“Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.” Will Durant
CAROL writes: As the start of the winter season approached 10 years ago while we traveled in a camper van for 9 months (2013-2014) in western Europe, our biggest regret was not having enough time to visit Greece or Turkey.
Post Covid shutdowns and a decade later, and we discovered a 14-day Holland America cruise to Turkey and the Greek Isles that was loaded with a bucket list of port calls. The itinerary included an opportunity for an overnight in Istanbul, and that sealed the deal. The only downside was the long 10-hour transatlantic flight from Atlanta to Athens that would surely test our stamina.
However, as we waited in Atlanta for our flight to Athens to be called, worries about the long flight evaporated and excitement built…
We arrived in Athens six days before the start of the cruise in the hopes of overcoming jet lag prior to ship embarkation day, in addition to having the opportunity to see many world-class sites on our own timetable in Athens. For our accommodations, I selected a so-called “boutique hotel” located in the Plaka, the old historic area of Athens. The Philia turned out to be the perfect choice in terms of cost, comfort and location. And breakfast and a balcony was included!
The Acropolis combo ticket for 30 euros was the best deal around town to see multiple historic sites.
Enroute to the Acropolis, we hiked past a theater from the second century A.D. that is still used for performances.
By the time we reached the entrance to the Acropolis at the Propylaea, we were almost at the top…
On top, the Erechteion
and the Parthenon were in their glory under the cloudless azure skies of the noonday sun.
Strangers were always willing to help each other out to get the perfect holiday card selfie.
Back down at city level, the modern Acropolis Museum was well worth the visit. The museum beautifully showcased original sculptures from the Acropolis, thus protecting them from the elements.
On this trip abroad we discovered free Rick Steves audio tours that were super easy to download to our phones. We downloaded an excellent one that followed along on an “Athens City Walk” that started near our hotel and featured several sites we wanted to see on our combo ticket. To a certain extent, Athens was similar to Rome—ancient buildings and ruins popped up at random along more modern city streets—
…like this 1000-year-old classic Orthodox church in the Byzantine style,
…and the triumphal Arch of Hadrian from the second century A.D. along a modern busy thoroughfare.
The field where the Temple of Olympian Zeus once stood (dating from the second century A.D.) had a killer view of the Acropolis.
The Temple of Zeus was once one of the most massive temples ever built. However, besides a few massively tall Corinthian columns, there was very little left. So many of the columns were cloaked in restoration scaffolding that a good deal of imagination was necessary to appreciate the site.
It was easy to find our way to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens; we simply followed the clergy.
This basilica represents the center of Greek Orthodoxy.
We took a brief break and had a delightful conversation with a pair of bicyclists who were on a five-year journey around Europe and Asia on their bikes. They started six months ago in Switzerland and called themselves Dos Lentos, a nod to the two of them traveling slowly on their bikes.
Oh, how we love meeting people who are seizing life and “going big!” It will be interesting to follow future adventures on their blog.
Inside, the Byzantine-style cathedral was in immaculate condition.
On to the Roman forum, which was mostly ruins
with a few larger intact pieces of sculpture and an octagonal Tower the Winds.
At a sidewalk café table overlooking the Roman forum, we had delicious cool drinks in the form of a beer for Al and a classic Greek frappé for me.
The ancient Agora was situated in the shadows of the Acropolis.
This was a gathering place where the everyday city life of the people was conducted. The 1950s-era reconstructed Stoa of Attalos provided an authentic representation of what the Agora must have looked like in its heyday. The stoa functioned as an ancient shopping mall for the citizens of ancient Athens.
Today, the inside of the Stoa of Attalos houses an excellent little museum with interesting artifacts, like this early voting machine.
The star attraction of the Ancient Agora was the well-preserved, photogenic temple of Hephaistos, which was built in the same style as the Parthenon.
The City Walk finished up near the Greek parliament building,
which was guarded by soldiers who had not only a unique marching style but also wore quite distinctive uniforms.
We had been putting a lot of miles on our trackers as we explored the sights of Athens. Each day we took short, much-needed refreshing afternoon naps, just like the locals, in preparation for outdoor dining in the Plaka after dark. The nighttime ambience in the Plaka and the gourmet food were exceptional!
Food presentation was superb, and Greek wine was pretty tasty too! We treasured every one of these dinners in the warm, early fall evening breezes of Athens.
Just like all the other tourists, we indulged in a little horseplay.
Nearer to our hotel, the meat and fish market was a marvel for our vegetarian eyes.
The National Archaeological Museum is considered a must-see on any visit to Athens. It was filled with exhibits that reinforced and enriched much of what we had learned about ancient Greek and Roman civilizations in and around Athens. The Rick Steves audio guide pointed out many of the highlights, which included:
a hammered gold mask of Agamemnon,
an ancient tablet written in Linear B, an ancient script of Crete which dates back to 15 centuries before Christ and was just deciphered in 1952,
male and female (kore and kouros) statues which were carved seven centuries before the time of Christ,
and the eerie black bronze head of a philosopher.
Upstairs in the last room of the museum, restored frescoes were displayed that had been recovered from Akrotiri on the island of Santorini (Thira). The Cycladic settlement of Akrotiri was totally destroyed in a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BCE.
And that’s a wrap to a fascinating six days in Athens! I felt confident we had both learned more than enough history to appreciate the ports of call we were about to visit on our cruise.
After a somewhat challenging taxi ride out of the city of Athens to the port of Piraeus, we looked forward to recharging our energy on Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam during a restful day at sea on the first day of our cruise itinerary.
To be continued…
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Chinese fortune cookie, October 2023
Carol Galus
Photo-Blogger
