Athens
STAY Electra Metropolis (Lux) or Athens Studios (Budget),
GO Parthenon at Sunset Tip: Arrive 1.5 hours before closing time to avoid crowds
christina
I came to Greece with an expectation that I would revisit my culture from a new lens – it’s been 15 years since I was here at 23 years old. On that trip, I traveled with my family for the month before September 11th. I remember experiencing that the people were very joyful and light-hearted - I feel like I saw a bit of this in Crete but when we arrived in Athens, it was a head-spinning experience; I felt like I hit a brick wall of reality.
Today’s Greece is different - it is suffering and has forced me to look more deeply into what is going on. Perhaps I too, like other tourists, have idealized the culture. In speaking with my uncle (my father’s cousin actually) who lives here I learned about the cuts to the pensions of older people who have worked their whole lives with the promise of retirement and who now are wondering how much more money the government will take out of their holdings, their possessions, their assets… it seems that the referendum and the freeze on the banks has caused people more stress and people are upset. There are riots of retirees in the streets of Athens - when is the last time you saw 70+ year olds knocking over vans? The vibe is a bit desperate, though I also see that the underground arts scene here is thriving - which is typical of cities that are in transition economically.
In my attempt to connect with the land, as I so often do when I'm in a place, I was confronted with the deep energy and history of civilizations and Ruins. Ancient cities built upon themselves, reaching into the past and begging me to ask deeper questions.
Why is Greece called Greece in English, when it's name is really Hellas? (Greece is the name the Roman conquerors used - how often do we see this same labeling happening to cultures throughout the world that have been conquered and oppressed, where the lineage of people has to reclaim their cultural lineage.)
Visiting the Parthenon museum, where I witnessed the amount of stolen cultural artifacts from the Acropolis was another moment of deep questioning. Why haven't these items been returned?
What of this financial crisis? Of course, the corruption and lies that led to it was horrible, but how do the people continue to suffer?
What of the modern history of Greece? It's occupation, oppression, emancipation, in-fighting, establishment of a monarchy under a Bavarian prince (!?) and then a British one by Britain, France and Russia, the wars with Turkey, WWI & WWII, a civil war, a military junta and now a democracy... and a financial collapse? All of this happened over a very short period of time...
What of the resilience and pride of the culture itself to continue on, not just in step, but with joy and kefi?
When I think of Greece, these are the questions on my mind. Ultimately, how do I see my culture through this lens of history and modernity? The culture of the society, the hive-mind, the long-established grooves of behavior at an individual and collective level? The influence of the church as a touchpoint; the resilience of spirit. It makes me reflect not just on my own identity and issues of cultural continuity but helps me to identify what is rooted in old patterns; what must change in order for a shift to occur. How we all must do our part to usher in a new reality of cross-culturalism and ultimately Love.
JULIO
We arrived to Athens from quaint Chania, Creete and it was quite a shock with its constant intense juxtaposition of semi-modern and ancient vibes. There can be a very stressed, frustrated energy that pulses through it and its people like no other big city I have traveled to. You can sometimes sense the displeasure of a people who have been unjustly punished historically by occupation, politics, economics and by careless tourists. First thing I noticed getting on the metro from the airport is that Athens is literally covered, I mean COVERED, in graffiti. Almost every train, wall, public space etc. is tagged with some incredibly artistic, some territorial and others just plain stupid form of street art expression. I'm a fan of graf but this amount gave you the feeling of some apocalyptic 80s film or NYC circa the 70’s.
Its chaotic. Drivers are like mad stunt pilots. Bus drivers are on their cell phones with no headsets (as are most drivers). There is no logic to most of the city systems here. There are also so many automated and personal public warnings to mind your personal belongings from pick-pockets and thieves you cant help but be a little concerned; although I personally saw nothing shady going on and always felt safe. We heeded the warnings of con-artist taxi drivers from the locals and took the metro from the airport to the center of town in Monastiraki where our hotel was located smack dab in the middle of a local market. All day you could hear the shouts of fish, vegetable and cheese hawkers yelling at the top of their lungs to bring attention to their wares. Navigating the streets of downtown Athens to find our hotel with our rolling bags was interesting and cut our teeth to finding our space in this hectic yet enticing metropolis.
After we settled in, we decided to explore the nightlife. We dined in Monastiraki Square at the famous Souvlaki house “Thanassis.” The food was incredible but we could not help but feel compassion for all of the different children, seniors, special needs or Roma beggars who would approach our table and implore us for money. It began our serious discussions about Greek, European and refugee politics that have become more of a theme as we moved throughout Europe.
The powerful Acropolis was visible from our hotel and called us to begin exploring Athens' many antiquities the next morning. The weather was a spectacular 25C (70F) which is quite cool for Athens and we were quite blessed the entire time weather-wise. We visited the hulking Temple of Olympian Zeus which stuns with its massive standing and falling columns. The Hadrian Arch and Library in the ancient Roman Agora were stunning and house the ancient statue of Goddess Nike which was also an incredible sight. It was interesting to me that one of the largest corporations selling speed through its fancy footwear dons the name of the Greek goddess. Next to the ancient Greek Agora, the Athenian way and Fire Temple of Hapheastos sit in a giant exhibit.
The crown of all these visits was the jewel of Athens, the Acropolis, which houses the ancient temple of the Parthenon. We went first to the newly constructed Acropolis museum which did not disappoint. All the statues, freezes, and artifacts from the Parthenon and nearby temples sit inside the museum for safety and those that sit outside are re-creations. Inside, one learns the history of the ancient temple and the surrounding city of ancient Athens. It's hard not to feel some sadness at the reality that most of the city has been sacked, bombed or stolen by the English, Ottomans, Turks or Germans. In fact, most of the artifacts from the Parthenon sit in English museums to this day, much to the dismay of the Greek people. One comes across many booths throughout the city to sign petitions for the return of these artifacts. If you're interested in signing this petition, click Here.
After a long peruse through the museum's life-size reproduction (no photos allowed inside) of the Parthenon we moved to the outdoor Acropolis. The sun began setting and we were thrilled to only see another 75 fellow spectators on the whole site. A welcome blessing, as we had been warned of swarms of tourists throughout the day. First, you are greeted by the ancient temple site of Asclepius, which sat at the foot of an enchanted spring. Then, up to the Temple of Nike and finally the iconic Parthenon. The temple has been going through a 20-year restoration, which now only shows one side of scaffolding. It's a glorious site and one can feel the ancient energies of a sacred spot worthy of any pilgrimage as in any holy land. We paid our respects, took the obligatory photos and circumambulated the ancient site just before the attraction closed. A perfect time to see one of Greeks' most historic sites.
We also explored the local area of Kalithea, as we got to stay at a family member's apartment - this gave us more of feel for how people live in Athens. The biggest deal around seems to be coffee. the majority of people, young and old, seem to be sitting at coffee shops, sipping coffees and smoking at all hours. Unlike the American cities, nobody (I mean NOBODY) works in coffee shops. Greece is not as well connected with wifi as we are used to and needing to work we flocked to Starbucks to use their internet. Break out a rare 3K MAC laptop, start clacking away in Greece and people look at you like you have three heads. You could also throw a rock in any direction and hit a bakery. A cappuccino, espresso or Frappe costs between 1-3 Euros. A pita, cheese pastry, spanakopita or croissant is about the same. These, along with cigarettes seem to be the real deal local Greek Diet.
The average salary in Athens for a professional is approximately 500 Euros, about 700USD. People appear to spend sparingly hence the adherence to these staples. The tourist tavernas and restaurants have all the things we think of as Greek food like Greek Salad, Moussaka, Lamb, Goat etc. These tavernas and eateries are still less expensive than what we are used to paying in California, New York and Hawaii. The average price for an extravagant meal here in Greece with drinks is approx 30 Euros. The food has been amazing. I have however gotten sick twice from eating produce from grocery stores. Most likely olives or tomatoes. Not fun. After a few days of living like a Greek in Athens, I was ready to return to the islands or change it up somehow. Luckily, we had yet to explore the Macedonian and Spartan homelands of my in-laws so we flew to Greece’s ultra hip, northern second city of Thessaloniki.
The Parthenon started in 447 BC- a giant temple to Athena which is part of the Acropolis
The figures of these women are known as karyatides which literally means "maidens of Karyai"
Our Greek goddess at the temple
the restoration of the Parthenon began in 1975...still going.
This is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the South Slope.
The juxtaposition of modern and ancient is especially striking in Athens
The city is covered in Graffiti.
The MASSIVE temple of Olympian Zeus in the center of Athens.
The hourly changing of the Evzones soldiers out front of the Hellenic Parliament. The white skirt of the uniform has 400 folds to represent the 400 years of Ottoman occupation over the Greeks Source
The acropolis complex wit the Parthenon on the right.
The trendy and touristy Plaka district.
Mount Lycabettus
