Acropolis Museum

Saturday, May 18

Today is our last day in Athens and the last day of our trip, so after checking out of our apartment, we left our luggage next door with the property manager and set off for the Acropolis Museum.

The museum building itself has an interesting history.  In the 1970s, when the prior museum proved too small for the needs of the collection and restoration facilities, the process of creating a new museum began, but when excavations for a new building were begun at the site at the foot of the Acropolis, the ruins of an ancient city were discovered and it was back to square one.  The current museum was completed in 2007 and rests on more than a hundred concrete pillars above the excavated ruins, which can be viewed under Plexiglas flooring and on the grounds.  The collections is arranged chronologically on three levels, with the top floor sheathed in floor-to-ceiling windows and aligned on an axis with the Parthenon, which is visible on the adjacent hill. 

The collection includes objects that illustrate the successions of civilizations that inhabited the Acropolis, as well as artifacts taken from the mid-5^th-century temples dedicated to the goddess Athena that are so familiar to us today.  There is a very impressive collection architectural and sculptural objects that were destroyed by the Persians earlier in that century.  They’d lain buried and undiscovered until the end of the 19^th century, which preserved them in remarkable condition.  The ongoing work, based on watercolor drawing done when they were unearthed, being done to discover and reproduce the original colors used to decorate the statues is just fascinating.  

The 5^th-century BC buildings of the Acropolis have suffered many losses, some to the ravages of time and pollution, but many more at the hands of man.  The Parthenon was converted to a Christian church in the late 6^th century, and then to a mosque during the Ottoman rule in the 15^th century.  When the Venetians battled the Ottomans, they blew up the Parthenon in 1687, causing the greatest damage.  Not to be ignored, however is the plunder of the treasures of the Acropolis by the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin.  The loss/theft of the “Elgin Marbles,” now housed in the British Museum, and of other artifacts that have found their way to locations worldwide, are a very real irritant for the Greeks; a detailed video explains in extensive detail the chicanery involved in the removal of specific architectural elements. The museum has been built with the specific goal of providing a place for the reunited treasures of the Acropolis; a space on the third floor is built to the exact specifications of the Parthenon, with elements of the frieze, metopes, and pediments that have been recovered on the site displayed in spaces corresponding to their original locations. Duly noted are the missing elements; empty spaces abound, as do plaster casts representing what the original reliefs looked like, with recovered  pieces inserted as they’re acquired, either from the site, or from – elsewhere…

The museum is great, and once again, we learned far too much to write about here (Do I hear sighs of relief?!?), so come visit yourself, or read about it elsewhere. 

We wandered a bit through the narrow lanes of the Plaka, stopping for something to eat in a small café before one last walk pedestrian promenades (named for St. Paul and his first convert here) that lie below the Acropolis, Mars and Pnyx Hills, and alongside the Athenian Agora.  On either side are exposed some of the layers of the civilizations that have previously occupied this city and this land.  Fragments of Roman mosaic floors exposed to the elements, a long-undiscovered sanctuary of the god Pan, ancient water systems, the foundations of a thriving city center – all in the space of a 15-minute walk lined with buskers, sidewalk cafes, souvenir vendors, artists displaying their work, and all manner of 21^st-century life.  Like Rome – but even more so – history is underfoot, alongside, and above us here, and all over Greece.

We picked up our luggage, then took the Metro to the airport.  En route, Tom was pickpocketed – in the best possible way; he’d intentionally put the washcloth that he uses to mop his brow on hot days in the pocket where he keeps his wallet. As he’d planned, the thief got to take home a damp and smelly washcloth, and Tom still has his wallet!  

We’re staying overnight in a hotel near the airport, preparing for a morning departure, the first of three flights that will take us home by tomorrow night.

It’s been a lovely trip, but we’re ready to return to the real world.  Thanks for joining us. 

Wandering among the ruins

Friday, May 17

As we started out this morning, we soon encountered a long line of parading young people, singing, chanting, and carrying signs indicating that they were demonstrating in support of some environmental agenda.  They numbered in the hundreds, and appeared to range in age from elementary to middle school years.  A few hours later, near the Roman Forum, another group with what appeared to be a similar message was on the march. Either there were lots of kids playing hooky today or there was some pretty interesting permission slips on file!

We walked a sort distance to the Ancient Agora, the administrative, economic, cultural, commercial and political center of Athens from the 6^th century BC.  The restored 2^nd century BC Stoa of Attalos, was the precursor to modern shopping centers, and now houses a museum on the first floor, which we visited before wandering around the site, guided once again by Rick Steves’ audiotour.  Other than the well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus and the 10^th-century Church of the Holy Apostles, the sprawling site would have been pretty unintelligible to us non-archeologists, but the audio commentary really helped us make sense of it all.  

From the Agora, we walked a short distance to the remains of Hadrian’s Library, one of the 2^nd-century Roman Emperor’s contributions to the culture of Greece and Athens that he valued highly.  The library was succeeded by several churches, and evidence of those structures is also present. 

A couple of blocks from the library are the remains of the Roman Forum, which we’d seen from above yesterday.  The octagonal Tower of the Winds, a combination clock, sundial, weather vane and water clock in the Forum, is very well preserved.

Having spent hours wandering among the dusty ruins, we decided to spend the afternoon seeing  what Greece’s archeological finds look like when they’ve been cleaned up, organized, labeled and presented to the world.  We took the Metro to the National Archeological Museum and – once more – used a Rick Steves audioguide to walk and talk us through the sprawling collection, which includes treasures unearthed from the breadth of Greece’s eras and geography. We were especially happy to see items recovered from many of the places we’ve visited during our travels here; seeing them evoked flashes of recognition and fine memories.

While we were in the museum, Zeus began hurling (LOUDLY rumbling) thunderbolts outside and the rains came down.  Needless to say, this made our (unusual) choice of an indoor activity this afternoon seem prescient; the fact that the rain stopped by the time we left the museum made us feel downright lucky!

We had dinner tonight at a neighborhood restaurant our property hostess (and next door neighbor) had recommended.  Food was good, there seemed to be lots of locals around, and the after – dinner raki provided the boot we needed to make it ‘til bedtime!

Athens, Acropolis, and Around

Thursday, May 16

Our ship docked in the port of Piraeus a bit late, closer to 7:00 this morning than 6:00, but after a brief ride on the Metro to a stop near our apartment, we were still able to check in about 8:00.  We got our first view of the Acropolis after we left the Metro station, and it was a “Wow!” moment; I’m sure we’ll be back to see (and photograph) it illuminated after dark…

Our apartment is on a very quiet one-block-long street in the Thissio neighborhood; it’s spacious, and even has a covered patio.  There’s a market around the corner, so we picked up a few things and had breakfast on the patio before heading out for the day.  

We’re a block from a broad pedestrian walk that passes the Ancient Agora and leads to the Acropolis, which we reached before 10:00.  I’m not sure when we’ve encountered crowds like those we saw lining up to mount the Acropolis this morning; every tour bus and school group in the country must have been there!  As we all funneled through the entry, up the hill, and mounted the grand entrance staircase to the Propylaea, the monumental entrance gate, we had some serious misgivings about whether we’d be able to experience anything more than the jostling crowds around us.  Once we (and the flood of humanity surrounding us) made it through the Doric-colonnaded passageways and entrance halls of the Propylaea, there was plenty of room atop the seven acre site for all of us. 

The monumental scale of the Propylaea contrasts with the delicate Ionic Temple of Athena Nike flanking it.  The entire Acropolis was dedicated to the glory of the goddess Athena, and this temple, much smaller than the other monuments, is particularly lovely.  It’s adjacent to the Propylaea, which provides the only vantage point for visitors to see it; there’s no way to get close to it once through the gate.

Beyond the ceremonial entry looms the Parthenon, built in just ten years in the 5^th century BC.  It served both religious and civic functions, a temple dedicated to Athena, and the city treasury.  It is the largest Doric temple in Greece, and even in ruins, it is jaw-dropping.  The most significant damage to the Parthenon occurred in 1687 when it was hit by a Venetian mortar shell aimed at the stores of Ottoman gunpowder stored inside.  The current restoration efforts began about 35 years ago (Remember, it was originally built in ten years!) and have a long way to go, as much of the original structure has been carted off to museums and unknown destinations all over the world.  The number and size of the columns, what remains of the pediments and friezes, and the seemingly impossible architectural, engineering, and logistical feats involved in its conception and construction are almost too much to comprehend; it simply overwhelms.

In the shadow of the Parthenon is yet another temple honoring Athena, the Erectheion, with the famous Porch of the Caryatids, with the graceful statues of female figures that serve as its pillars. 

A large Greek flag flies above the Acropolis at an observation point overlooking the sprawling city of Athens.  The flag and its position hold an important place in Greek history.  When the Nazis entered Athens in 1941, they ordered that the flag flying there be removed.  A guard took it down, wrapped it around himself, and jumped to his death.  Not long after, two teenagers climbed the wall, removed the Nazi flag, and raised the Greek flag; there is a plaque honoring their act of resistance at the base of the observation point.

During our visit to the Acropolis, we listened to Rick Steves’ audiotour of the site on our MP3 players.  It contained LOTS of information and added a great deal to our understanding of what we were seeing.  There’s far too much about the history of the site, dating back to the Mycenaeans presence here in 1400 BC to write about, but it was a peak experience for us (not just in altitude!) and, I presume, for the thousands of others who joined us there this morning.

This afternoon, we continued along the pedestrian boulevard at the foot of the Acropolis into central Athens, stopping along the way to see two of the remnants of the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s vision for a new Athens in the 2^nd century AD.  He built a monumental arch to mark his completion of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, begun 700 years earlier.  The largest temple in mainland Greece, it had 104 Corinthian 56-foot-high columns (only 15 remain), and was 360 feet long.  A couple of people doing restoration work near the columns helped to illustrate its enormous scale.

We headed to Syntagma Square, facing the Parliament Building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The simple tomb is protected by members of the Evzone Guards, dressed in their traditional kilts, caps with long side tassels, and pom pom shoes.  The changing of the guard ceremony features lots of exaggerated slow motion high kicks, complete with sound effects of the slapping and dragging of their metal-studded shoes on the marble pavement.  

After the ceremony, we followed most of Rick Steves’ audiotour of the city center, with stops at large and small pedestrian shopping streets, Orthodox churches, the Roman Forum, adjacent Tower of the Winds and nearby Hadrian’s Library, and a wander through the narrow lanes of Anafiotika.  This enclave, settled by natives of the island of Anafi, is like a tiny village built right under the walls of the Acropolis.  Its bougainvillea-draped whitewashed houses with blue doors give it an island feel and some of the lanes are so narrow that Tom’s backpack could barely pass through.  

We were about walked out by the time we reached the busy Monastiraki Square and flea market, so we headed toward our apartment, with a stop at the supermarket to pick up something for happy hour and dinner.  We’d planned to go out to eat tonight, but were just too tired to do anything but kick off our shoes, chill and stop, so that’s what we did.

Until about 10:00, when we made ourselves go out to see the illuminated Acropolis…  Needless to say, we’re glad we did.  On this mild, clear night, it was a sight to behold – unforgettable!