Vacation Part 12- Athens and the Way Home

Our path on the Aegean Sea.

We said good bye to the crew of the Azamara Quest in the port city of Piraeus and headed inland. Welcome to Athens! Named for the Greek goddess Athena, the city of 3 million people has a written history going back more than 3,000 years. If we didn’t get enough of antiquity by the time we arrived, two days in the ancient city would be more than enough to push us over the top. We also got one more chance to cross paths with Saint Paul.

Behind the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the city stretched to the Aegean Sea.

We arrived at the famous Acropolis of Athens fifteen minutes after its morning opening. The bus view of the city revealed a massive urban sprawl. From the path to the top of the most famous of the city’s sights, we could see just how huge it actually was. Equally crazy was the number of people climbing to the top of the Acropolis.

By ten o’clock, the lines of sightseers began to back up at the Propylaia, or ceremonial gateway.

The Temple of Athena Nike stands on its own bastion, its modern purpose is to provide shade for tourists.

Atop the Acropolis, the crowds were even thicker around the Parthenon.

The Erechtheion. The attached side structure is the Porch of the Karyatids.

Looking north from the Acropolis, the city seemed to go on forever.

When we’d seen enough of the crowds at the top of the Acropolis, we descended back down to street level. By this time, the line going up stretched from the Propylaia nearly to the bottom of the hill.

Our next stop was the hotel where we were booked for the remainder of the stay in Greece. It was in the Plaka neighborhood, just north of the Acropolis. Plaka is in the heart of the ancient city and the target customer is the tourist. There is hustle and bustle all the time. On the up-side, it is mostly older buildings and not overwhelmed by the modern urbanization.

Every block has street performers hustling euros from the the passing tourists.

At the end of the street from our hotel, the modern Cathedral stands in contrast to the 13th Century Byzantine Church of Theotokos Gorgoepikoos and Ayios Eleytherios.

Church of Theotokos Gorgoepikoos and Ayios Eleytherios. Small churches of this era are spread throughout the older neighborhoods.

After a cafe lunch, we made our way across Plaka through the more charming part of town to the Acropolis Museum.

This modern facility houses much of the original art uncovered during the preservation and restoration of the Acropolis.

During the construction of the building, an ancient neighborhood was uncovered and preserved beneath the building.

The museum breaks down all the artwork on each of the structures found on the Acropolis. True appreciation would take years of study. After looking at a few hundred pieces, we were reduced to just marveling at the detail and life-like execution.

As if the ancient Greek artifacts weren’t enough, walking back to the north side of the Acropolis, we made our way through the the Roman agora and the market where St. Paul reasoned with the Athenians.

Hadrian’s Library dates to 132 AD. Hadrian is credited with buildings and projects all across the Roman Empire.

On the way back towards our Plaka hotel, we passed Panagia Kapnikarea Church. Built around 1050, it is one of the oldest churches in Athens. From here it was a short walk to dinner and then back to the hotel.

Our last full day on vacation was spent taking in a few more sights in Athens. The first stop was the changing of the Evzones Guard at the tomb of the unknowns at the Hellenic Parliament Building.

The Evzones were originally light infantry. Established as the King’s personal guard in 1824, during the Greek war for independence from the Ottoman Empire, they are now the presidential guard.

The elaborate uniforms combine traditional elements with features designed by Queen Amalia.

The white marble Panathenaic Stadium dates back to the 4th Century BC. It hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and it the starting point for the Olympic Torch relay.

After a cafe lunch, we spent the afternoon in the National Archeological Museum. Like the Acropolis Museum the previous day, after thirty minutes we were reduced to looking for the pieces that caught our eye rather than the historically significant works.

A collection of busts from around Greece.

A 2nd Century mosaic floor depicting Medusa uncovered in Piraeus. Medusa’s gaze was thought to ward off evil.

The last morning in Greece and dawn over Plaka.

The trip home was mostly uneventful, except that it almost failed to launch. We booked a “private car” for the trip to the airport and had the clerk at the hotel call the day before to confirm pick-up time and location. We were assured it was all set, and despite the restricted hours for vehicles on the street where the hotel was located, the driver would meet us at the front door. On the morning of departure, we were up early and had our complimentary breakfast at the hotel. Before we returned to our room to collect our bags, the clerk said the driver had called and wanted to meet us at the end of the street, near the Cathedral. No problem, so that’s where we went. From the curb, we watched several cars come and go, and we began to worry. How was the driver going to recognize us, and us the driver? It turns out that the driver didn’t see us, parked the taxi yellow VW Jetta wagon, and walked down to the hotel, where the clerk told him we were waiting at the Cathedral. The driver came back, and eventually found us, but we were now fifteen to twenty minutes late departing for the airport. Not to worry, once clear of the congested city traffic, the driver more than doubled the speed limit on the freeway. We made it to the gate in time, with ten minutes to catch our breath before the gate agent called our boarding group.

The flight home was direct From Athens to Newark, NJ with a connection to Columbus. There was nothing significant about the long leg, only that it was forty minutes ahead of schedule, increasing our purgatory in Newark. The last leg home was slightly delayed when the push-back crew broke the tow bar and banged it on the nose gear of the jet. After a twenty minute wait and a quick look-see by a mechanic, we were on the way.

After a full day of traveling, our E175 descends through the slop on approach to 27L at Columbus.

The next morning, Grace the dog was bailed out of the kennel. She was as glad to be home as we were.