The sun beats down on Athens and the temperature rises although I’m too preoccupied to notice. Still high from the delights of Mykonos and keen to start exploring an entirely new city, I haven’t given much thought to the realities of today. I’m too busy trying to get us out the door. Athens awaits!
We have risen early and tackled the task of getting the four of us dressed and ready for the day. At breakfast I’m as bad as the kids. I can’t sit still and jump up and down to get something for them, something for me from the expansive buffet. Then there are the forgotten things – sunglasses and hats, a selfie stick and water bottles. Back to the cabin again. The tour booking was procured after much though and research – partly for convenience and partly out of guilt. Can we see Athens without the children? In the end, rightly or wrongly, the conclusion was ‘no’. And, so, here we are.
So we find our tour group, make our way through to shore and bundle onto the bus together, too late to change our minds now. First up is a bit of a tour from the port to the old ‘original’ Panathenaic Stadium. I’m transfixed by the views out the bus window of a modern city by the sea that somehow has a charmingly crumbling aura to it – like a seaside resort town out of season. Perhaps it’s just a mixture of the facts that it’s still fairly early in the morning and that Europeans don’t seem to rush in the morning for anyone.
The stadium is incredible but we can’t really get that close. We could pay to go in but we don’t have enough time on our ‘photo stop’ and the boys are already hot and bored. I do, indeed, take numerous photos but after 10mins the we scramble back to the air conditioned capsule of the bus, wondering what’s next.
Another half hour later we are at the base of the Acropolis with our tour guide receiving instructions on time and place to meet. We set off but then do the compulsory measure of standing around awaiting further instructions. All I can do is jump from one foot to another, itching to be on our way. We finally set off.
The sun beats down. The climb is steep. It’s not long before Harley wants to be carried, the circa 2,500 years of history here does not seem to have piqued his interest. We stop along the cliff to look out over the 7 hills of Athens and down to an ancient amphitheater. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a restored theater. Originally constructed in 161 AD, concerts and other performances are held here once again. It’s dizzying from this height but I imagine it at night all lit up for a concert and it would be magical. Jasper and I smile for some photos together. Then on and up, up right through the heart of the ruins until it unfolds before us – the Parthenon.
We enter from the back, nevertheless, I have seen the pictures, read the stories and it is still not how I expected it to be. Both bigger and more impressive than anticipated it’s more like being on an ancient construction site than viewing ancient ruins. Pieces of sculpted stone and remnants of columns are scattered over the ground. Paths go through, rather than around the site and the main temple is partially held up by cranes and scaffolding. There are people everywhere.
There is a lot to be explained and I am keen to learn but at the best we can’t hear out guide. At the worst we have lost her. The outcome is the same. I take photos but I’m sure I’m missing the point. I try to listen in on snippets of other tours but the guides get washed away with the crowd. I catch a story about a hole in a floor, an ancient well from which to draw water. Up here? Where from? I don’t catch the explanation but find it fascinating.
We make a rest stop and Jason stays sitting in the shade with the boys while they have some water and a snack. With permission I head off to explore a little more. I may not be able to stand still again!
The scale of this place is incredible and all the obvious questions arise in my mind: how did they manage to build something this big, this grand, all those years ago? I don’t like to think too much about the obvious answer: lots and lots of people, probably slaves. Still, it’s quite an achievement, if you weren’t required to haul the giant slabs.
The sun beats down and the boys are done. It’s hot and all they want is lunch and perhaps an ice cream (not necessarily in that order). It’s time to depart and meet our group again anyway although I could stay here all day, we have the old town to explore.
A short walk later we’re seated with a beer at a Taverna in the Plaka district, the old neighborhood that sits, quite literally, in the shadow of the Acropolis and its ancient temples. We have a view of the Parthenon from the restaurant, if not quite from our table, and we sit at the Cave of Acropolis and order souvlaki and stuffed, roasted capsicums for lunch. Jasper & Harley are oblivious, set up watching (or re-watching) another movie on the iPhone. We don’t fight it. Jason has had Harley on his shoulders for much of the morning and we still want to walk for the afternoon.
Lunch is nice but I kind of which I’d ordered the souvlaki too and I’m torn between wanting to sit for a while longer with another beer and exploring the Plaka. We have also promised the kids ice cream. We walk back down the steep stone stairs to the main, mostly pedestrian, thoroughfare below. The street vendors shout their wares and the boys choose a souvenir each – Jasper finds a nice cap and all Harley wants is a squeezy tomato toy for 1 Euro that I know is going to end up leaking in the luggage.
I enjoy the atmosphere of the streets and alleyways, the color of the wares and the people. Voices rising and falling, nothing of which I can understand. Cats duck in and out of doorways and the cobbles reflect the heat.
After a wander it’s time to head back to meet the group and the bus. We find a leafy spot and the boys are treated to their promised ice cream while we wait again.
Eventually our group gathers around and we’re funneled back through the streets and on to the awaiting tour bus. The sun beats down but we are safe back in the air-conditioning and the iPhone is pulled out once again for the ride back to port. And, for now at least, I’m happy sitting still.
Would I Return?
Yes. Athens is a modern city with an ancient history and there is much more to explore.
