heros Rivaldo, plying his trade with AEK Athens at the most beautiful Olympic stadium, I am sure Athens and Greece will happen sooner rather than later. Till then I shall continue to play the wonderful 2 days at Athens in my memory and relive those magical moments over and over again.
