Athens arrival and Day 1

origamiunicorn ♦ July 28, 2019

Nerves and exhaustion dominated my mood Friday as I started my travels. However the flights went smoothly. There was some excitement in the first leg from Boston to Istanbul when someone’s pet cat got loose ohn the plane. The lights were out and many passengers were asleep when I heard a commotion in the aisles. Soon everyone was peering under seats and trying to coax the kitty out. It was meowing constantly, but still hard to track down. When it was finally found and returned to its owner there was some applause and laughter.

After that escapade the 9 hour flight was more than half over and the remainder wasuneventful. Istanbul to Athens was the last leg and then a taxi ride to the lovely apartment in Plaka that my sister and I rented.

Apartment balcony

It was late, but I was still on US time so my sister humored me and we walked to an outdoor wine bar, Athena’s Cook. I had a glass of house wine and an appetizer: Grilled talagani cheese with fig marmalade, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. Delicious, perfect. Sitting outside in the warm night, drinking wine, eating delicious food, chatting with my sister.. a perfect first night in Athens.

Athena’s Cook

The alarm rang painfully early this morning, but we had tickets for an 8 am walking tour of the Acropolis. The tour began in front of a frozen yogurt bar. I tried a free sample of yogurt with honey and nuts that was heavenly. Then our tour guide, Stevie, led us towards the site. She mixed historical information with architecture and engineering notes and some mythology. We walked through the site in the 90+ degree heat but I never felt fatigued.

Seeing the remnants of this incredible civilization was emotional for me. These buildings were constructed without the engineering tools and software we have today, and they are still standing despite many attempts to destroy them. This testament to the resourcefulness in humans; the creativity; the value placed in learning, education, and arts — all of this made me feel a sliver of hope for our species. When Stevie referred to the story of Pandora and mentioned what remained in the box when all the terrible things escaped, Hope, I felt my heart surge.

After the tour ended, my sister and I found a small shady spot among the ruined walls where we had a view of the columns of the Parthenon and the remains of the Athena Nike temple. We sat there for a half hour, just absorbing what we were seeing and appreciating it. I think Sarah could have stayed another hour, but it was time to move on and see some of the other sites.

We contemplated the view for a long time

We walked down to the Acropolis museum. We decided to start with lunch at the museum cafe. I had freddo cappuccino and batzina, Greek zucchini pie. We split up after that because Sarah and I had different attention spans. I walked through the museum looking for pieces related to the mythology that I grew up reading and loving. I tried to imagine what everything must have looked like when the colors of the stonework was still vibrant and the carvings were still intact.

Athena on the left

We met up at the gift shop / cafe and proceeded to the ruins under the museum. This area was only opened to the public in 2019 so we were very fortunate to have gotten our timing right. When excavation was done for the new Acropolis museum, ruins of the city were uncovered and preserved. It was absolutely incredible to see. At this point, my phone battery had died so I have no pictures to document. The ruins consist of walls, floors, plumbing of the ancient houses of Athenian citizens. There are mosaics, workshops, stairs, doorways. It made me wish I could go back in time just long enough to observe. And seeing the ruins is the closest I can come to that.

By now we had been walking for hours in the summer sun. We decided to head back to our apartment to recharge for a bit. I took a nap and Sarah read tour guides. Then we went out to get some groceries for later and started on a walk towards the Monastiraki neighborhood. We were able to see the remains of Hadrian’s Library and the temple of Hephaestus. In the ruins of Hadrian’s Library I was amused to see several stray cats, making themselves at home among the rubble. Some of the street vendors left food for them along the fences.

Hadrian’s Library with view of the Acropolis

Kitty sleeping on some ancient rocks Cat from another era

After a long walk around the ruins and back through the hustle and bustle of Monastiraki, we made our way back to the apartment. I had bought some local wine and a tomato, feta and olive pastry from a nearby bakery for dinner. Eating and drinking as I type this and now I need to get some rest for a trip to Delphi tomorrow. I’ll write more after my visit with the Oracle.