I arrived in Athens a day ahead of my traveling companions and after sleeping for fourteen hours (nothing like a new job and a long ass flight to humble one's site seeing ambitions), I wandered out to get myself acquainted with Athens.
The first thing I noticed, of course, was the massive amount of graffiti. It is everywhere. It covers buildings, phone booths, garbage cans, benches. A country that has faced the economic crisis that Greece has gets somewhat of a pass on this. There are t-shirts in shops that say, "I don't need to have sex, I get fucked by the government everyday!" And "Fuck the Crisis!" One jewelry shop I passed had a sign in the window: "Prices Against Crisis." Which is pretty clever. How many words can you come up with that rhyme with "crisis"?
My Athens walk started at Syntagma Square at the Parliment Building and the tomb of the unknown solider. Sentries stood unmovable at the bottom of the building while schoolchildren had their pictures taken with them. Their classmates also took time out to feed the pigeons.
I love the mash up of ancient history and modern life. It is on view here in Athens. The city is full of graffiti and ruins. Ancient churches butted up against modern office buildings. Slick young Greek hipsters rub shoulders with black robed Orthodox priests. It is an ancient city that needs to function in a modern world.
The Church of Kapnikarea is the best example. An 11th century Byzantine church sits in the middle of a bustling square. Silver icons adorn the inside, ready to be kissed and prayed over.
The Mitropolis Cathedral is the head of the Greek Orthodox faith and the most important church in Athens. I went inside and lit two candles. One for lost family, and one for lost friends. Does my family know that candles have been lit for them in Bulgaria, Myanmar, Arizona, India and Guatemla? We can add Greece to the list now. There is something so peaceful about doing this. Something quiets my soul when I focus on flame and candle and remember those who are no longer with me.
On the square outside the cathedral is a statue of Archbishop Damaskinos. This statue was dedicated by the Jewish community in Athens to honor Damaskinos. He spoke out against the Nazis and their deportation of the city's Jews to concentration camps. In good Orthodox fashion, Damaskinos is making the traditional sign of the cross with his right hand. I saw this in Bulgaria as well. The thumb touches the ring finger, creating the first and last letters of the Greek name for Jesus Christ.
Outside the big cathedral is the 12th century Church of Agios Eleftherios. This used to be the city's cathedral and was used after the Ottomans kicked people out of the church inside the Parthenon. A simple church, it has an amazing frieze on the outside of symbolic beasts, and includes pieces from earlier buildings. One carving is thought to be part of a calendar of Athenian festivals which dates from the 2nd century.
I continued my meander through the small streets.
I made it to Hadrian's Arch after dodging the tour busses and schoolchildren out for a field trip. The Roman emperor Hadrian erected this in 132 A.D. It probably commemorated the Temple of Zeus (nearby ruins can be seen from the arch). The unique thing about this arch is that it was obviously meant to indicate the divisions between the ancient city and Hadrian's new Roman city. One side reads, "This is Athens, the Ancient City of Theseus," while the other side reads, "This is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus."
The remaining fifteen columns of the Temple of Zeus give some indication about the sheer size of this place.
I ventured into the Anafiotika quarter, a maze of small white houses with colorful doors and gardens. Little paths weave around corners, past tiny gardens and sleeping cats. It was lovely.
After getting turned around a few times, a pleasant man led me out of the maze and pointed me in the direction of the Tower of the Winds. This well-preserved tower was built in the 1st century B.C. by a Syrian astronomer named Andronicus. It functioned as a marble sundial, weather vane, water clock and compass. The top of each side has a relief symbolizing the type of wind that blows here in Greece. We would experience the wind in a dramatic fashion later on in the day. This tower was also used by whirling dervishes during its long history.
My travel companions arrived in time for a late lunch of Greek salad and stuffed tomatoes, then we were off again. Our hotel is literally steps from Hadrian's Library. P has been to Greece at least fifteen times, and seems to be able to answer any and all questions any of us have. It is wonderful to travel with someone who has a passion for a place. That and J's language skills make our little group practically unstoppable.
It was time too see the Acropolis. We approached the Acropolis from the west side entrance, stopping to climb up the boulder called Areopagus. The slippery rock has views of everything. It was here that the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians. I hope it wasn't as windy for him as it was for us. It would be easy to lean into the wind and right off the rock.
On the way up, we paused to see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a concert hall that seats 5,000. Herodes Atticus was a wealthy landowner who built this hall in 161 AD, but it was destroyed by invaders just a century later. It was reconstructed in the 1950s.
Inhabited since 4000 to 3000 BC, the first temples dedicated to Athena were built on the Acropolis in the Mycenaean era. In 510 BC, the oracle at Delphi declared that everyone needed to get off the rock, as it was the place of the gods. After the Persians reduced it to ashes in 480 BC, it was rebuilt by Pericles to showcase the city's temples. Various peoples have occupied the Acropolis, but the Parthenon took the worst hit in 1687, when it took a direct hit from the Venetians. The Turks had been storing their gunpowder there, and a big explosion damaged all the buildings.
Parthenon means "virgin's apartment" and is dedicated to Athena, the goddess of the city. It was completed in 438 BC, and sits on the site of at least four earlier temples - all dedicated to Athena.
The day had started so sunny, but while we on the Acropolis, the winds blew in and the weather changed dramatically.
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