Athens Impression
Athens, since seeing it on TV during the 2004 Olympics Game, I've made a mental note that it had to be a place to visit soon. 9 hours flight via US Airways and a bumpy landing later, we arrived. The transit signs were all very clear. We took the metro straight to Monastiraki, the center of Plaka where our hotel is.
Even though we could see the Acropolis from our sixth floor balcony, we resisted the temptation and decided to stroll the streets in the afternoon, knowing that Acropolis would be way too crowded and hot. The National Archeological Museum was our destination after eating a ham and cheese sandwich and a peach ice shake at a corner bakery. It was about 88 degrees outside but was very windy. The breeze kinda cooled off everything so Mike was not suffering too much. I loved the heat so was enjoying the weather.
The museum was three-storey tall, modest but full of treasures. The most impressive of all was the bronze collection, out of which the most gorgeous piece in my opionion was the bronze figure that depicted the idealized youth. I was mesmerized by the facial expression and his gaze. It was pure perfection. Another piece was the statue of Poseidon, also thought to possibly be the statue of Zeus instead. This was created in the 15th century B.C. The god was perfectly balanced in an athlete's body, poised and powerful, demanding attention of all passer-bys.
A nap in the mid afternoon later, we headed out to the pebbled hills towards the Acropolis and watched the sunset over the ancient Agora (market). Restaurants filled the hilly roads leading up to the Acropolis. We chose Zorba. Mike had lamb stew and tomato salad. I had veal souvlaki and sardine/olive appetizer. I liked his food better as usual. The owner gave us two Ouzos for free. It was served with ice cubes inside so the clear liquid was also milky white when it came to the table. Ouzo was supposed to contain 40 to 48 percent of alcohol. I knew it would taste just like raki from Turkey so I expected the heavy anise flavor, which always reminded me of a Chinese cough syrup. It was not my favorite drink.
The streets were crowed and welll lit even at 10 PM. We walked around Plaka. There was a perfect night scene of the Parthenon perched up on the rock. A lonely star shone brightly in the sky to the left of the parthenon. Music came with the breeze from nearby restaurants. The ancient sites were a lot quiter at night.
At 11 PM, we found Ice and Grill in our neighborhood, a shop that had dozens of ice-cream selections and grilled food. I had my second servings of ice-cream of the day. Kiwi and lemon, wonderful before bed time.
After a day in Athens, I would say I liked it more than expected. Everyone told me I would hate it because it was supposed to be dirty, dusty, crowded and boring. I seldom hated any place I'd been, let alone hating a place I haven't yet visited. I guess side by side with the beautiful Greek isles, Athens faded in comparison. But I liked its solid sense of history, its bustling night life, and the friendly people who told me the next stop was me before they got off to their own station.
Even though we could see the Acropolis from our sixth floor balcony, we resisted the temptation and decided to stroll the streets in the afternoon, knowing that Acropolis would be way too crowded and hot. The National Archeological Museum was our destination after eating a ham and cheese sandwich and a peach ice shake at a corner bakery. It was about 88 degrees outside but was very windy. The breeze kinda cooled off everything so Mike was not suffering too much. I loved the heat so was enjoying the weather.
The museum was three-storey tall, modest but full of treasures. The most impressive of all was the bronze collection, out of which the most gorgeous piece in my opionion was the bronze figure that depicted the idealized youth. I was mesmerized by the facial expression and his gaze. It was pure perfection. Another piece was the statue of Poseidon, also thought to possibly be the statue of Zeus instead. This was created in the 15th century B.C. The god was perfectly balanced in an athlete's body, poised and powerful, demanding attention of all passer-bys.
A nap in the mid afternoon later, we headed out to the pebbled hills towards the Acropolis and watched the sunset over the ancient Agora (market). Restaurants filled the hilly roads leading up to the Acropolis. We chose Zorba. Mike had lamb stew and tomato salad. I had veal souvlaki and sardine/olive appetizer. I liked his food better as usual. The owner gave us two Ouzos for free. It was served with ice cubes inside so the clear liquid was also milky white when it came to the table. Ouzo was supposed to contain 40 to 48 percent of alcohol. I knew it would taste just like raki from Turkey so I expected the heavy anise flavor, which always reminded me of a Chinese cough syrup. It was not my favorite drink.
The streets were crowed and welll lit even at 10 PM. We walked around Plaka. There was a perfect night scene of the Parthenon perched up on the rock. A lonely star shone brightly in the sky to the left of the parthenon. Music came with the breeze from nearby restaurants. The ancient sites were a lot quiter at night.
At 11 PM, we found Ice and Grill in our neighborhood, a shop that had dozens of ice-cream selections and grilled food. I had my second servings of ice-cream of the day. Kiwi and lemon, wonderful before bed time.
After a day in Athens, I would say I liked it more than expected. Everyone told me I would hate it because it was supposed to be dirty, dusty, crowded and boring. I seldom hated any place I'd been, let alone hating a place I haven't yet visited. I guess side by side with the beautiful Greek isles, Athens faded in comparison. But I liked its solid sense of history, its bustling night life, and the friendly people who told me the next stop was me before they got off to their own station.
posted by Koshka at 8/03/2008
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