Greece - I have always been fascinated by this country, I don't know why. Maybe it was because of the history lessons (one of my favorite subjects) in school. When you think of Greece, you imagine the history, its civilization, the monuments, the great philosophers (even though Pythagoras made my life hell with his theorem - Maths was definitely my least favorite subject in school), the magnificent islands, the fascinating stories of Achilles/Troy/Trojan/Spartan etc. - the list is endless. So it was a happy coincidence that my 4 month European trip started with Greece and boy, I had a time of my life in this wonderful country!
In Greece, Athens was my first port of call and like most people visiting Athens, Acropolis was the first item on my agenda. For me, Acropolis used to be like a synonym of Athens growing up. 2019 had been a hell of a summer in Greece and the temperatures were still high when I landed in August. I was hoping for some respite from the heat but had no such luck as I made my way to Acropolis on a hot summer morning. The attractions started from the metro station itself -
The view from the ticket counter is stunning and if the purpose is to tempt visitors while they wait to buy their ticket, it is certainly achieved. I was really impatient as I waited for an hour or so to get my €20 entry ticket from the booking office. The scale of the monument leaves you speechless and my only wish was the sun god being a bit more forgiving as I moved from one point to another in the blistering heat.
Theatre of Dionysos was just the appetizer - It is an ancient theatre on the slope of the Acropolis hill. Dionysos is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking and wine. The first orchestra terrace was constructed on the site in 6th century BC and at its peak, had a capacity of 17,000. Theatre was enormously popular in ancient Greek society.
Next was the Odeon of Heredos Atticus, which is absolutely gorgeous. It is a stone Roman theatre which was completed in 161AD and after its renovation in 1950, it has been the main venue for Athens festival. As you sit here and feast your eyes, you are instantly transported into the bygone era, wishing you had a ringside view of the action taking place.
As you reach the top of the hill, the city views you get are stunning.
Acropolis means 'high city' in Greek. Most places in ancient Greece had at their centre a rocky hill where they built their important temples and where the people could retreat to, if under attack. Over the centuries, the Acropolis was many things: a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious center and a tourist attraction.
Parthenon and Temple of Athena Nike are the crown jewels in Acropolis. Parthenon is a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. The temple of Athena Nike was where Athena was worshipped as the Goddess who stands by the Athenians in time of war.
The battle of Marathon took place between the Persians and Greeks. How the Greeks delayed the Persian attack to organize themselves and later defeated their much larger army is a stuff of legend. After the victory, the messenger ran all the way to Athens to deliver the good news and died as soon as he had done his job. Thus was born the modern day marathon. This is a story I have read in my history class and I can't believe I am living this dream of being in such a historic city.
When you view the city and the Mediterranean sea from Acropolis, your mind keeps wandering on how things would have been in the previous eras when the Persians, Greeks and Spartans used to be at war. My mind instantly went to the image of Persians coming towards Greece in an effort to capture Athens. It takes me a while to compose myself, as all the sights and history lessons just knock you speechless.
In 480 B.C., the Persians attacked Athens and burned, leveled and looted the Old Parthenon and almost every other structure at the Acropolis. To prevent further losses, the Athenians buried the remaining sculptures inside natural caves and built two new fortifications, one of the rock’s north side and one on its south.
Many of the original buildings of the Acropolis were either adapted or destroyed. After Rome converted to Christianity in 6th century AD, many temples at the Acropolis became Christian churches. As Greece endured many unwelcome invaders, including the Venetians and the Turks, the Acropolis and its temples also served as mosques and storehouses for ammunition. It also once served as a base for the Turkish army. In 1687, the Venetians bombarded the Acropolis and decimated the Parthenon, leaving it at the mercy of looters. After the Greek War of Independence in 1822, the Acropolis was returned to the Greeks in disrepair. After a period of excavation, restorations began at the beginning of the 20th century.
Acropolis (and Athens) did not disappoint me one bit. After finishing my visit in the afternoon, I visited other landmarks in Athens before returning here in the evening hours for the full moon festival. The picture speaks a thousand words - well, the photos of Acropolis under the night sky do not need any words to describe the beauty.
Crowds were given free entry to the museum after 8pm on full moon day in August. I was so confused what to do - visit the museum, look at the Acropolis shining in the lights or attend the music festival which began at 9pm. In the end, I did a bit of everything !
My first day in Athens and I couldn't have asked for anything more. Whatever I read in the books or watched in the documentaries prepared me somewhat before I boarded the flight to Greece. But, what I experienced and what I felt while visiting such stunning places was on a different level altogether. It just goes to show that TRAVEL is the real thing and there is no substitute for the life lessons one learns while experiencing things on the road !
Comments