Our trip to Greece!

(Written on June 14, June 15, 2015)

We left Rome on the evening of the 11th, ready for a new adventure as we moved east to Athens.  Our flight out of Rome was unsurprisingly delayed due to the limited number of functioning terminals in the airport.  Once we got on the plane, however, everything seemed to move relatively smoothly.  We landed an hour late but got our bags without delay, were able to find the metro stop easily, and arrived at our hotel relatively quickly.  (*Note: While the Athens metro rail system existed before the 2004 Olympics, it was expanded and greatly improved in preparation for the games.  In fact, the whole city sort of received a makeover after 2004 - not only was public transit improved, but highways were built, neighborhoods in the central part of the city underwent gentrification, and a brand new airport was built just outside the city.)

Anyway, our hotel was very centrally located to the primary tourist attractions in Athens, including major museums, Acropolis, Agora, and other ancient ruins.  It's also one of the nicer hotels we've stayed in on this trip, which was a bit of a welcome change after some of the "barebones" rooms we rented in Italy (e.g. our last hotel room in Rome charged 10 euros a night to use the AC unit - keep in mind that the unit was IN there, we just couldn't use it).  The major thing we were thankful for was semi-steady internet access so we could look up information on tourist destinations and generally stay connected to the rest of the world.

Exhausted from traveling, we spent our first evening in Athens planning our next day of sightseeing.  We also had a relaxed dinner at what remains one of our favorite restaurants in central Athens.  To Kati Allo (translation: "What's Cookin'") is a family-owned Greek diner just around the corner from our hotel, very close to Acropolis.  We had a nice chat with the owner's daughter-in-law, who actually happened to be American (she married into a Greek family and now works at the restaurant).  We were shocked when we saw the prices on the menu, by the way.  Everything here is so inexpensive compared to some of the food we ate in Italy (Note: I do feel bad about saying this, especially when Greece is undergoing a major economic crisis).

Our favorite restaurant in Athens, To Kati Allo.

We ate lavishly - so much so that our server gawked in amazement at the number of dishes we ordered and cleaned off by the end of the meal.  Here's what we got: a Greek salad, tzasiki sauce, lamb chops with sauteed vegetables, sea bream fish with boiled vegetables, and spanakopita.  We sheepishly asked for our bill with no leftovers by the end of our meal.   Also, we loved this place so much, we had to go back a second time!

Every Greek salad came with a giant block of feta cheese.
Mmmm...feta cheese...

Pork chops!

Sea bream.

Tzatziki sauce.  Yeah!

Sort of like a spanakopita but wrapped in a something similar to a crepe.

Lamb rotisserie.  This was so incredibly delicious.

Beef-stuffed zucchini.  Joe loved this.

A type of green commonly served in Greece, sort of similar to spinach.
It was also delicious!

By the way, Greek food is really delicious, which goes without saying, I suppose.  Restaurant menus are dominated by pork and chicken souvlaki, moussaka, spanakopita, Greek salad (which is just tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, feta cheese, and capers seasoned with olive oil, vinegar and oregano)...the list goes on.  (*Note: Kebabs refer to meats that are grilled or roasted over a large fire, either in skewers or on a spit.  The term kebab can be confusing because there are different names for the same type of dish in various countries in the Mediterranean and south Asia.  For instance, in Greece, souvlaki refers to what others think of as "kebabs."  For an introduction on the different names and some historical context, see here.)  Common desserts include baklava, yogurt with honey, fruit, and walnuts, or a flavored sponge cake (e.g. orange).  I definitely have ordered a Greek salad and tzasiki sauce for almost every meal so far to take advantage of the fresh tomatoes and creamy yogurt so amply available.

Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves).

Delicious meatballs.

Mmm...so many olives.

Spanakopita!

We woke up early the next morning to walk through the old Acropolis ruins before it became too crowded.  We knew that the Greek ruins predated ancient Rome but we didn't have a sense of how many of the structures still would be remaining.  It was a truly amazing experience.  Although many of the temples were in disrepair, we saw evidence of sacred areas of worship, aqueducts (!!!), public toilets, ancient libraries, and established roadways.  Ancient Greeks built many of these structures out of marble or a porous stone (not sure what this was exactly) with amazingly robust architecture.

We learned so much even just walking through the ruins.  Although most of the structures were no longer standing or were in extreme disrepair, ancient Greeks (much like the Romans) had detailed documentation that helped archaeologists understand the layout of Acropolis and its surrounding areas.  (The Greek Cyrillic alphabet really hasn't changed much over time which is definitely helpful with that.)

Sorry -- this isn't a great picture, but this is a view of Acropolis from
nearby Phillopappos Hill.

A picture of us at the top of the Acropolis hill.

Lovely Ionic columns. For a simple introduction on the different
types of column designs used in ancient Greek/Roman
architecture, see here.  

This was, of course, the birthplace of Greek democracy, but also theater.  Parts of two ancient theaters still remain in Acropolis today.  One is dedicated to the god of theater, Dionysos -- thus, appropriately named the Theater of Dionysos.  (Note: Dionysos is also the god of wine and indulgence.)  It is astounding how much of this theater still remains.

Amazed by the Theater of Dionysos.

Theater of Dionysos, the god of theater.

Dating back to the second century BC, the other theater is a partially standing structure called the Odion of Herodes Atticus.  The stadium seats were redone, restrooms installed, and stage lights constructed so the venue could hold musical and theatrical performances open to the public.  We were actually lucky enough to attend an opera there called "Tosca" by Puccini, which was part of the annual Athens Summer Festival (I know, talk about great timing!).  That's right -- we got to sit in a 2000 year old amphitheater, enjoy a beautiful performance, and imagine what it must have been like to attend events during ancient Greek times!

Oh, you know, just watching an opera in a 2000 year old theater
(the Odion of Herodes Atticus).

Just look at the capacity of this theater!  

One of the other unique things we saw at Acropolis was what once were large stoas, or covered pathways.  Since Greeks used a tremendous amount of marble in their construction, stoas provided relief in the heat of the summer when traveling from one building to another (there was also plenty of cross-ventilation in these covered pathways).  We saw parts of one majestic stoa about halfway up the Acropolis hill which served as a passageway over a large spring.  This spring was the primary source of clean water in the community.

Part of one of the remaining stoas in Acropolis.

At the top of Acropolis stands the remains of the Parthenon, a majestic temple honoring the great goddess, Athena.  Surrounding the Parthenon are also other smaller temples dedicated to Athena.  By the way, from what we could tell, there are different representations of Athena that symbolize important attributes (much like Dionysos and other Greek gods).  For instance, Athena Nike symbolizes victory, Athena Hygieia represents good health, and Athena Polis, the most important of the representations, is the patron of the entire city of Acropolis.  Part of the Acropolis ("polis") name stems from Athena Polis's name.

The impressive Parthenon.

Another view of the Parthenon.

Side story: According to Greek mythology, a competition between Poseidon (god of the sea) and Athena was held to determine the patronage of the city.  The applause of a public audience determined the winner of the contest.  Both competitors wooed the spectators as they watched in excitement.  Poseidon attempted to impress the people by striking a large stone on the ground with his enormous trident, resulting in a splash of water in the air.  Athena, however, won over the audience by spearing a large stone on the ground, from which a beautiful olive tree sprouted.  Athena Polis was thus declared the patron (and namesake) of Acropolis!

The Parthenon was originally built in the fifth century BC and was later converted into a church and a mosque (when the Ottoman Turks controlled the area).  It is quite an amazing structure.  Although not much of the Parthenon remains today, the new Acropolis museum does a fantastic job of explaining the architecture of the original structure.  It also provides information about the history of ancient Greece from prehistoric times through the Mycenean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Greco-Roman periods.  (For a more comprehensive timeline of ancient Greece, see here.)

There are multiple floors in the museum, in fact, featuring relics mostly from the archaic and classical periods, such as water vessels, statues, jewelry, and currency coins.  Many of these relics from the Archaic period were recovered in large part because the Greeks buried all of their remaining belongings and sacred statues from temples after the Persians burned Acropolis down (the Greeks still defeated the Persians, despite the tragic fire).

Joe and I were most impressed by the large window panes of the museum that allowed visitors to have 360 views of Acropolis ruins and surrounding areas.  But the top floor was the most impressive, as you had gorgeous views of the top of the Acropolis hill and other hilltops in the Athens area.

Other places of note that we visited in Athens include Ancient (pre-Roman period) and Roman Agora, a gathering place for the people below Acropolis hill, the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's library.  We also walked through the National Gardens of Athens, which were lovely, but housed the saddest zoo I've seen in my entire life.  Animal cruelty comes to mind when I think about it, actually.  Sparing you all of the gory details, we saw limited amounts of water available for geese, ducks, and goats in a small pen and caged pigeons.  That was probably the worst thing we saw in Athens.

Oh, you know, a statue of Emperor Hadrian.

Hadrian's arch.

Joe was feeling inspired by the ancient Greeks and made an olive wreath for himself.

The remains of an arch in the Agora ruins.

Remains of Hadrian's library (part of the Roman Agora)!

The Temple of Zeus.

Part of the Temple of Zeus.

Taken while walking through the beautiful National Gardens.

Beautiful National Gardens.

The National Gardens.

On a brighter note, we also walked by the Panatheneic Olympic stadium constructed for the first modern Olympic games in 1896 (!!), meandered through the Monastiraki Flea Market, and hiked up two hills in Athens (other than Acropolis), including Philopappos and Lycabettus, for beautiful views of Athens.  We took a half day trip down to Cape Sounio and drove all along the Athenian coast to visit the Temple of Poseidon, god of the sea.  Not much remains of the temple itself, but you can see some amazing sunsets from the top of the hill.  Last, but not least, we took the public bus to Lake Vouliagmeni, a hidden treasure about 20 kilometers away from Athens.  The lake is constantly around 24-25 degrees Celsius and serves as a day spa.  It was just a peaceful getaway for us one of our mornings in Athens.  Areas surrounding the lake are absolutely gorgeous, and the water contains "garra rufa" fish that nibble at your feet to remove dead skin (yes, it tickles!).

Monastiraki flea market!

We saw tons of fresh fruit stands at the flea market.  Cherries galore!

Bouzoukis were sold in several of the flea market shops.

People walking around the flea market.

Feeling downright Olympian in front of the
1896 Panathenaic Stadium.

Feeling downright Olympian in front of the

1896 Panathenaic Stadium.

Beautiful sunset view at the Temple of Poseidon.

Beautiful sunset view at the Temple of Poseidon.

Beautiful sunset view at the Temple of Poseidon.

The spectacular view at peaceful Lake Vouliagmeni.

Here are my final thoughts on Athens:

1. I panicked slightly when we landed in Athens and neither of us remembered any of the Greek Cyrillic alphabet.  Luckily, by the end of trip, we remembered enough from our calculus and physics days to be able to read short words and phrases. :)

2. Athens is certainly not as "beautiful" as some of the other cities we visited.  It is a densely populated city with congested roadways, but it is one of my favorite cities we've visited because of the laid back atmosphere, rich history, and of course, the phenomenal cuisine.

3. Being laid back may not be so great all the time, though.  To be honest, most places open late and close early, which can be frustrating as a tourist who wants to cover as much ground as possible within a short amount of time.  I suppose as long as you know this up front, it's easy to plan around it.

4. Trains are excellent and always run on time.  Period.  That's all.

5. I truly hope the Greeks can reach some compromise or plan with the EU on how to remain in the union.  I imagine it is very difficult to move forward from an economic crisis...

6. The food has a lot of emphasis on dairy.  The tomatoes are juicy, plump, and amazing.  Sheep-based feta is plentiful in Athens and tastes amazing (unlike in Santorini, where most feta is goat-based and tastes very different - more on that later).  The olives in Greece (which are plentiful) are okay but Joe and I agree that the ones we had in Italy are far better.  We suspect this might at least partially be due to varying methods in picking olives.  For instance, hand-picking olives is much more time consuming, but ensures optimal ripeness and richness, and reduces chance of bruising.  Another method is to use machines to shake the olive groves so the fruit falls to the ground, but this doesn't guarantee uniform ripeness when the olives are picked.  For more information on olive picking methods and different types of olives, see here.