Athens, Greece

We visited Athens in 1976, just two months before we moved from England to the states. Other than our vivid memories of the Acropolis, we didn’t remember much of the city—except for the constant sound of blaring car horns, which we could hear day and night—and the food, which was delicious.

From the port of Piraeus, we caught the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus for a tour of Athens. The system has four separate lines, and we had the option of buying tickets for two lines or four. We opted for two lines, one that took us through the Piraeus coastline, and the other around Athens. We discovered that if we had presented our tickets from bus tours in other cities and countries that we would have received a discount on our tickets. Next time we’ll know.

We arrived on the Monday following the Greek Orthodox Easter, a major holiday in Greece—the deserted streets and houses still shuttered midmorning evidence that the people of Greece were recovering from the celebrations. 

The route through Piraeus took us past small harbors with large yachts. We traveled up and down narrow streets bordered by apartment buildings with balconies filled with flowers and shrubs. Olive trees and trees heavy with oranges lined the streets. We could almost reach out from the upper deck of the bus and pick them. The rooftops were dotted with solar panels, which were probably quite effective with all the sunshine they get in Greece.

The beaches we passed along the Piraeus coast were narrow and shell-covered. However, they area was filled with tavernas and bars that apparently come alive at night.

The planetarium in Piraeus is supposed to be one of the finest in the world. I wish we could have visited it, especially since we had experienced few nights clear enough to see the stars at night.

Our first stop in Athens was at the Acropolis. It was only the beginning of May, not the height of tourist season, and by the time we arrived at approximately 10:00 a.m. hundreds of people were already standing in line in front of a small kiosk for tickets. They had only one line for credit cards and two for cash—which were hardly used. Once we got tickets, we joined another long line to show our tickets and go through a turnstile. Lesson: Be at the Acropolis at 9:00 a.m. when it opens.

Acropolis

We found ourselves among a large group of Japanese tourists, climbing long flights of marble stairs to the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a plateau of rock that towers over the city. It holds the Parthenon, amphitheater, and other temples. So many people were on the Acropolis that it was like being among ants swarming on an anthill. Thousands of school students from all over world milled about. Dressed in jeans, short-shorts, and T-shirts, they could have been from anywhere. The only way we could tell where they were from was hearing them speak as we walked by.

Propylaia - Entryway to the Acropolis

The stairs and surface of the Acropolis were polished to a high sheen from millions of people treading on them century after century. We had to be careful where we walked since the rocky stone was smooth and slippery, even when dry. There were few hand railings. It would have been extremely difficult to climb to the top and walk about if the surfaces had been wet. 

Acropolis Rocky Surface

The Acropolis provided a magnificent view of Athens below us and well into the distance. Church bells rang out from below, but other than that and the chatter of people around us, it was fairly quiet. Which is a far cry from the Athens of 1976 when you could barely hear over the sound of car horns. That was a good change for the city.

Scaffolding covered a portion of the Parthenon. Someone said that they are dismantling the restoration work done during the 1960s, which apparently hadn’t been done correctly or authentically.

Seeing the Parthenon takes your breath away. When you see a historic place, some thousands of years old, it is hard to put into perspective just how old those places are. The Parthenon had been standing long before St. Paul the Apostle preached near the Acropolis two thousand years ago.

Parthenon – Temple to Athena

To the left of the Parthenon stands the Erechtheion, containing the Porch of the Caryatids and statue of the maidens that carry the weight of the porch.

Erechtheion and Porch of the Caryatids (Maidens)

Built into the hillside of the Acropolis rests the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an amphitheater where plays and concerts are still performed.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Panathenaic Stadium

Parliament Building and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

Unlike many other cities we’ve visited, none of the signage was in English, and you really needed to know the Greek name for the place you wanted to see or the street name. The streets were named for fourth century battles.

A subway system was constructed before the Olympics were held in Athens a few years ago. During the excavations, a number of archeological finds were uncovered and later used as exhibits in the stations close to where they were discovered.

As much as I enjoyed being in Athens, a place where the foundations upon which modern government and democracy were based, I found it distressing to see the city covered in graffiti. But people leaving their mark on Greece isn’t something new. Outside of Athens at Cape Sounion stands the Temple of Poseidon on which people, including Lord Byron, carved their names and initials for centuries.

Acropolis from a City Square