With the sea state still slight we glided comfortably through an uncertain dawn and towards Piraeus. There was an early morning stand-off between sun and cloud and we would see later which would win. I felt that too much sun would be unwelcome for the exertions of climbing the Acropolis.
To approach Piraeus and thus Athens from the south was very much like approaching Los Angeles from the air. Ahead lay a grey yellow layer of unknown consistency which, in a while, one would be breathing.
The cloud won and it rained, heavily at times. It did not much impinge on our enjoyment of a wonderful city although the rain felt surprisingly cold on a day that was reasonably warm.
The 1896 Olympic stadium today the finishing point of all Athens marathons was impressive and from there could easily be seen the Acropolis, our next objective. Our meandering drive to reach it was interesting. I love the mix of old and new buildings; some actually old and others in various historic styles all lending pleasing variety to the city. I was more offended even than normal by the graffiti on the walls of the Academy – how could they?
Athens’ traffic is fairly horrible, double parking absolutely the norm and the trams of great interest to me. It is clear that it would be worth spending more time there.
This is more than confirmed by the views from the Acropolis which we saw on a dull wet day. How beautiful it must be in the sunlight. The climb to the base of the iconic Parthenon is surprisingly gentle albeit on consistently uneven surfaces. The general lack of handrails and edging suggests that Health & Safety gurus have not made it across the Aegean. There is so much on the way up and at the summit of the Acropolis that it deserves a lot of time which we did not have today. However, the continuation of a restoration project which began in 1983 meaning that it has been going on for very much longer than the nine years construction of the original also means that much of the summit resembles a building site, albeit one with stone masons.
Some way below the Acropolis lies the soon to be opened new Museum and in these days when most of us can easily travel, I felt I supported the return to Greece of the Elgin marbles to house there.
Our polyglot guide proudly informed us that life expectancy in Greece is high (81m, 83f) but for him this did not seem consistent with an evident 40 a day habit. I felt it was going to take a bit more than extra virgin olive oil to see him into his ninth decade. He was, however, in common with many guides worldwide, very good as was the coach driver.
To approach Piraeus and thus Athens from the south was very much like approaching Los Angeles from the air. Ahead lay a grey yellow layer of unknown consistency which, in a while, one would be breathing.
The cloud won and it rained, heavily at times. It did not much impinge on our enjoyment of a wonderful city although the rain felt surprisingly cold on a day that was reasonably warm.
The 1896 Olympic stadium today the finishing point of all Athens marathons was impressive and from there could easily be seen the Acropolis, our next objective. Our meandering drive to reach it was interesting. I love the mix of old and new buildings; some actually old and others in various historic styles all lending pleasing variety to the city. I was more offended even than normal by the graffiti on the walls of the Academy – how could they?
Athens’ traffic is fairly horrible, double parking absolutely the norm and the trams of great interest to me. It is clear that it would be worth spending more time there.
This is more than confirmed by the views from the Acropolis which we saw on a dull wet day. How beautiful it must be in the sunlight. The climb to the base of the iconic Parthenon is surprisingly gentle albeit on consistently uneven surfaces. The general lack of handrails and edging suggests that Health & Safety gurus have not made it across the Aegean. There is so much on the way up and at the summit of the Acropolis that it deserves a lot of time which we did not have today. However, the continuation of a restoration project which began in 1983 meaning that it has been going on for very much longer than the nine years construction of the original also means that much of the summit resembles a building site, albeit one with stone masons.
Some way below the Acropolis lies the soon to be opened new Museum and in these days when most of us can easily travel, I felt I supported the return to Greece of the Elgin marbles to house there.
Our polyglot guide proudly informed us that life expectancy in Greece is high (81m, 83f) but for him this did not seem consistent with an evident 40 a day habit. I felt it was going to take a bit more than extra virgin olive oil to see him into his ninth decade. He was, however, in common with many guides worldwide, very good as was the coach driver.
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