Athens - A journey to the ancient land

The first ray of dawn fell on the barren hilltop of the Acropolis like a cloth of gold; at the base, the pearly blue waves dispersed in rhythm on the golden beach posing a brilliant contrast. The mood was sombre with the presence of all twelve Dodekatheon Gods in the sky except Posedion and Athena, despite the serene backdrop. An important decision was impending, related to the custody of the newly developed habitation at the foothill of the Acropolis. A relentless battle between Posedion and Athena remained inconclusive; hence, rest of the Dodekatheons (twelve Gods) came forward to settle the matter in a peaceful way. The important members of the habitation were also present to witness a historic moment which would determine the fate of their future. Tension was mounting up as the two deities were awaited any moment for the final verdict.

Zeus, the king of all the Gods and head of the council called for the contenders by name. In a few moments, a group of celestial dolphins bounced up the surface of water announcing the presence of their master. The magnificent figure of Posedion, the God of Sea emerged from the depth of the Ocean; his golden chlamys (cloak) swayed in the morning breeze, the silvery trident in his right hand dazzled ferociously in the Sun. The crowd cheered him a hearty welcome. Before the applause died down, the air filled with fragrance of rose, a mystic hymn started resonating. The Goddess Athena appeared in a white chiton (robe), the drape of it flowed like autumn cloud; her curly head was adorned in a golden wreath, a gentle smile reflected in her authoritative yet kind face. The crowed remained silent in awe for a long moment. ‘We have come up with an idea to settle the dispute between the two of you in a simple yet practical way; hope it is acceptable to you both’, Zeus spoke out on behalf of the council. ‘I have complete faith on the prudence of the honourable Dodekatheons and will accept their judgement unconditionally’ Posedion responded. ‘At least in this matter I agree with him’ Athena reacted smilingly, her intelligent eyes flickered in humour. ‘Very well then; we want each of you to present a gift for this habitation. The one presenting a better gift as per our judgement will gan control of the city’ Zeus declared. Posedion came forward at the signal from Zeus, ready to act; he pointed his trident towards the Acropolis and struck a blow. A fountain of water gushed forth from the hard rock in a magic moment; everyone applauded loudly. At her turn Athena came forward, she looked thoughtfully at the fountain and then opened her right palm towards it; a seed fell beside the water and the first olive tree of the earth sprouted from it on that instant. The entire jury gave standing ovation declaring Athena the protector of the habitation and the city was named ‘Athens’ after her.

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The last and final destination of our ten days Greece tour was Athens, we reached there late in the afternoon from Napflio in a pre-booked taxi; the journey took one and half hour. Our hotel was right at the Syntagma Square, near the Parliament House, hence, very happening in terms of eateries, fast food joints and branded shops along with lovely parks and squares. Most of the historical ruins and not to forget Plaka the old township with its own charm were within walking distance too. A road that opened only for pedestrians in the afternoon was full of shops from leading global brands and reminded me of Oxford Street of London. That day evening we decided to stroll around and get the feel of the place. 

The Parliament House

Syntagma Square

The shopping heaven

The street for shopping

Next day, we walked down to Plaka, took a tram ride (there are hop on- hop off tram rides available in that area) had a hearty lunch at one of the taverns; in the evening we visited the shops (an occupational hazard for parents of teenage daughter) and finally retired to bed early, as we decided to visit the Acropolis the next morning at an early hour to beat the crowd.

Plaka alleys

Plaka

Plaka

Plaka

A shop with ancient theater mask at Plaka

Hop off tram

Next morning we walked down to the Acropolis post breakfast; we were almost alone in the ticket counter, one of the perks of being early bird (we reached at 8.15). Ticket was €12 each for adults and free for children below 16 years; the same ticket included right for admission in few other places like temple of Zeus, Ancient Agora, Hardian’s library etc. to be visited within four days. 

Entrance of the Acropolis

We took the Peripatos (the road surrounding the acropolis that leads to the top), on the way visited temple of Dionysos, theatre of Dionysos, Stoa of Eumenes II, temple of Asclepios and his daughter Hygieia (Deities of health and healing). All these sites were in ruins as they date back to the late Bronze Age, but the aura was unmistakable. 

Theatre of Dionysos

There were some more interesting sites on our way like, boundary syone of the Archaic fountain, a Byzantine cistern, marble bases with honorary inscriptions and an ancient bronze foundry with the details of the molding process graphically depicted alongside. 

The Byzantine cistern

The bronze foundry

There was separate entrance for the Odeon of King Herodes Atticus, a theatre built by the king in memory of his wife in 161 AD with a capacity of 5000 seats. It was partially renovated in 1950 and ever since then had been the main venue for yearly Athens festival. 

Odeon of Herodes

Then we visited the Parthenon which was the ultimate destination and the main attraction of Acropolis along with the Popylus (entrance to the Parthenon), a sacred Olive tree (believed to be replanted in the place of the ancient one mentioned in Mythology) and a shrine for Goddess Hygieia and Athena. The ancient Parthenon with its grand columns (temple for Goddess Athena) was strategically built at the hilltop with the amazing view of the city; one could easily imagine the protector goddess watching over her beloved city from there. It took us around three hours to complete our Acropolis tour; I took longer than average tourists as I liked to feel the atmosphere more than just seeing the ruins.   

The Popylus

Shrine of Hygieia and Athena

A closer look

The Parthenon

Side view of Parthenon

Hill top view of the city

Our next destination was the Acropolis Museum opposite to the Acropolis hill where we had lunch at the cafeteria and spent a few hours viewing the wonderful statues, relics and figurines that were mainly collected from the Acropolis. A short video regarding the history of the Parthenon and how it looked in its original form added to the flavour.

Acropolis Museum

Model of Acropolis in its original form

Ritual lamp just like ours

Model of the Parthenon's front top decoration with all the prominent Gods, Athena and Zeus being in the center

Decorated pillar

Statues

Pillars from Parthenon

Next day we decided to visit the national Archaeological Museum at the Exarcheia area (the intellectual hub) of Central Athens. We took a metro to reach there; the Museum was a short walk from the metro station. The imposing building of the Museum was equally awe inspiring as its collection which included separate segments for Prehistoric antiquities, sculptures (from Archaic to roman period), Metalwork, Vases and minor art that included jewelries (Gold, silver and stone) and glass work (Greek knew how to make glasses even in 15^th cent BC) and a large section for Egyptian collections. 

National Archaeological Museum

Vase

Goddess Athena blessing mankind

A wine jar

Athenian art on jar

On our way back from the Museum (it took more than three hrs to view the collections) we noticed sale in a few shops with indigenous products like shoes and apparels on the main road only. We took the opportunity to buy few attractive shoes in equally attractive price from there. The evening was spent in leisurely strolling aided with freshly roasted corns and gelatos.

The next morning we walked down to the ruins of Hardian’s library, built by Roman Emperor Hardian in 132 AD; though called a library the place was much more than that and had been recognised as a cultural centre and Public forum by the archaeologists. Our next stop was the ancient Agora (the market square) within which was the Agoraios Kolonos hill, temple of Hephaestus at the hill top and the imposing Stoa of Attalos (a massive structure built by King Attalos II during 159 – 138 BC, reconstructed in 1950s’). The Temple of Hephaestus (Hephaestus was the God of engineering, Greek counterpart of our Viswakarma) was one of the ancient Greek temples still remaining intact, its location midst the natural forest at the hill top was mesmerising. The Stoa of Attalos housed a museum with varied collections of sculptures and artefacts that was definitely worth a visit.

Hardian's Library

Lecture rooms and Public forum

Ancient Agora

Agora

Temple of Hephaestus

Side view

View from distance

Stoa of Attalos

Artefact at Stoa of Attalos

Figurines

God Zeus with his favourite goat Amalthea

1st floor collection of statues

It was the last day of our holiday, so the evening was dedicated to last minute shopping (which later on posed a severe challenge for the packing) and fine dining.

We left the next day at noon for Athens Airport richer with wonderful memories, not only of the historical tours, but also the cordiality of the vibrant locals. I sincerely wish that the people of Greece come out of their current problem very soon and more tourists get opportunity to visit that wonderful land.  

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