Athens, Greece

Ah, Greece. Athens is just about the only place in Europe with an older and richer (still-existing) history than Rome. In both cities, the word "archeologist" is practically a dirty word since you can't stick a shovel in the ground without hitting an ancient cup, or arrowhead, or something. We arrived on a Thursday and spent that evening, along with Friday, touring the city with our friend from Dublin. We were set out straight by our Athens-living friends who mapped out our route and briefed us on the history. Thanks to them, we also had some amazing meals (who would've thought a beet and spinach salad would be so delicious) and learned a lot (one friend has his Master's in Greek history).


Thursday evening, after a visit to the Benaki Museum and a general overview of Greek history, we spent some time walking around town. We saw the presidential palace, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the guards (aka Evzoni) who protect them. The ceremonial unit has quite...um, interestingly...dressed. Thick tights, pom-pommed shoes, and a tasseled cap were the highlights. When they did their ceremonial marching, they made their pom-poms touch in the air.


After a late dinner near our friend's home (well, late only by American standards. Our 9:00 reservation was early by Greek standards and the earliest we'd eat all trip), we walked around a bit more and visited the Hellenic Parliament and original Olympic stadium. Ok, "original" isn't quite the right word considering that the Greek Olympics have been around for thousands of years. However, the Panathinaiko stadium was used in the 1896 Olympics and then again in the 2004 games (as host to the archery competition and finishing grounds for the Marathon).


The next day, we began our trek to the Acropolis by a visit to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Construction on this site took over 650 years, beginning in the 6th century BC and finishing during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian. Years of pillage and neglect took their toll, now there are only 15 of the original 104 columns still standing (one lays on the ground).


The "must-see" of Athens remains the Acropolis. While 'Acropolis' means 'highest city', in my mind, it's basically synonymous with the temples and buildings here in Athens. There's only one way up the 500 foot rock and that's on foot. It looked crazy high before we started but as we hiked, the views provided an excellent distraction. We kept looking forward, behind, and side to side to check out the city and sights. Everything was spectacular, including the warm February weather, and we quickly peeled off our sweaters and jackets. When we made it to the tip-top, we peered down on the Theatre of Dionysus and the expansive city of Athens. Gorgeous. After climbing down, we spent some time at the new Acropolis museum before our hunger finally took over.


We metroed to the Plakas neighborhood from the museum for some Greek souvlaki. It was warm enough to eat outside and our restaurant owner seemed to have a crush on our friend. We walked around the neighborhood and did a bit of shopping. I picked up a pendant of the famous phaistos disc and a silver bracelet of Greek coins. We called it an early birthday/anniversary present! After meeting up with our working friends for a happy hour, we eventually made it to our 10pm reservation for taverna-style music, dinner, and dancing. I was practically sitting on stage but it made for a great view of our friends doing a traditional Greek dance in the middle of the room! Despite not making it home until past 2am, we somehow managed to rise the next day in time for breakfast and the beginnings of our little road-trip...