Put on a Pedestal

At the end of the day, Josh and I sometimes reflect with wonder on everything we managed to see and learn in such a short period of time.  Today was definitely one of those days.  We started the day at the Acropolis, which is pretty much the one site that you absolutely must visit when you come to Athens.  We're actually staying very close to the Acropolis, so we wandered over in the morning, bought our tickets (which are actually good for almost all of the ancient sites), and immersed ourselves in several thousand years of history.  It has been the heart of Athens since about 7,000 BC, though it didn't always look like this.  The Acropolis as we think of it was built around 450 BC during the Golden Age of Athenian prosperity.  The Acropolis is, in a word, HUGE.  It's at the top of the hilll (a natural fortress) and was built with marble that they quarried and hauled from a different hill.  Apparently each of the capitols (those parts at the top of columns that get a bit wider and are sometimes highly decorated) are each several tons, so I can't even imagine the total weight of the marble they hauled.

As we walked up but before we reached the top, we first passed the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.  Herodes Atticus was an Athenian mover and shaker: he was a VERY wealthy landowner, famous orator, and friend of the Emperor Hadrian.  He built this odeon, a large amphitheater, in memory of his wife.  Since its reconstruction in the 1950s, it hosts performances once more.

Continuing up the hill, we next reached the Propylaea, the official entrance to the Acropolis.  Marble steps lead to a massive gate bordered by thick columns.  

To the left is the Monument of Agrippa, which the leaders of the day used to hoist their statues of choice (Olympic champions, Marc Antony and his girlfriend, themselves), while to the right is the little (11 feet tall, so everything is relative) Temple of Athena Nike.  Nike, it turns out, means victory (some great branding right there).

Once through the Propylaea, we finally saw the full Parthenon.  This giant temple, which stands on the highest point of th Acropolis, is largely in ruins but is still magnificent.  It served the cult of "Athena the Virgin" as well as serving as the Athenian treasury.  

The coolest part about the Parthenon, though, is the little optical illusions incorporated into its structure.  Apparently, though I personally have never noticed, buildings with a flat base seem to droop in the middle, so the architects here had the center of the long floor rise a few inches.  Columns were tilted inward, bulged at the middle, and were each carved to be a slightly different shape and size so that they would all appear the same.  Many of these changes, including the columns tilting inward, are thought to have helped the Parthenon remain standing through earthquakes over 2000 years.  In fact, it was not a natural disaster but a manmade one that finally toppled it.  After surviving its conversion into a church, then a mosque, then a palace, the Parthenon did not survive its conversion into a storage place for armaments.  When the Venetians attacked the city in 1687, they fired mortal shells at the Acropolis and managed to trigger the explosion of all that amunition.  The Parthanon lay toppled, and several pieces were carted away by soldiers as trophies.  In 1801, the British ambassador Lord Elgin got permission to take sculptures from the Parthenon, exporting whatever he saw fit (the Elgin marbles remain a major point of contention).  Despite all this, though, the Acropolis is still breathtaking.  Sure, the giant columns may feel serious and imposing, but its important to remember that all this creamy marble used to be painted with vibrant scenes, and the fields of rubble used to be filled with life.

The other main building of the Acropolis is the Erechtheion.  This temple is smaller and older than the Parthenon, and it was where the Panathenaic parade ended.  An olive tree marks the spot where, according to Greek lore, Athena first planted one.  In fact, olive trees are known as "Athena's gift to Athens".  And today they are EVERYWHERE.  Walking around the outside of this beautiful building, we admired the Porch of the Caryatids, a balcony where each column has been carved into the shape of a woman.  Interestingly, these columns had to be replaced not because of thousands of years of environmental wear and tear, but because of the relatively recent problem of pollution - in particular, of smog.  These beautiful statues were almost entirely intact until the 1950s.  Due to the rapidly accelerating degradation, though, they were removed for their protection and preservation and replaced with exact copies.

Last but not least, on our way out we admired the Aeropagus, or "Mars Hill".  Apparently, this is where St. Paul lectured when he brought Christianity to the country.  Now, it is filled with tourists admiring, photographing, and clambering over the uneven surface (this is mostly left to the youngsters).

Shockingly, that was merely our morning.  After a quick lunch, it was on to more history.  Next up was the Agora in its many manifestations.  The Ancient Agora was the center of city life, serving as a marketplace, theater, religious site, and athletic arena.  It was also the site of Athenian democratic proceedings.  Remember that Athens used a direct democracy, rather than a representative democracy, so every free male citizen had to vote on important issues.  The Panathenic Way, which led up to the Acropolis, went through the heart of the Agora.  This popular site was built up over time to fit the many needs of the Athenian people.  When the Romans arrived, they tried to shift these many activities to a new location, now known as the Roman Agora.  This was much smaller but, since the governing was done from Rome, served fewer functions.  The most interesting surviving building, the Tower of the Winds, is an octagonal building with carved reliefs personifying the main directions of the wind.  It was unfortunately covered in scaffolding for renovation, but this picture that I stole from the internet shows what it would look like:

Over time, as Athens declined in prominence and population, the Agoras fell into disuse and eventually disrepair.  Today, many of the Agora's functions have been scattered around the city; the Plaka is the marketplace, while the legislature sits over by Syntagma Square.  Luckily, the Agora Museum is a good way to peek back in history.  It has beautiful painted pottery, 

marble statues, and... this.

Apparently infant commodes were a thing back in ancient times.  Can we bring this back?

We ended our exploring with an Athens City Walk audioguide (thanks, Rick Steves!), which included many things we had discovered on our own or already explored, but also many new things.  One highlight was this Temple of Zeus (just beyond Hadrian's Gate), which was built by the Romans.  Since Romans make everything bigger, these columsn dwarf those of the Parthenon.  It was also interesting to see one toppled over, watching as the "column drum" separated into its individual rings.  The columns are almost like a kebab: cut to size and then held together by a metal rod running through the middle.

Our final adventure was not a touristy one, but one of good food and good company.  We met up with one of my mother's college friends, who has now been living in Greece for over 40 years.  While she now lives just outside Athens, she ventured into the city to meet up with us.  We ended up at Kavanitis Taverna, which is where she went on her first date with her Greek husband.  We ordered a bunch of food and shared everything, which allowed Josh and me to check quite a few foods off of our Greece bucketlist.  Saganaki: fried cheese with fresh lemon.  Greek salad: in Greece, there's no lettuce involved.  Tzatziki sauce: delicious.  We also feasted on spiced meatballs, fried zucchini (apparently a popular thing in Athens), and a delicious eggplant salad.  For dessert, we dug into halvah, a dessert made with semolina flour.  Bellies full, Josh and I practically rolled home.  But, this being Athens, we rolled past something historic: the original Olympic stadium!

Random tidbits about Greece:

(1) Apparently, the 9 stripes on the Greek flag are to represent the 9 syllables in the phrase "Freedom or Death" in Greek

(2) Josh on Greece: "I appreciate that they appreciated baths"

(3) One in three Greek residents live in Athens

Spotted: The Athens Happy Train.  This vehicular chimera takes you on a tour of major Greek sites, violating the no-cars rule (but hey, it's just a train on wheels!) of the pedestrian walkways and generally clogging up traffic wherever it goes.

Spotted #2: This is what protects democracy in Greece.

Spotted #3: Graffiti all over the city, covering almost every surface.  Content ranges from anarchy symbols to this (my favorite!):