Athens tour

We got up around 7.45 and went down for breakfast. This was our day in Athens and John met us at 9am. He told Lena that the church was 1100 (Byzantine) so I won the bet. It just looked amazingly old. We went into Monastiraki Square and started our walking tour.

We saw the Roman Forum and had a lesson on columns that I missed most of in pursuit of photos (sorry John – I’ve made up for it since: plain = Doric, ram’s head = Ionic, floral/ornate = Corinthian). Then he took us into the square where the scaffolding church is and told us that the scaffolding was there due to earthquake damage that no one can afford to have repaired. We went back onto Ermou and up to Parliament House to see the changing of the guard. The guards wear great traditional dress and are not allowed to move to even swat a fly. They have to do a very florid marching and stamping ceremony. The guards are actually there to protect the tomb of the unknown soldier.

From there we went through part of the National Gardens to Panathinaikon Stadium where some of the Olympics were held. It’s huge and very impressive. We used the toilets in that building and they were absolutely beautiful – all marble inside. We then walked to Hadrian’s Arch past the Temple of Olympic Zeus (or what’s left anyway). We walked gradually uphill and on to the Acropolis, passing the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. We bought a ticket that covers a few sights and we all gathered to get ready to go in.

We went into the Acropolis enclosure, walking around the periphery and then onto the top. It didn’t take too long to see the various features on the Acropolis including the Parthenon, though I’m ashamed to say that I wasn’t very exhaustive in my curiosity. There is a lot of scaffolding due to ongoing restoration and there were people everywhere and it was very hot and dusty. We went into the museum and there were some interesting pieces. Kelli and I climbed up a very slippery marble rock to take photos of the surrounding areas. Three of us used another of our tickets to walk through the nearby Ancient Agora site including the well-preserved temple of Hephaistos, then through a restaurant and shopping area back to Monastiraki Square. I sat patiently in the very welcome air conditioning while they broke John’s golden rule and ate MACCAS!

We split up and I went in search of something decent to eat. I ended up getting a collection of food (also Ion chocolate) from a supermarket and sitting at the Kapnikarea church on Ermou to eat it. I then retraced our steps that morning with my camera at the ready – back up Ermou to Parliament House to check the guards were still there (they were, sweltering under their little awnings) and then into the National Gardens. It was nice but I tired of it fairly quickly.

I took photos of the Zappeion and the Temple of Olympian Zeus then I headed up to the Theatre of Dionysos on the slopes of the Acropolis using another of the tickets off the Acropolis group to get in. The theatre is ruined but is still fascinating, and the scale astounds me. It’s so big. I saw preparations for a sound check at the Herodes Atticus Odeon and tried to find out more about it with no success whatsoever. I walked back to the hotel along the shady Grand Promenade (Apostolou Pavlou) that John had recommended and saw all the cafes and tavernas that the girls had talked about the night before. When I got back I jumped straight into the shower to rid myself of the omnipresent dust.

After everyone was ready, we met John downstairs and went out to the included ‘traditional Greek dinner’.  We went to bed at 11pm.

There was very loud amplified bouzouki music with even louder vocals and a couple of female dancers. We were on two long, narrow tables, so I only got to meet Alison, Michelle and Jacinta. I had met Michael on the way. The red wine was OK and the salad, entree and fruit were nice but the main course was awful and the raw fish beside us on ice was smelly. Alison, Lena and I left early, closely followed by everyone else. We had a nice walk through the crowds in Plaka and all congregated on the rooftop to watch the floodlit Acropolis and chill out.