Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Timeless Athens

The Parthenon endures.
The Parthenon endures.

En route to Athens, my flight connected in London with a stopover just long enough to view the famous Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Greece has been determined to have them returned to their rightful home at the Acropolis for years, and it was thought that the opening of the Acropolis Museum would pressure the curator of the British Museum to relinquish them.

Well, keep dreaming. Despite the entreaties of the Greek government and international sympathy on the side of the Greeks, the British Museum’s tenacious grip on the marbles remains. There they were lined up in a room in the museum, looking like well-behaved children standing awkwardly in a house that did not quite suit them. Surely, I thought, they would seem more appropriately placed in the new Acropolis Museum. This thought nagged at me as I rode the tube back to Heathrow.

The flight into Athens was made memorable by an elderly Greek woman sitting next to me who engaged me in an animated conversation without a seeming care as to whether I understood a word she was saying (I did not). For all I knew, she may have been advocating for the return of the Marbles.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Athens can be an intimidating city, overcrowded and rife with smog and poverty. I overlooked all such tawdry details and focused on the city’s magic, the ancient connections. I watched transfixed as my taxi drew closer to my hotel, passing the impressive ruins of the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. From my hotel room in the Plaka a few blocks away, I could see the Acropolis towering above. It was a surreal sight, like something out of a dream.

As I walked up the winding path to the Acropolis past the Roman Dionysius Theater, built in the 5th century, I experienced a sensation of slipping back through time. I climbed up to the slippery marble steps for a magnificent view of Athens.

This city, the birthplace of Western civilization, has been continually occupied for the last 3,000 years. Well known to all from world history textbooks, the Parthenon is an awe-inspiring sight in person. A visit to the Acropolis Museum caps off the trip nicely and presents a number of interesting artifacts and statues.

Many travelers arrive in Athens intending to head straight out to the islands. But I would recommend two must-see spots before you depart: (1) the aforementioned Acropolis, including the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum, and (2) The National Archaeological Museum, with its 20,000 exhibits presented in chronological order.

This may be the finest archaeological museum in the world and is certainly the best for Greek antiquities. Scattered throughout the museum are the collected treasures of the Ancient World. Memorable artifacts include the frescoes from the ancient town of Akrotiri on Santorini, the gold masks of the ancient kings of Mycenae, and the impressive Artemision bronze sculpture of either Zeus or Poseidon, which was found in the Aegean Sea. Set aside a full day, or at least an afternoon, and enjoy. It’s best to get here when the doors open to avoid the crowds.

There’s certainly more to see in Athens. The Plaka, below the Acropolis, is an old Athenian district popular for shopping and is also worth your while to explore. Once called the neighborhood of the gods by the Greeks, the Plaka is a bit touristy, but gives a feel of old Athens with its narrow streets and pedestrian walkways. I’d recommend staying here when visiting the city.

Explore the ancient and modern agoras; representing the latter is the Athens Central Market. Take a stroll (or the metro if you’re there on a hot August day) to Syntagma Square, a block from the Greek Parliament. I watched the changing of the guard near here at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

But if you have limited time in Greece, don’t linger too long in Athens. Experience its magnificent history – then, head to the islands!

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
The Parthenon endures.
The Parthenon endures.

En route to Athens, my flight connected in London with a stopover just long enough to view the famous Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Greece has been determined to have them returned to their rightful home at the Acropolis for years, and it was thought that the opening of the Acropolis Museum would pressure the curator of the British Museum to relinquish them.

Well, keep dreaming. Despite the entreaties of the Greek government and international sympathy on the side of the Greeks, the British Museum’s tenacious grip on the marbles remains. There they were lined up in a room in the museum, looking like well-behaved children standing awkwardly in a house that did not quite suit them. Surely, I thought, they would seem more appropriately placed in the new Acropolis Museum. This thought nagged at me as I rode the tube back to Heathrow.

The flight into Athens was made memorable by an elderly Greek woman sitting next to me who engaged me in an animated conversation without a seeming care as to whether I understood a word she was saying (I did not). For all I knew, she may have been advocating for the return of the Marbles.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Athens can be an intimidating city, overcrowded and rife with smog and poverty. I overlooked all such tawdry details and focused on the city’s magic, the ancient connections. I watched transfixed as my taxi drew closer to my hotel, passing the impressive ruins of the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. From my hotel room in the Plaka a few blocks away, I could see the Acropolis towering above. It was a surreal sight, like something out of a dream.

As I walked up the winding path to the Acropolis past the Roman Dionysius Theater, built in the 5th century, I experienced a sensation of slipping back through time. I climbed up to the slippery marble steps for a magnificent view of Athens.

This city, the birthplace of Western civilization, has been continually occupied for the last 3,000 years. Well known to all from world history textbooks, the Parthenon is an awe-inspiring sight in person. A visit to the Acropolis Museum caps off the trip nicely and presents a number of interesting artifacts and statues.

Many travelers arrive in Athens intending to head straight out to the islands. But I would recommend two must-see spots before you depart: (1) the aforementioned Acropolis, including the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum, and (2) The National Archaeological Museum, with its 20,000 exhibits presented in chronological order.

This may be the finest archaeological museum in the world and is certainly the best for Greek antiquities. Scattered throughout the museum are the collected treasures of the Ancient World. Memorable artifacts include the frescoes from the ancient town of Akrotiri on Santorini, the gold masks of the ancient kings of Mycenae, and the impressive Artemision bronze sculpture of either Zeus or Poseidon, which was found in the Aegean Sea. Set aside a full day, or at least an afternoon, and enjoy. It’s best to get here when the doors open to avoid the crowds.

There’s certainly more to see in Athens. The Plaka, below the Acropolis, is an old Athenian district popular for shopping and is also worth your while to explore. Once called the neighborhood of the gods by the Greeks, the Plaka is a bit touristy, but gives a feel of old Athens with its narrow streets and pedestrian walkways. I’d recommend staying here when visiting the city.

Explore the ancient and modern agoras; representing the latter is the Athens Central Market. Take a stroll (or the metro if you’re there on a hot August day) to Syntagma Square, a block from the Greek Parliament. I watched the changing of the guard near here at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

But if you have limited time in Greece, don’t linger too long in Athens. Experience its magnificent history – then, head to the islands!

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)
Next Article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.