In the flight itself I experienced something I was missing for so long; the Sun! And Athens had more of it.
The city I should say doesn't look pretty. But there are so many people and the structure surprisingly is similar to Bangalore or Cochin. The Sunlight too is similar.
Aristoteles gave a decent room but the hotel is not in the best spot. It overlooks something like a small street in Ernakulam!
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I stepped into ancient history today without making any history. Climbed the Acropolis and visited all those sites around. "Good days of Pericles" at Erichtheon, Dionysian theatre, Roman and Ancient Agora, and above all Temple of Ahena were spectacular. I walked a lot around the acropolis hill, along those narrow streets interspersed with modern and delapidated buildings. Sites like Church of Metamorphosis(Accociated with St. Paul?) and lots of street dogs were on the way(adding some more similarity to our place!).
Athens so far has been a good experience and the rain here too has the scent of the ones in Kerala. The closer if gets to our place the better it looks.
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Post breakfast(which the hotel provides) stroll was to The National Archaeological Museum. This is one of the best museums in the world and has the best collection from the Greek civilization and its precedents in the region. The Cycladic, Minoan, Myceanean and the Anciet Greece antiquities were breathtaking, especially those intricate potteries from the neolithic times and the gold works.
Though I neither like museums (nor gardens), this one was quite an experience.
At the Syntagma Square, towards which I walked next to have the lunch, it is always a festive atmosphere with lots of street performances, vendors, photographers, ponies, hordes of people(who charge through the street amidt ruleless-unlike Norway-traffic), and street dogs(pious looking creatures that play with children). An American Indian band played something called 'Flying Eagle' in their tongue, giving no space to doubt an inextricable link to their land(or what they called, the Spirit). Greeks flock to these places and express themselves (again unlikein Norway).
I witnessed the famous changing of guards ceremony before the syntagma by the Evzones adorned in mickey-like costunes(they come from the village of Evzonia) while thedogs pecefully dozed in the sun.
The dogs look as if they are the denizens of the Ancient city watching you close especially when they follow you and lie down near you when you stop!
The Temple of Zeus whose construction began in the 6th century B.C. was completed and innaugrated by the Roman Emperor Hadrian and one has to pass through the huge Hadrian's Arch to see the remaining Doric(started as doric) and Corinthian(ended as corinthian) Pillars of the largest Greek Temple.
Next destination was the Panathanaikos Stadium where the first modern olympics was help in the Year Appachan was born (or the next year).
Yesterday night too I walked a lot and travelled in the Metro(which is very convenient) after the evening.
Now I am back near the hotel for rest.
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Yesterday late evening I started to the port outside the city called Piraeus from where the boats start for the Islands around. Walked a lot in front and around the harbour and had something Greek for the first time, called the Pita Bread. There could be Turkish influence in it. Grilled chicken from a rotating conical mass is chopped off and put on the bread with some sauce and vegetables and the whole thing is rolled and given in a butter paper.
I slept late and by the time I finished breakfast the next day it was already 9. So a plan to attend a Greek Orthodox service toppled as all the services end by 10. But I watched one the local TV, and it looks too similar to the Syrian Orthodox one. Yesterday at Piraeus I had witnessed the photo session of a Greek Wedding, the photographer beginning to give the bride and groom a hard time!
Keramaikos as the name indicates(in Greek) was where potters used to work. The outer walls of this place separated the sacred Gates from one of the largest cemetries excavated. The Sacred gates were the entry points of the Panatheniac festival the procession of which went through the Ancient Agora to the Temple of Athena(Parthenon which displays the procession in a frieze). The Agora was a place were many used to flock in the ancient times as we continue to do today. The temple of Hephaestus and Odieon of Agrippa are also found here.
In the small museum at Keramaikos could be seen, among other things, a bull that stood near the tomb of Dionysius.
The market at Ermau street and the flea market of Monastriaki is where people swarm like ants amidst the calls of vendors. They sell anything from the seemingly sophisticated to outright thrash!
I had a beef Pita Bread and came back to Aristoteles. The American Indian band had also followed me to Monastriaki where they were engaged in a similar act.
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Yesterday night a group of nine came into the hotel lobby. It turned out to be a Professor of Ancient History from Australia, her Daughter, and some students.. The former rented a mini bus and rode all around Greece and beyond like Macedonia. The professor and her daughter had been to Kerala and the latter was interested in Jews of Kerala. Cheryl(the professor), Cristo and the American professor of art I met with at Keramikos gave some informed picture of many sites. I was wondering how massive columns, Blocks of Stone or the Roman Bricks stuck together to form those stunning structures. Here the above folks helped.
There are a large number of Bangladeshis and Srilankans in Greece. Some might be even from other places of South Asia and they could be seen all around Athens. I walked a lot that night on a chicken Souflaki. Souflakis were known as Greek Hamburgers. Now Hamburgers are known as Greek Hamburgers!
Mycenae and Delphi were the two places I wanted to go if I can. The former because that was the place that inspired Homer. The latter because of Sheryls suggestion(I have heard the name Delphi in connection with the Oracle, being the navel of the wotld in the ancient time beacause of one of Zeus' tricks to measure the earth!, but I had no plans to go there before).
And I ended up going to Corinth! Atleast I was now in Pelopponese which is more than one hundred kilometres away from Athens centre. The Isthimus of Corinth that used to land link Athens with Pelopponese was always a problem. So Nero started digging a canal which was finally completed in the 19th century. In the ride to corinth I witnessed vineyards, farmlands and sheep farms. Corinth is tranquil compared to Athens. Tranquility is depressing, unless its a place like Corinth. Here the wine from Nemea is called 'Heracles Blood'(Heracles had earlier took pains to slay a Lion from Nemea) and its here that Apostle Paul spent a long time trying to preach the wayward Corinthians and ended up writing letters for them!
Today I did not go to any site. Upto now I have been using foot, public transport and unguided tours. May be that is why Mycanea was left out. But the Lions gate of Knossos andthe Mycanean sites may be a little too much for tomorrow, the last full day here.
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Last full day in Athens(Its hard to believe that and I really don't want to leave now) began late because of a very long walk that went late into night(or very much into morning). I also got a chance to speak to the policemen here as they stop pedestrians in the late hour. They were really decent and the reason why they are here is maily because of the football feuds are very much on here and the violent spectators sometimes perform best in the Omonia Square.
The second trip to the Ancient Agora added wonder as Sheryl(we went together) helped me link a lot of things that otherwise remained in isolation. Thus Themistocles and his ostrasisation(the manner in which this was done), Odieon with the Bouletrion or the monument of Eponymous Heroes got networked and the Agora was no more a mere Market. We punctuated the long walk in the Agora(last time it was much shorter) with Coffee and Yogurt/Honey(Honey that comes from the Filippapos(?) hill we faced when we had it). The Roman Agora with its tower of eight winds personified octagonally too made more sense. Sheryl told me that most of those monuments including the Parthenon used to be painted. Now they all are white(parian or pentelic marbles showing their orininal hue)
Sheryl turned out to be very informative and her area of study is Greco Roman history with a special emphasis on Alexander. She gave me her Australian address and wants me to visit her if I step down under.
Monastriaki market looked more peaceful though with huge number of people enjoying the bright sun with Greek Coffee and some Orthodox priests in their familiar attire bargaining for some DVDs and dogs going about their usual business. Ryan(Lebanonian/Palestinian born in Greece and having an Irish name) who works in one of the numerous Jewelleries that line the street(small shops like the others) talked about almost everything under the sun. He is a part time student of Classical music.
In the evening I went for a small shopping, when I met Ryan once more still active fishing for customers.
I really don't know what makes me sad to leave Athens. May be it is the huzz and buzz, may be its the Greek Language(which I desperately want to learn), may be the wonderful faces in the streets, may be its history or may be its tendency to break written rules. But its hard to think I fly back tomorrow.
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I had to leave Greece and Athens with a heavy heart, but Greece didnt seem to leave me. George, from Patras near Athens, who is doing Astrophysics in Leeds accompanied me in the Flight to Amsterdam. He is very Greek, loves talking, unprejudiced (as most whom I talked to) and political. We talked about his land, the way he goes fishing with his uncle, his evening with friends and even physics. Next time I go to Athens we might have a Greek Coffee together.
I had a glimpse of the sighboard saying \Athina\(Athens) once more from the Flight window and in three and a half hours I was in Amsterdam and now in Bergen.
I put on the extra clothing once more.
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