Maggi dropped me off at the Dalton’s home just before 11 and Garry and I drove down to Gatwick. We passed through security very easily and the whole flight was very smooth.
Garry had booked a taxi to pick us all up at the airport and drive us to the Hotel Ilisia. The room is more than adequate and comfortable. The concierge recommended a restaurant around the corner called A-Select provided a reasonable meal at a reasonable price. I choose squid which was very tasty. We were offered a free digestif and two free puddings.
On Monday morning we wandered to the centre of town. The first site we encountered, the Pan-Hellenic Stadium, was the centre for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The stadium could hold 69,000 spectators.
From here we walked through the National Gardens and passed the Zappion. We didn’t bother to enter.
Next stop for us was the Temple of Zeus in the grounds we found the ruins of baths. On the edge of this area sat Hadrian’s Gate. The Roman emperor Hadrian had been responsible for upgrading the temple of Zeus and obviously wanted to take the credit. We paid €30 each for entry to the Temple of Zeus but this also gave us multiple other entries.
When we arrived at the Acropolis we found it cost €20 so our initial investment began to pay off. We almo missed the queue for the ticket office. We began the climb to the Parthenon. The first area of note came with the Theatre dedicated to Dionysius, the god of wine.
As we marched on upwards we looked down on another amphitheater where Nick and I posed for photos.
Onward and upward to the top of the Acropolis where forward momentum became difficult because of the number of other tourists in front of us. At last we reached the top where we encountered the magnificent Parthenon.
Built between 447 and 438 BC after the Persians sacked the city of Athens. The temple was dedicated to Athena In her role as Virgin under the guidance of Pericles. The Parthenon originally contained a 12 m high gold statue of the goddess. Unfortunately you are not permitted inside the temple, but considering the number of people that must appear on the Acropolis every day this is not surprising.
The Parthenon has other smaller temples as neighbours. I found it amazing how many people had made the effort to climb to the top. We were visiting on a Monday in April. I hate to think how busy it must be during the height of the tourist season.
When we descended from the Acropolis we found a lunchtime stop and ate in a tourist spot in Plaka. I choose moussaka which was very tasty.
On our way back to the hotel we passed the Presidential palace where observed the peculiar behaviour of the Greek guardsman. Garry described them as belonging to the ministry of silly walks.
Home at the hotel and knackered. Time for a little snooze. Garry suggested we try a nearby Indian restaurant that had good reviews. We arrived and we unanimously decided that it would be impossible to eat in such disgusting surroundings.
Garry suggested an Indian restaurant for our evening meal. Apparently it had good reviews on Google. When we arrived we all turned away disgusted by the sight of the place. Everything about it looked dirty. We, therefore, returned to the A-Select where we had eaten the night before. Just before ordering Jon said the he needed to pop back to his room. Shortly afterwards Garry received a call from him saying he had locked himself in his room and the alarm was going off.
Half hour later they both returned after the night concierge had battered the door down. Jon moved to a room on the floor below.
On Tuesday we started off by climbing to the cable car leading to Lykovittos Hill. The journey to the top was disappointing because it took place in a tunnel and we were denied any views on the ascent. However on arrival at the top the views were outstanding. Apart from the views the only thing at the summit is St George’s Chapel of the Holy Cross, a tiny Orthodox Church.
Here we see an icon of St George killing the famous dragon. I presume it represents good slaying evil. The icon made in silver is quite impressive. Inside the small chapel the priest stood ready to chat to the tourists who showed up. I didn’t check if he spoke English.
Instead of taking the cable car back down the hill we walked down to the heart of the town and headed for the Agora. Before arriving at this ancient meeting place and commercial centre we popped into an area called Hadrians Library, which contained very little to see unless you had trained in archaeology.
The Agora is the second most important archaeological site in Athens. A large area has been preserved to show off this ancient market. The most interesting part of the site consists of the Stoa of Attalid which has been restored by the American School of Archaeology in 1956. Within its walls is a museum dedicated to the finds from the Agora.
By the time we had finished our visit we were all famished and so we quickly discovered a cheap and cheerful place to eat.
Finally we passed by the city cathedral and couldn’t resist a quick visit. The church doesn’t take long to tour and we were out after 15 minutes after watching locals come in and buy a candle and kiss a variety of icons in different parts of the cathedral.
Returned to the hotel, shattered again.
In the evening we walked around the corner to a whiskey bar called the Distiller. Had a couple of drink here and then returned to a busy restaurant we had spotted yesterday on our aborted attempt at the Indian. It was okay. The Wi-Fi allowed us to watch Wolves v Crystal Palace. Garry smiled as his side won 2-0.
Wednesday took our party to the Benaki Museum of Greek culture. The museum contains all the necessary pots, vases, amphoras and ancient clay objects that you find all around Greek museums. In addition there are traditional Greek costumes and lots of pictures depicting Hellenic life through the years. I met Jon at the top of the museum and we had a coffee. The others joined us later. They seemed more enamoured with the place.
For lunch we headed towards the Plaka which is a tourist centre for the capital. After wandering around for some time we found a reasonable place to eat. One of the other clients had his phone stolen, probably by a group of gypsies who came into the cafe.
We planned to go to the Botanical Museum situated in the National Gardens. When we arrived the place had been closed for what appeared years. This very small building couldn’t have housed more than a few plants and looked derelict.
We all felt let down but continued our walk through the gardens and we discovered a pond inhabited by 100 or more turtles or terrapins. I can’t tell the difference.
The walk back to the hotel took another 30 minutes and we all went to our rooms for a lie down. In the evening we headed for a restaurant called Oikeio which I had booked earlier. Everyone liked the place but I wasn’t that pleased with the food I ate.
I rushed back to watch the Manchester City v Arsenal game on my iPhone, but was disappointed to find that City dominant and the Gunners going down 4-1.
On Thursday we decided to take a tram to the coast. We stopped at a cafe and waited ages to be served. We walked further along the promenade and coastal path. The traffic running along beside the sea was a constant jam. Eventually we came across a beachside cafe. Everyone was surprised by the quality of the food. I had a spaghetti with tomato sauce.
From the cafe we hopped back on the tram and returned to central Athens walked back to the hotel and went for a lie down in bed. We all met in the hotel bar. The barmaid was very chatty and suggested a traditional Greek restaurant not far away. We took her advice and walked up the hill to this very basic taverna. The starter was ok but 3 of us chose the lamb from the oven. I could only eat a small portion.
We returned to the hotel and watched Tottenham v Manchester United. 2-2.
Friday our last day led to us going to my favourite museum of the trip, The Archaeology Museum of Greece. There they have on display some of the most exciting objects dating from the origins of Greek civilisation. See the photos below.
We walked for ages before we found a place that we could eat. We all chose badly except Nick who had an aubergine dish. We shared a nice potato salad but my main course was a lentil salad which became very tedious very quickly. Jon and Garry ate a Greek salad which was rather large and had very little in it apart from tomatoes.
A walk back to the hotel for our bags and a slash and we then headed for the metro and the journey to the airport.