Marcey and I had the opportunity to visit Athens, Greece during a recent twelve hour layover. I think Olympic Airways schedules these on purpose so that they can wring out a few more Euros from passing tourists. We fell for it hook, line and sinker. We arrived at 6am and didn't need to be at the airport until 6pm so we had the whole day to explore the Parthenon, discover quaint shops and cafes nestled between narrow cobblestone streets and, of course, purchase the obligatory Starbucks mug with the city's name on it.
My father tried to instill an appreciation for ancient civilizations by showing us pictures through a Mickey Mouse Viewfinder. Thirty years ago I saw photos projected on the bedroom wall of temples, columns, statues and amphitheaters which were old then. Those memories have been fermenting ever since and I was eager to see the sites of those childhood memories in real life.
The airport is just forty minutes by Metro or bus from the Acropolis. We were disappointed to learn that the newly completed Metro cost twice as much as the bus and took the same amount of time. We opted to take the bus since it was frequent, clean and at 6am, nearly deserted. We noticed familiar scenery out the window. IKEA and Carrefour with their expansive parking lots dominated the suburban retail space while strip malls and crowded storefronts became more popular as we approached the Placa, or old part of the city.
We used a free tourist map to orient ourselves and set out for a breakfast cafe. We quickly found the Starbucks and took note of its location so that we could return later for the mug. Meanwhile we attracted many of the local stray dog population. The streets were largely empty at this hour and we acted as a sort of pied piper for dogs of all shapes and sizes. They would heel politely stopping and turning with us and did a good job protecting us from the local stray cat population who the dogs apparently considered evil.
After a light breakfast of cheese, olives, bread and coffee we ran out of Euros. Thus began our day long encounters with exchange offices and ATMs.
Everything seemed to cost more than we wanted it to but probably not more than it should have. This was Athens after all. Home of the first and last Olympic Games. Resting place of the Ancient Greek civilization. Birthplace of western philosophy, democracy and commerce. In other words, the oldest tourist trap in the world. We were lucky to escape with our empty wallets.
The Acropolis is an awe-inspiring complex of temples that conjures up the imagination. If the half naked statues of fair maidens were any indication of the customs of the times, I'd say those ancient Greek women didn't know how to tie a toga very well. Unless, more likely, the statues represent the sculptor's imagination and not reality. More imagination had to be used to envision the grandeur and beauty of the Parthenon without the twisted metallic mesh and crisscross of steel scaffolding obscuring nearly every square inch of marble. One of the massive pillars was actually exposed to the visitors and stood in plain view. Unfortunately, a rope, a guard and a crude handwritten sign made their way into photographs regardless of the angle.
Thank goodness for modern preservation techniques. Plaques everywhere described the current restoration project and how it was benefiting the ancient site. Oddly, every description inevitably referred to "damage caused by earlier restoration projects". Apparently, human attempts at preserving the relics here have caused more damage than thousands of years of sun, wind, rain and earthquakes. Luckily we were able to view replicas of the copies of freizes and statues in a small museum next to the Parthenon. The originals had long been stolen or destroyed. But copies had been made a hundred years ago and replicas of those are on display today.
It was almost moving.
The Acropolis is built on a hilltop in the middle of the city. The vista this affords is breathtaking. Literally, it takes your breath away until you are doubled over, coughing and hacking so that you are reduced to squinting at the horizon through watery eyes. It's probably due to the air pollution. A thick, rusty brown layer of smog settles on the city so that only the peaks of the seven surrounding hills are visible above the haze. I hadn't seen anything like it since Cairo.
We left the tourists behind, found an ATM and wandered the streets looking for an outdoor restaurant for lunch. When we found one with a pleasant view and appropriate ambience we relaxed and people watched. Since we were tourists we fit right in with the other tourists. It's a different feeling than living in a foreign place that doesn't receive many tourists. In Beirut, we often feel out of place and self-conscious. No matter how long we live there we will always be considered outsiders. But in Athens we were just two of thousands of outsiders. Because the outsiders outnumbered the insiders we felt comfortable. We felt at home. It was a welcome change of pace from my usual vacations to more exotic locals less visited by outsiders.
We put the Starbucks mugs on the credit card since we wanted to conserve our last Euros for the return bus ride to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time to check in for our flight and were happy that the day turned out so hassle free. No surprises, no calamity, no snafus. Just great weather, great sights, and great food. The Viewfinder didn't do this place justice.