Greece... need I say more

Ok, first can I say that after almost 3 months of travelling, I am tired of carrying backpacks. I will probably dislocate my shoulder by the time this trip is over. Either way, we arrived in Greece without any hastles. This country has ancient history I remember studying from middle school to college. You know, Zeus and the Greek mythological gods and heros, Plato and Aristotle's phylosophy, the many wars and stories we read about and watch like "The 300" and "Clash of the Titans".  Not sure why in America there's so much emphasis on Greek history, but it's great to see it in person.

Our first stop in Greece was Athens.  Athens kind of caught us by surprise.  It is a bustling, busy metropolis. Buildings everywhere, motorcycles everywhere you turn, people walking up and down the streets, a stark difference from what we saw in Cyprus.  What was really great is how in the midst of all the modern advances in technology and architecture there were a lot of historical ruins sprinkled throughout the city. You could be walking along, passing by some shops, then the next plot could be a fenced area filled with ancient columns and beams. Pretty cool.


When we arrived we immediately went to our hotel, SOHO Hotel (which we found was in the hood - lots of police activity), we dropped our bags, had some lunch and ran straight for the Acropolis.  We got there pretty late so we only had an hour to walk the site. (Aside from the cranes and all the scaffholding it was Awesome!)

One of the many paths we took that lead to the Acropolis.

The Acropolis sits on a hill in Athens and was the center of worship in the ancient times.  It comprises several archaeological structures all of which were constructed with marble mined from Mt. Penteli.

The Erectheion which was used as a temple.

The Porch of the Caryatids

Temple of Athena Nike to the right (goddess of victory)

The Parthenon - A UNESCO World Heritage Site

This is the entry way to the Parthenon.  We took the picture from the back.  This entry way is called Propylaea.

The Parthenon - The temple of Athena (daughter of Zeus, goddess of widsom and war).

View of another theater, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, from the Acropolis.

To think that these structures that were built thousands of years ago could still be standing (yes, there were some restorations but a good amount of the Parthenon was standing when they started restoration back in 1800s).  All the artifacts found in the Acropolis are in the New Acropolis museum which is not too far from the site.

View of the Temple of Olympian Zeus from the Acropolis

View of the city of Athens from the Acropolis. The dominant hill is Mt. Lycabettus.

View of the open air Theater of Dionysus from the Acropolis.

This may look photoshoped but we were there. The Acropolis behind us.

The next day we wandered all over the City.  We saw some cool temples and more archaeological/anthropological sites. For people who like that kind of stuff, Greece is the place to be.  We on the other hand, got kind of tired of seeing old stones and rocks. We walked and walked and walked all over Athens and praised God that at least the sun was out (the Mediterranean has had an uncharacteristically cold winter).  Athens is really easy to navigate and public transportation is adequate. The people are generally friendly and the food is great.

We also had lunch at a place that was fast becoming our lunch hangout. 13-14 euros for us to share a plate of fries and enjoy some scrumptious kebabs on pita bread... mmmm mmm!

Juicy!

Our lunch spot.

Almost 95% of the historical site in Athens are within walking distance from each other (if you like to walk).

Library of Hadrian built by the Romans in about 130 AD.  It was also a social meeting place for people at the time - like the mall? lol!

The Roman Agora (marketplace) built around the 1st century BC.

Athenian Agora - Ancient central marketplace. This area at one point was the center of the city. Officials came to deliberate on political and religious matters. The area was used as a market for all sorts of commodities.  The structure in the picture was destroyed and rebuilt using some of the stones that remained. If you are standing in front of this structure, you will see the sites in the pictures below.

Temple of Hephaestus - Greek god of fire, metal work, masonry and the art of sculpture.

Inside Hephaestus' Temple

A few other sites in Athens included Hadrian's arch which was constructed in honor of the Roman emperor.

Arc of Hadrian

Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Street in Athens lined with orange trees. We picked some oranges and ate them - very bitter, actually quite disgusting.  Good from far but far from good.

Hilly, narrow streets in Athens.

We were lucky to catch this interesting ceremony.  Changing of the guard in front of the parliament buildings in Athens.  The guards wear these skirts with 400 pleats that represent the 400 years they fought the Ottomans.

The economic crisis in Greece is really bad.  There are not as many riots as they make it seem on TV but people are very disgruntled with the government. Taxes are very high and workers in the public sector had their salaries cut by 40%. We talked to a number of Greeks and they all said the same thing - no jobs available, life is too expensive, taxes are too high. They claim that many of them are just hanging on and really hoping that things will change.

So, all in all, Athens is a city with a lot of energy.  We were happy to have seen it but we were happier to head out to the islands.  Stay tuned :)