Wednesday, 28 September 2016
First though came the downside to all holidays: the travelling. In the taxi ride to Heathrow I played Pokemon Go (in vain) and listened to the female taxi driver's stories of city dwellers who'd never seen sheep before. On my travels I like to note down odd and (what I feel to be) amusing little things, so "discussions of a sheep exodus" is Thing One in my journal.Notes for plane journey start with X-Men: Apocalypse on mute because my British Airways-provided earphones weren't working. Lunch came in the form of a snack-box, with a sandwich, cheese & crackers and two mini deserts all of which, I will admit, were quite enjoyable. I also ventured off down-plane for a loo trip at one point. I don't recall walking on either of the Rome flights so my experience in doing so was rather lax and unfortunately we hit a smidge of turbulence midway through my little wander. I didn't fall over, thankfully, but the general feeling was not unlike being drunk.
The flight was delayed by half an hour and due to a two hour difference in the Greek's favour, we reached Grecian skies just as the evening was drawing in, leading to an excellent (and obligatory) plane photo.
Baggage claim? Not for us. That particular nightmare of boredom mixed with frequent stress does not apply when you have carry-on. Sure your suitcase is mini and you're limited on shampoo, but we were going for three nights and I'm not exactly excessive when it comes to packing. One pair of jeans and a few t-shirts is about my main concern, that and a pair of good walking boots which I already had on me, prepared for the next few days.
Travel was not yet over though, we had a transfer booked between the airport and hotel. I can still recall, with accent-perfect clarity, our driver telling us "we are just going over that mountain" indicating the one mentioned earlier. This turned out to be a little bit of a lie, we actually went around it and were given a perfect representation of Grecian driving. In six words: they just don't give a damn. Motorbike-users in particular, if there is a space they will have it, even if it requires them bypassing a gap just large enough for their vehicle and their knees. Rather unfortunately, when the time came to be driven around it was already dark. We saw many rolling hills covered in city lights - still picturesque but not exactly unique. Those views came when we were deep in the centre of Athens, along with one of its traffic jams. As we were heading down one road or another, the taxi driver directed our attention to the right. I was in the left side of the car so had to lean over and nearly craned my neck doing so, but through gaps in the trees we could see the Parthenon, lit up, on the Acropolis far above us. We made the usual noises of awe but had to settle back when it disappeared from view. Several minutes later we pulled up outside Hotel Herodion which, amongst other things, included excellent free WiFi! There came the typical hotel routine: check in, gauging the room, trying the bed and, in a word, faffing. Much like Rome, I was already itching to go out, as according to Mum (the person who chose and booked the chosen establishment) Herodion had a rooftop view of the Parthenon.
It did not disappoint. The Acropolis is the highest point in Athens and can be seen from virtually anywhere in the city. Our hotel was only a few roads back from the base of the hill and we were close enough to count the columns. Suffice to say I had eyes mostly for the Parthenon (I didn't fully realise until the last night what the rooftop bar/restaurant actually looked like.) It was lit up against the night sky and without a doubt the best view I've ever enjoyed with a meal before. Many photos were taken, by us and the other diners. My phone didn't really do it justice, you'll just have to go there!
What came as an additional surprise was the hotel food, which was utterly delicious. Mum and I had the same thing; lamb kebabs and chips, with a cocktail each. I opted for 'Ambrosia' as my chosen drink, seeing as how ambrosia is supposedly the food of the gods, and Mum opted for 'God's Theory'. She enjoyed it so much she had a second the night after. We were also brought bread and olive oil for a starter, both sourced locally and highly enjoyable, as well as olive ice cream. It looked like an olive, was edible like sorbet and was......
It is at this point Mum and I realised, to our immense shame, we had failed to learn any Greek. And I don't just mean the useful stuff, we didn't know a thing. We had to ask the waitress to teach us "Thank you" and promptly forgot it moments later. A rather large tick in the "Thoughtless Tourists" box, there.
The Parthenon beside us, the Acropolis Museum behind us, and an entire city to explore over the next two days. Our first night certainly ended on a high note, as high as the temple above us.
Thursday, 29 September 2016
I learnt my lesson from our Rome trip, this time I would not be kept up at night by the hum of air conditioning, this time I came equipped with ear plugs. The fact that we chose to turn it off that night is completely beside the point.
Because tradition is infinite and so is cheap catering, our breakfast that morning was a hotel provided buffet. I wasn't too fussed in honesty. I don't mean this in any way against Greeks in particular. I've found on all of my various holidays, hotels in general don't quite get how breakfast works. For instance, they still haven't quite got cereal right, their vats of milk are always warm and I don't know exactly what they do to their fruit but taste and texture died off a long time ago. Fruit juices on offer were okay, but tomato juice? No, ta! They did do a mean hot chocolate though. And cinnamon rice pudding, of all things, plus cakes and sweets. They may have gotten breakfast mixed up with desert, but I still partook in a lot of sugar. I needed the energy.
Because tradition is infinite and so is cheap catering, our breakfast that morning was a hotel provided buffet. I wasn't too fussed in honesty. I don't mean this in any way against Greeks in particular. I've found on all of my various holidays, hotels in general don't quite get how breakfast works. For instance, they still haven't quite got cereal right, their vats of milk are always warm and I don't know exactly what they do to their fruit but taste and texture died off a long time ago. Fruit juices on offer were okay, but tomato juice? No, ta! They did do a mean hot chocolate though. And cinnamon rice pudding, of all things, plus cakes and sweets. They may have gotten breakfast mixed up with desert, but I still partook in a lot of sugar. I needed the energy.
To further my shame, I decided to forgo my usual morning shower to get outdoors that bit faster. All I had done the day before was taxi-airport-plane-taxi, all round an awful lot of sitting. In a poor defence, I didn't exactly whiff.
So, fed, watered and (relatively) fresh we finally set off into the streets of Athens. I learnt very quickly they liked their hills, even before embarking towards the Acropolis. It took a lot of leaning forwards to get up the first street onto the Promenade: a long, cobble-stoned road which runs through central Athens and around the Acropolis. Essentially, if you visit Athens, you will likely find yourself on the Promenade at some point, it's a fantastic reference point. Though not, admittedly, as fantastic as the Acropolis. With it looming over us, we kept it on our right as we traversed the Promenade towards the bottom of the hill.
Traveller's Hint: We purchased an "Access-All-Areas" ticket at the Parthenon ticket office. This allowed us entrance into most (but not all) locations due to be mentioned in this post, across the two days. Annoyingly our guide book had advised it was €12 each which lasted for three days and it turned out to be €30 each, lasting for five. Bear in mind though, a ticket for the Acropolis on its own was €20. Depends on how much you desire to see. We wanted to see it all, so came away €60 lighter. (I think children got in free. How I miss those days.)
Tickets bought, we trekked onward and upwards. The initial stage of climbing involved a series of marble steps which were incredibly beautiful and incredibly slippery. Mum tottered around like a novice ice-skater, whereas the boots I was wearing were squeaking on every step. We were both glad to reach harder ground where progress became better, as long as you avoided sporadic patches of more slippery rocks. In the rain I believe it'd be nothing short of dangerous.
It was mid-morning at the time, 10am estimated. Temperatures were ideal and there was even a cooling breeze. Crowds weren't great exactly but god knows how much worse they'd have been in the height of the summer holidays. Mum informed me we had arrived in "Shoulder Season", the name for the time periods before and after summer holidays. I asked from where she got the term and she said it was the Telegraph. I couldn't help but laugh.
It only took a few minutes to get most of the way up, with the views around us getting better and better as we climbed. Athens stretched around us in all directions, like the Acropolis was an island in a sea of city, which did then end on the horizon into the real sea. It wasn't hard to see why the Ancient Greeks chose it as a sanctuary site; beautiful, centralised, easy to defend and apparently the location of a natural spring - a key element when choosing a sacred site.
History Lesson! Ancient Greeks were very culture-based, highly focused on their identity, religion and language, historically considering anything non-Greek as barbarian. Religion and worship played a key part in their culture and it was important to set aside locations for practices, so holy sites - "sanctuaries" - like the Acropolis and Delphi would be bordered on the outside with a main entrance way known as the "propylon" thus defining the transition from secular to sacred. These are the kinds of things I taught Mum as we wandered around the Acropolis, regaling in the history of it all and enjoying some truly spectacular views:
History Lesson! Ancient Greeks were very culture-based, highly focused on their identity, religion and language, historically considering anything non-Greek as barbarian. Religion and worship played a key part in their culture and it was important to set aside locations for practices, so holy sites - "sanctuaries" - like the Acropolis and Delphi would be bordered on the outside with a main entrance way known as the "propylon" thus defining the transition from secular to sacred. These are the kinds of things I taught Mum as we wandered around the Acropolis, regaling in the history of it all and enjoying some truly spectacular views:
I took some time to label the key points of a temple, such as (working downwards) the pediment, triglyphs, metopes, frieze, capital, column, base, stylobate and stereobate. I would love to lie and say I remembered all of this from my A-Level Classics days but in truth I gave myself a crash course in it all, the night before we left. In the journal pages before my holiday notes, you will find all of this. For another example, temples typically follow the formula 2W + 1 = L for column number. The Parthenon does conform to this: it is eight columns wide and therefore seventeen columns long.
It is a truly spectacular location and a wonderful insight into the Ancient Greek's idea of worship. It is also, understandably, highly moderated and protected. Take just a small bag with you, anything too large will be held back. Do not stand on any of the original work as you will have a whistle blown at you and a Greek security guard (or art enthusiast, it's tricky to tell) reprimand you. We saw this happen to the same Chinese tourist, twice, whom apparently just had to get the right camera shot. There was also an American woman who was quite surprised to be told "Oh don't touch the marble?" Come on tourists, really! You give yourselves a bad name.
This is a topic I'm very passionate on, as you may have deduced, so I'll push on before any ramblings commence. Having had our fill of the Parthenon (although I'd still be there now if I could) we headed downwards to visit other aspects of the Acropolis. Such as the Temple to Asclepius, the God of Healing, whose symbol of two snakes coiled around a staff still exists to this day. We also saw the Theatre of Dionysus and - cue an excited me - were actually allowed to sit in the audience. It is mostly in ruins of course, but I did my best to recapture the magic and described to Mum your usual Ancient Greek play: men in masks, no women, everyone in platform shoes so they moved slowly and all drama occurs offstage, so onstage are just discussions of it. We've come a long way to reach Shrek: The Musical, I think we'd agree.
During our time in the Acropolis, we happened upon someone who can only be described as a hero of the holiday: Hercules the tortoise! We were inspecting an exhibition of restored marble when I noticed a small part of the ground was a different colour and moving. I for one love tortoises, I find them very sweet and endearing, so had to get a picture or five. (Caution: Hercules is prone to messing himself when surprised. Yes I speak from experience, fortunately my shoes don't.)
Some time later, having survived our descent down the slippery marble and back on the Promenade, we followed it around to the Aeropagus Hill. This in essence was another large rock, though far-far-FAR smaller than the Acropolis, made of the same slippery rock type and covered in tourists doing their best mountain goat impersonations. This was followed by the Ancient Agora, within which was a large (and confusing) layout of ruins; once proud temples, monuments, shrines and theatres all making up the Ancient Greek equivalent of "downtown." Some remains were enough to guess at the building's original layout and design, others were just empty patches of land with a sign next to it. As historical documentation goes, a bit optimistic!
I had seen the Temple of Hephaestus from the top of the Acropolis. Seeing it between the bushes (see photo) was almost exactly like an image from one of my old Classics workbooks, so I recognised it immediately! The image had stayed tucked away at the back of my mind for years and now it was brought to life.
It was on the farthest side of the Agora, coming away from the Acropolis, so we crossed the Agora in its entirety to reach it, not sure if we were walking on the correct or incorrect side of the dividing ropes.
The temple itself had been very well preserved, far better than the Parthenon though that wasn't exactly the fault of the Greeks. We circled it, taking less time than the Parthenon given its smaller size, and stopped off in the shade for a rest. It has been a long time walking and a small amount of mountaineering. We were finally hungry and ready for lunch. Having left the Agora on the north side, due to heat, tiredness and thirst we broke the "don't visit the first place you see" rule. There was one directly in front of the Agora exit. Thus a few moments later we were guided to a table outside the restaurant, by a (rather handsome) Greek waiter. We went for very traditional and very delicious food. Mum chose and enjoyed a Greek salad and I went for halloumi, a recent and highly regarded addition to my favorite foods. This was preceded by garlic bread for starters, plus cake and a small bottle of fortified wine for desert - both of which were complimentary. This being my second Greek meal so far, I jumped to the conclusion that Greeks like to bring you things!
Rejuvenated and re-hydrated, we set off for Hadrian's Library and the Roman Agora, both included by our Access-All-Area tickets. Though before we could get there, I got my first invite into the Athens-versioned world of street vendors. I'd learnt my lesson from Rome, and actually by comparison there weren't as many in Greece, but still I was doing well with averting my gaze or just walking faster. This time though I was full of cheese and wine, my attention span was waning. A tall Jamaican man offered me to fist-bump with him and I took up his offer, smiling as I did so. A moment later I'm getting a Jamaican flag style bracelet attached to my wrist, as is Mum, for the small price of "whatever you wish to give" and were offered much "peace and love and family and happiness and love and don't worry be happy" in return. Not having wanted a bracelet in the first place, Mum paid one euro and hurried us away. I felt a little bad about this, until later on we saw their true business-like nature when they noticed they'd already done us. "PEACE AND LO-oh you've already got one." I still have the bracelet, attached to my satchel. Only cost fifty cents.
After this brief excursion, and a stop off for frozen yogurt rather than ice-cream - a rather post-modern holiday approach, you may agree - we finally made it to Hadrian's Library and the Roman Agora. Both were fairly small areas of ruins, still interesting and beautiful to see, plus like most of Athens' locations it included another great view of the Acropolis above. In the Roman Agora, while Mum busied herself with inspecting the Tower of the Four Winds, I was scrutinising the Romans' take on columns. They seemed to have used elements from both the Doric and Ionic orders, to create a sort of "Best Of" column remake.
It had been a long time walking. Even with my sensible walking shoes boots, my feet were starting to hurt. The heat wasn't improving either, so we decided to head back to the hotel for a little R & R.
This also happened to be a great chance for me and the hotel WiFi to play Pokemon Go. It was interesting to see how different it is in another country. A lot of Pokemon which I considered rare kept coming up and I got five new ones during our holiday! This also brought up mental images of a Grecian player somewhere crying out to catch a Drowzee whereas over here they're as common as anything.
I've just realised the above paragraph means nothing to non Pokemon Go players. For those of you still here, have a photo! This time of me wandering around the Roman Agora, with the Tower of the Four Winds in the background:
After our little pit stop we headed more-or-less next door (Herodion Hotel is very well placed) to the Acropolis Museum. There we saw original sculptures, rescued as best they could or often redone with fresh marble, plus pots, vases, spearheads and tools, all found within the Acropolis. Mum and I wandered around in silence, which was punctured occasionally by security guards reminding other tourists "no photos." I pointed out to Mum the sculptures I had actually studied - more than I was expecting! - as well as told her some of the stories around the artwork. On the top floor we watched a short film on how the Parthenon came to be, then stopped being, then came back again, several times over. An argument could be made that the Parthenon is part-Timelord, it has regenerated so often. The video also made an excellent job of proving allllllllll of my Greek pronunciations utterly wrong.
There was even a LEGO model of the Acropolis! I was immensely pleased and equally as impressed.
We enjoyed a quick drink on the museum terrace, also in view of the Parthenon and, as a result, of our hotel as well. Dinner was provided by the hotel again. Great food, great view, no need to play the Find a Good Restaurant lottery. We shared a small moussaka for starters and then both had our own carbonara - alongside which Mum had her second God's Theory and I immensely enjoyed a banana-based cocktail entitled "Act two: Comedy." I had forced the Greek word for "Thank you" into my brain (ευχαριστώ, efcharistó = ef-hah-east-toe) but when the time came to write up my notes for the evening, half an hour later, it had gone again. I'm sorry to admit the above entry was Googled: "Greek for thank you."
My feet hurt, my legs ached and my arms were starting to look sun burnt. There were 128 new photos on my phone. I call that a success.
Friday, 30 September 2016
A new day dawned. Although we were sleepy - I think it took a full hour for me to properly wake up - and we left later in the morning, it was still an action packed day. For the most part we had left the hotel and turned right, to the Acropolis, so this time we went left towards the main road, on the other side of which was Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Zeus. First, we had to cross one of Athens' busiest roads, chock full with cars and motorbikes streaming between them, dozens of taxis and the occasional tram. There are, of course, pedestrian crossings which unlike ours have the novel idea of including a countdown. I pressed the button and opposite us the number fifteen counted down to zero. At zero, the lights turned red, all traffic stopped. Neat idea. Until you realise it has another countdown for you to cross the road before changing back to green, and this is also fifteen seconds. Now I consider myself a fast walker, but this was a wide road (my memory says six lanes but I'll say four, at least) and the timer was halfway before we were. This led to that rather ungainly cross-the-road shuffle. Not quite a walk, not quite a run, but enough to suggest to motorists you are at least trying to get out of the way. (I was rather pleased later on that day to note it's not just we Brits who do it!)
Safely on the other side we took some photos with Hadrian's Arch. If I am allowed one poor quality observation, or "dad-joke", in this entire post, I would like to ask which contractors Hadrian used who decided his Arch and Wall should be in different countries.
My apologies.
My apologies.
Around the corner from the Arch we found the entrance way to the Temple of Zeus, once again using the Access-All-Areas tickets. The temple is a sight to see, no doubt about it, somehow simultaneously more and less amazing than the Parthenon. More, in the original intended size, decor and style; less so in that only 10% of it still remains. Only a few columns are still standing, bar one which was blown over by a gale in the 1800s. It happens to have two intact columns either side of it, neatly resembling two friends getting their incapacitated friend home from the pub. Consider as well the Parthenon took nine years to build (447-438 BC) whereas Zeus' temple took 700 years. That is some procrastination.
One advantage the site has is some exceptional photo opportunities, with the Temple of Zeus in the foreground, Hadrian's Arch midway and the Acropolis (like with so many other photos I took) in the background:
Still, it's not very often you can take a photo with three historical landmarks in view. And that gorgeous Grecian sky! I don't think I saw a cloud in the day time, not once.
My final notes on the Temple of Zeus are in regards to Henri, the second hero of the holiday, who was a cat encountered near the temple.
I liked Henri. He was dignified, quiet and uninterested in me or the history around him. Basically, a cat.
After that we rejoined and ran parallel to the main road, heading north past the Zappieo Palace and Gardens - both exceedingly pretty - and went on past them to reach the Panathenaic Stadium: birthplace of the first modern Olympic Games. Our Access-All-Area tickets sadly did not access this area, but we were content to stand outside, look about, take some snaps. The usual.
We backtracked through the gardens again, past the lovely views of a long drive with fountain, and carried on north with the main road towards the Parliament building and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Now. Given that Greece isn't in the stablest of environments at the moment, socially and economically speaking, we had heard mentions that the Parliament building should be avoided in the case of a demonstration. Mum still wanted to go and see the Grecian guards, with the mutual agreement that if things looked a little tense we would turn and go. I of course tagged along, albeit a bit nervously seeing as I didn't know what, if anything, to expect. This mood was not helped when, a few yards from the Parliament building, our path was blocked by a small troop of soldiers, all kitted out and all of them armed. I mean properly armed, rifle on shoulder, bayonet attached. Never before have I tried so hard to meld into the scenery behind me, but fortunately they walked on and boarded some nearby buses. I released a long held breath and we carried on, to see the Parliament square was busy but only because of the tourists. Mum milled about taking pictures of the guards, resplendent in their associated uniform. Uninterested, I took in my surroundings which was primarily tourists, though there was a one-man so-called "attraction" who got some pigeons to land on people. I don't know their proper title. "Nuisance" comes to mind.
Now. Given that Greece isn't in the stablest of environments at the moment, socially and economically speaking, we had heard mentions that the Parliament building should be avoided in the case of a demonstration. Mum still wanted to go and see the Grecian guards, with the mutual agreement that if things looked a little tense we would turn and go. I of course tagged along, albeit a bit nervously seeing as I didn't know what, if anything, to expect. This mood was not helped when, a few yards from the Parliament building, our path was blocked by a small troop of soldiers, all kitted out and all of them armed. I mean properly armed, rifle on shoulder, bayonet attached. Never before have I tried so hard to meld into the scenery behind me, but fortunately they walked on and boarded some nearby buses. I released a long held breath and we carried on, to see the Parliament square was busy but only because of the tourists. Mum milled about taking pictures of the guards, resplendent in their associated uniform. Uninterested, I took in my surroundings which was primarily tourists, though there was a one-man so-called "attraction" who got some pigeons to land on people. I don't know their proper title. "Nuisance" comes to mind.
We were both unwilling to wait around for the changing of the guard, so instead headed back the way we came. This time however we took an early right to visit the Lysikrates Monument - thus ticking off number ten of eleven sights to see on my hotel-provided map. Nearby was our randomly chosen venue for lunch where, amidst irksome flies, Mum enjoyed another traditional Greek salad while I had a decidedly nontraditional spaghetti bolognese. Wrong country, I know, but I fancied pasta. While we ate I couldn't help but notice our waiter looked like an extra in a Bond film - almost resembling the baddie in Quantum of Solace - and a nearby table of Spanish girls were getting very friendly with him.
For a while after that, with a little spending money to hand we drifted in and our of various tourist-based shops, all of which sold basically the same thing but for varying prices. Memorable items include carved statues of the twelve Olympian Gods, some truly exquisite chessboards and god-themed pieces, and a 'Greek Lovers' calendar - all images taken from classic pot designs and essentially twelve months of pornography. The human desire for filth hasn't abated in time, simply changed medias.
Anyway!
To my delight, I happened upon a pottery shop which had recreated one I studied in college, depicting a scene of Achilles and Ajax playing checkers. Mum suggested I try and purchase a smaller one, but didn't want to risk it breaking. Then in another shop down the street, I purchased a small Ionic column with 'Greece' on it (tacky and cliche, I know). And, thanks to a very persuasive chat with the lovely lady running the shop floor, came away with a t-shirt print of the Achilles/Ajax scene instead. Admittedly it set me back €20 and doesn't have quite the classic finesse feel of a pot, but whichever way you approach it, it is far easier to get a t-shirt into a carry-on suitcase than a 12-foot vase. Mum meanwhile purchased a new scarf in one store and a new bag in another, the latter depicting little associations with Greece like the Parthenon, the islands etc.  |
| Ders ers Sper-terr |
In her third and final chosen shop, as she purchased a magnetic mini-calendar to hang on the fridge (though not the 'Greek Lovers' one) I found, laughed at and had to photograph some Spartans which hadn't been painted all too well. Let's just say, over-acting aside, as least Gerard Butler didn't look as dim-witted in 300.
During this little escapade, Mum suggested we visit the Keramikos: effectively an ancient Athenian cemetery. To get there was just a simple matter of following the promenade, around the Acropolis to the north west. The shade wasn't brilliant as we went along, but time passed and there were a lot of street-side stalls to see and (unsurprisingly) another great view of the Acropolis on our right.
One long, hot walk later, having used our Access-All-Areas tickets again, we spent a short time in the Keramikos museum, wherein I taught Mum all I could remember on Ancient Greek pottery from my college days. As it turned out, not much! Equally, our visit to the cemetery didn't last very long either. There wasn't a great deal to see, plus after 48 hours of looking at ruins, sculptures, pottery, ceramics and so on, I was bit "history-ed out" and wasn't as interested in ruins which didn't have a Parthenon adjacent.
Eternal child that I am, though, I found three more heroes of the holiday; Achilles, Odysseus and Ajax, all tortoises and all of which got their own photo opportunity. (Except Ajax, who was sheltering under a bridge.) So far I'd seen Greece had wild dogs, wild cats and wild tortoises. What do we Brits get? Swans and geese, I suppose. Wonderful.
On our journey back to the hotel, we stopped off for waffles and ice-cream which was a sugar influx and a half, once again with an excellent view of the Parthenon on high. Mum read her guide book while I updated my notes. We both decided between the pair of us that, in terms of Athens at least, we had visited, seen and photographed the majority (if not all) of what was available. This is not a complaint, however, not by any means. We had seen several thousand years' worth of history in just two days. Now try and tell me that isn't time travel!
Saturday, 1 October 2016
When you have visited and seen all which is available to (and desired by) you, the chance of a repeat becomes inevitable. The evening before, Mum having done some rough accountancy and come to a fairly steady conclusion as to how much money we had left, we decided we should visit the Parthenon one last time before we left. It was the main reason for our visit, after all, and I definitely wanted a chance to see it again before leaving and in case there came a possibility I'd never see it again.
Saturday we woke at 8am and got up immediately, planning to get there before the crowds. We must have moved damn quickly, I don't actually remember breakfast that morning. Mission accomplished though, we left for the Acropolis at dead on 9am and - we discovered later - got there before a ferry-load of tourists rocked up. Our Access-All-Area tickets now accessed no areas so we had to pay again, but personally I think another €20 each to see it again was no real problem.
We took fewer photos this time, partly because we already had loads (my phone was low on space by this point) but also because I was trying to commit it to memory. I heard somewhere (the opening line to all great rumours) that you remember something better if you don't take photos. That could be the whole "live in the moment" deal, or it may be because when you have a photo the demand on your mind to remember it isn't there, your camera lens lets your memory have a day off. I didn't want this to be the case; I loved the Parthenon and wanted to recall all of it: the sights, the sounds, the immense beauty of the entire place, the heat on my skin and the rough ground under my boots. Admittedly I cheated a bit, hacked my associations, so to speak. I walked around with On Melancholy Hill playing in one ear, my logic being I may as well link my favourite song to my new favourite place. If this logic holds up, every time I hear it I will be whisked back to a time I stood above all of Athens and looked up at a home fit for the goddess Athena.
Then again, I wanted to visit the Parthenon for so long, ever since those lessons in the cramped Freeman building of Peter Symond's College. I wanted it more than anything and loved every moment - all the songs and all the photos in the world wouldn't be necessary. Until I am old and grey, still with a few loose marbles knocking against each other, I will remember the time I spent with the Parthenon, on Acropolis Hill.
~ * ~
As always, there remains little to say. Anyone interested in learning about Athens can skip on down to Further Reading.
Holidays can only end the same way they start: with an excessive amount of waiting before, during and after you've crossed the sky. I spent a few hours on the hotel roof again, updating my notes and enjoying the best possible view for the final time.
Holidays can only end the same way they start: with an excessive amount of waiting before, during and after you've crossed the sky. I spent a few hours on the hotel roof again, updating my notes and enjoying the best possible view for the final time.
I did experience the funniest moment of the holiday, one which I haven't shared yet. While Mum was off buying lunch, I was using the WiFi to access YouTube. What I hadn't been ready for, however, was the pre-video advert coming up Greek. I quickly thought about it; makes sense, I was on a localised network which bases it on your location, etc. I'd never seen a Greek advert before and thought I could play the "guess the product before the end" game with the additional challenge of an insurmountable language barrier. It started with two young lads playing a PS4 game so my initial thoughts were "it's a game advert, or for an internet provider." At the back of my mind I thought of all those stereotypical comedy moments, used by satirical shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy where the family will be watching an advert in another culture and it will suddenly do something incredibly random - usually in these situations, it's a mock of the Japanese culture.
Well, move over Japan. I watched for a few seconds, with no idea what they were on about, until one of the two men jumps up, runs to a cupboard, digs around for a few moments and brings out what appears to be a small, pink club - cartoon caveman style - around which he then wraps a condom.
I missed the rest of the advert entirely, through laughter and general bewilderment, except the end so I could commit it to memory: DuoGreece.
Further study upon getting home suggests it's a condom company trying to promote safe sex, all very respectable and commendable. Just how the pink club fits into it all...which sounds wrong...I'll never know. It just so happened to be my first ever Greek advert, as well as hilarious.
And finally, to literally bring this post home, the last part of our holiday was still rather special. The late flight provided some excellent views of night-time London:
And now, in the words of Homer, author of the Odyssey and the Iliad:
There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.
=]
~ * ~
Further Reading
(Just in case, like me, you'd like to learn more)
- Doric and Ionic orders, as well as parts of a temple
(Disclaimer: the "For Dummies" site is definitely not a statement on the intelligence of my readership. In actual fact, I personally quite liked reading it!)
(You may laugh but wait until you try it. I can, have and likely will again have a plate of just halloumi for dinner. 100% cheese, 100% satisfaction. I also recommend grilling it, rather than having it fried. Both good, but grilled is less fatty. Admittedly this doesn't make an awful lot of difference when you are literally eating cheese on its own.)
