Athens, back to the roots of democracies

I found visiting Athens challenging without making a post about it; even if I have been there four times before, I always get overwhelmed. Athens was the first city in the south of Europe I visited; I was 19 years old. It brings me back to all the new impressions I got. It was my first holiday with a boyfriend, mid-summer, and boiling. And when we came to our hotel room and went out on the balcony, we saw the lit-up Acropolis with the Parthenon.

Athens

I went to Greece on the 17th of May (which is the national day in Norway). The purpose of this trip was to visit Meteora, north-west in Greece, and to manage to get there by train; I had to spend the first and last night in Athens. That is not a high price to pay since I still have many things unseen in Athens, and I could always see some sights once more.

Holy Monastery of Daphni

On the outskirts of Athens, you find the UNESCO site of the Holy Monastery of Daphni. With good help from Google Maps, I found the two buses I had to take to get there. This monastery belongs to the middle Byzantine period, decorated with luxurious marble, sculptures, and gold-ground mosaics. It lies between a bustling road and a forest. However, when you get inside, it is very peaceful. The mosaics are just fantastic, and the place is just a museum these days.

Acropolis and the Parthenon

Even though I have been to the top of the Acropolis before, I could not resist taking the morning trip up there again, before visiting the new Acropolis museum. I had bought a ticket in advance and reached the queue 5 minutes before they opened the gate. There were at least 200 persons in front of me, but as we started to walk in, everybody stopped and took pictures and selfies on the way up the stairs. So, by the time I reached the Parthenon, only three other people had reached the top, so I felt like I was there all by myself, until the Evzones guards appeared after they had raised the Greek flag on the top.

The Evzones guards are mostly recognized for being the president’s guard on Syntagma Square. They wear very characteristic uniforms with skirt-like tunics, white stockings, and shoes with pompons on. When they change guard on Syntagma Square, it is an impressive sight. Their prolonged movement and enormous leg strength lift them to 90 degrees in slow motion and keep them there.

The cradle of modern history

One can not stop being amazed at the grandness of the Parthenon and the Dionysos theatre. Knowing this is where the prominent philosophers lived and made up the story of democracies that still many counties try to rule after today. I feel tiny next to the enormous ruins and also so small in the context of humankind.

Acropolis Museum

In 1863, a museum was established in a hollow in the ground, southeast of the Parthenon. The Museum was founded in 1865, completed in 1874 and housed the finds of the first excavations on the Acropolis. After World War 2, a radical architectural refurbishment was undertaken, creating a new building that continued until 2007.

In 2007 this new Museum opened just 300 meters from the Acropolis. It is placed above an excavation area and can be seen through openings and glass floors. The Museum is vast and fantastic. A large spacious room is full of sculptures. They have created a room on the third floor that should have the same size as the Parthenon. Here you see the frizes along the wall in order of how they would have been placed on the Parthenon. By walking along here, I could see the scale and grandness of the original Parthenon up close.

I know there has been a long discussion between Greece and British Museum that they should return all the art effects they have had in the Museum since 1832. I have read that there has been suggested that The British Museum could lend out the pieces but not let go of them permanently. Therefore, I am unsure what is original and what could be copied in the Museum here in Greece.

Anafiotika

Since my time here in Athens was relatively short this time, I did not have time to go and see all the fantastic historical sights this city offers. I have to say, though, May can be a perfect month to go here; the temperature was perfect for strolling around. Last afternoon before heading to the airport, I walked through Anafiotika, a small cluster of houses clinging to the mountain below the Acropolis. Since people live in those houses, I can see they are unhappy about living in a “museum”. However, they are very charming, and you feel like a Greek island in how they are built. I am sure that I will try to come back to Athens again.