Acropolis – To meet the Gods!!

After visiting UNESCO Heritage sites like Skocjanske James in Slovenia and Meteora in Metsovo (Greece) I had the opportunity to visit another archaeological marvel at Athens – The Acropolis. The capital city of Greece, Athens, is one of the world’s oldest cities with a strong role in the Greek history. One walk around this ancient city of Greece and you will get a feeling as of being on heavenly soil. While in Athens one has the options to do very many things. One can spend hours visiting the several beaches, the National Garden, Byzantine church, the many theatrical concerts, the House of Parliament and the monument of Unknown Soldier standing opposite to it or shop away to glory on the streets, but your visit to Athens will be incomplete without visiting the stupendous Acropolis.

Acropolis which translates to “highest city” in Greek was built in ancient times typically on hills with defensive purposes in mind. The collection of temples atop the craggy rocks where festivals were held in the 5th century has been destroyed many times by various enemies. What remains today are the glorious trace of those ruins which is a major tourist attraction and which forms the center piece of Greece tourism.

It’s quite an interesting story on how the city itself got its name. The legend goes that Cecrops the founder of Athens was born as half man and half snake. In the days of yore, it was believed that each city/town had to have a God / Goddess as the Protector. The people of this town gave him the responsibility to choose the deity. Between God Poseidon and Goddess Athena the two deities in contention he had to decide on which God would protect the city. So each one of them was asked to do something for the town. Poseidon struck his weapon into the rock of the Acropolis forming a well for people to drink water from. However, the water turned out to be salty hence of no use to people. On the other hand Athena touched the ground from where an Olive tree grew which was of more significance. Hence, Athena won the competition and the city got named after her!

Anyways, as you walk up the Acropolis the architecture with its prominent pillars looks down on you bequeathing a godly experience. One has to pay an entry fee for all the sites, the best offer is the combined entry to all sites at 12 euros which holds good to visit other sites in the vicinity like Ancient and Roman Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Tower of the Winds, Kerameikos, Theatre of Dionysos besides the famous Parthenon. (The Parthenon itself has survived thousand years as a temple, later as a Church & then as a Mosque also!!) It is actually good fun finding each of these locations; as no maps are provided by the counter when you make your ticket purchase and you end up searching around as in treasure hunt  🙂 !! (You can visit all the sites around the Acropolis & the Acropolis Museum in one day itself, though you will have to be very determined and push yourselves in the hot sun!!)

Herod Atticus is an Amphitheatre down below you can see from the Acropolis and if you are lucky you might just see musicians and percussionists practicing, like I did. There are daily concerts in the evening and sometimes some big international performers too. [My Visa was expiring hence I had to miss a Vanessa Mae concert scheduled 2 days after my visit!!.. 🙁 ] The big show tickets are sold at nominal rates.

Temple of Zeus is a masterpiece in itself and stands in grand splendor with expanse area around. Though you will have to vie with groups of Japanese tourists (almost always!!) at the ticket counter!! We found this huge queue and went to check what it was for – only to realize that it was for the evening concert – and none in the queue knew who they were going to see perform!! Be sure you hydrate yourself with enough liquids as you clamber up the Acropolis, as the heat can be very overwhelming and you definitely do not want a heat stroke to disrupt your tour around the Acropolis. I visited Athens in the month of September in 2009, and it was pretty hot then. But please note you are not allowed to carry any eatables inside however.

The new Acropolis museum right opposite the Acropolis had just about opened in 2009 and I was lucky to be able to visit it. This modern looking chic museum has been designed by Bernard Tschumi & Michalis Photiadis and holds reminiscences in the form of thousands of artifacts, besides a café cum restaurant and a souvenir shop. The entry to the museum costs a nominal 1 Euro and is located on Dionyssiou Street close to the Acropolis.

There is also the National Archaeological Museum with exhibits from different periods of Greek history, which is a must visit for any history buff. The collection of the Mycenea Gold collection from the graves of an era bygone is astounding and spectacular.

If you are planning to shop for souvenirs visiting Plaka, Asklipiou or Athenas street will be a good option. Plaka is an all pedestrian walkway lined with shops, cafes and restaurant and offers many choices for shopping. You can pick up some very pretty pottery originally from Sifnos on Plaka Street. However do watch out for cheap and fake ones. If you plan to pick up gifts for your friends fridge magnets, key chains, a bottle of Ouzo or a packets of delicious Olives are few of the choices to pick from.

Almost all tourist shops sell pretty Mastia which believed to ward off evil eye which also can be a good gift. On Ag Theklas Street you will find the famous poet selling world famous sandals! Scott Henderson from Edinburgh will share details on The Poet from Athens in the next post. To go to Acropolis you need to get down at Syntagma metro station and walk towards the Plaka market area. You can also register for a walking tour conducted by professionals.