The Acropolis - It Really IS A Big Deal

The Acropolis of Athens (Ancient Greek: Ἀκρόπολις; Modern Greek: Ακρόπολη Αθηνών) is an ancient citadel located on a high rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The word acropolis comes from the Greek words ἄκρον (akron, "edge, extremity") and πόλις (polis, "city"). Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as "The Acropolis" without qualification. 

While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the site's most important buildings including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike. The Parthenon and the other buildings were seriously damaged during the 1687 siege by the Venetians in the Morean War when the Parthenon was being used for gunpowder storage and was hit by a cannonball.

The Acropolis was formally proclaimed as the preeminent monument on the European Cultural Heritage list of monuments on 26 March 2007. ~wiki

"Weather was moving in from the southwest and looked like it might rain, but stayed off while we walked the temple sites. What a commanding view of the city of Athens, even with a haze coming in with the clouds! It is obvious why the archaic tribes chose this spot both as a defense and as sacred..."

"We took a lot of pics while trying to stay on our feet from the strong wind gusts. I had to fold up my broad-brimmed hat for fear of it blowing away, which it definitely would have. No one can appreciate the size and grandeur of this place from photos or videos. I even got reprimanded for touching the marble columns as we came through the main gateway. That's all I needed to tune to this place and its distance in time!" ~excerpts from Chuck's Journal

Something that no one mentioned about visiting the Acropolis was that there will be people hanging around the entry gates offering guided tours of the site. That's fine, if you need it...but the woman who approached us was not too kind in her offer. For 15 euros per person she was offering her services. When we politely refused, she insisted, saying she already had 5 folks lined up for her next tour. Again, we politely refused, and she was irritated. Under her breath (not really), she said, "Amazing..." like we were idiots for not taking her up on her 'amazing' offer. Sheesh - she is making a killing telling folks about the site (which has interpretive signs, btw). Truly, how is she to know what people know about the site, anyway? I could have been a Ph.D., for all she knew. I find this frequently: because we are obviously from the US, it is assumed that we are stupid tourists. Irksome, to state it bluntly. Hmph. We may be rather long-term tourists, but we are not stupid, thank you very much. Nor are we rich. I just needed to say that somewhere.

Today, we walked just under 15,000 steps. Yes, that is quite a bit, and our older bones are feeling it. We started the day going to the street market to pick up a few of our favorite things (raisins, apples, pears, tangerines, and fresh eggs). The market is amazing - not like our little farmer's markets that are rather faddish and focused mostly on organic-type-hippy vendors, but real farmers who charge excellent prices for incredible, fresh, amazingly good-tasting food. Truly.

Next, we headed for the Acropolis. Not just to the Acropolis, but up to the Acropolis. We zig-zagged our way up to the high-point, were told we were 'amazing,' and proceeded to walk the rather substantial site, all the while fighting (what I suspect was) 20-30 mph gusts of wind. I felt pretty beat-up by the time we were heading out. We needed to re-fuel, so we headed to 'taverna row' overlooking the Ancient Agora and with a view of the Acropolis. Under the canopy and with the heaters going, it was cozy while we enjoyed our salad. But, by the time our souvlaki arrived, it was pouring buckets! I had to hand it to a local who walks around selling things to tourists - he quickly switched from whatever he normally sold to umbrellas (and people were taking him up on it, too!) By the time we finished our meal, complete with a very yummy gratis "sweet" dessert (I called it a cake, but was corrected - it is a sweet. I think it is still like a soaked cake, and must find the recipe!), the rain had stopped gushing. We enjoyed the fresh air as we made our way towards the Acropolis Museum. 

It was fantastic except no cameras were allowed past the main lobby. Boo! We made it through about half of it, and I gave out. I couldn't do one more old thing! (Except check out the gift shop!) I think the coolest thing about the Acropolis Museum, other than all the COOL stuff on display (and the fun stuff we bought), is the fact that the whole museum sits on top of the excavation of ancient Athens! You walk over the top of it and can look down through the glass underfoot to see all the excavation work on the ancient homes, mosaic floors, shops, and streets - it is very interesting, indeed!

We came out of the museum and immediately found a cute little cafe for some refreshment. After a bit of a sit-down, debrief, and a delicious cappuccino, we started back for the apartment. What a day. Glad tomorrow is a down day- my walking feet need a break!