It is only fitting that our epic European adventure would come to an epic end in a city equally as epic… Athens, Greece. Lauren, Angie and I would spend a day in Greece before parting ways after a week of adventure after adventure. Quit the bitter sweet end.
Athens is a big city and the ancient wonders are such a small part of it. The three of us paid a small fee to enter the historic section. We strolled around paths that millions had walked for centuries, taking note of the ancient ruins and statues of the men we read about in history books. That Hadrian sure got around by the way. I had just seen his villa outside of Rome and Lauren had visited his wall in the UK. And here he is again in Greece.
We climbed a slippery, huge rock overlooking the rest of the city with a 360 degree view to realize that the ancient city, although grand in its own right, was only a small but insignificant part of Athens. There was so much more that we would no way get to see and experience during our short stay.
There’s nothing quite like walking around ancient Greece to make one feel so insignificant in the grand scale of the world. Of all the people who once lived, worked, and loved here… I could only name a few by name. And out of those few, most of them are factitious Greek Gods. Aesop, Aristotle, Euclid, Homer, Plato, Sokrates, Thucydides, all the guys that inspired Raphael’s School of Athens…did they wander around these gardens. Did they recline on the Parthenon steps like us?
Yet the unknown lives of the past were still significant and made a difference…even if it wasn’t recorded for thousands of years. People mourned of these unremembered deaths and yet they were only a few generations removed from being forgotten. Souls connect for a brief moment in time then wither away without witness and without memory as if their epic love story never existed. I wondered what the pillars holding up these temples would say if they could talk.
Perhaps lovers and best friends have been walking nervously down the same paths I strolled since before Jesus came. Perhaps three chica friends dressed in their white Grecian robes and gold sandals from 500 BC laughed and told jokes with one another in the very space Lauren, Angie, and I posed taking selfies. Perhaps they dished the dirt on guys, discussed their worries, and gushed about their awesome weekend.
While touring the Acropolis, a group of photographers, in Athens for a photography convention, stumbled upon us trying to take selfies with my iPad. They did us a favor and took some pics of us with their cameras.
Although I’m sure I could have learned more from having a guide, so much of what I saw in Athens I had studied from high school arts and humanities, world civ, or college history classes. So many images from moves were brought to life where I could say, “Hey! I recognize that.” Like the Caryatid (female sculpture serving as a column) Porch of the Erecheion… I recognized them most from the women singing in the intro to Disney’s animated film, Hercules.
Athens is a city that you feel. Like Marc Cohn felt about Memphis, Tennessee, Athens is a city that changes you. When you leave, you leave a different person. I would love to return and explore with more time here; next time with my parents who I know would get a kick out of Greece. It’s relatively cheap in comparison to the rest of Europe. You can eat gyros and other street food for a euro. Trains and mopeds will get you around town for next to nothing. It’s warm enough to peel the skin in early April while it’s still snowing in Stuttgart. The islands are beautiful and lush. The big city is captivating. Tourist season is certainly summertime and the islands are shut down and activity on them is sparse before then. I didn’t see much evidence of the unemployment and economic hardships emphasized in the media but I will say Athens was a bit grimier than Germany but heck, what part of Europe isn’t? The further east of Germany one travels in Europe, the grimier the big cities get with litter and graffiti it gets. Athens was no different than say Budapest, Budva, Tirana, from what I saw.
Greek Olives
If I returned I’d probably start in Athens, take about five days to really explore the history and enjoy the contemporary then take tourist ferry trips to the other islands. I bought tons of junk the first time around. I’d enjoy the night life and delve further into the city to see the real Athens apart from the tourist Athens. I’d channel my inner Athena and charm locals while taking part in the active night life. Next time, like I always say, I’d save more money on gifts!
Here’s me, trying to model
My time in Athens was short. I didn’t even scratch the surface. I got the tourist view — Not an insight to Greek culture or an insider’s view. But that small 56 hour snap shot of the archeological playground certainly left a lasting impression on my perspective of time and on my curiosity just as its left a lasting impression on the world.
Eating 1 euro gyros on the streets of Athens
Our little photographer
The model
The photographer
Awe striking Athens by night
We’re just goofing around. The photos below remind me of a Gap advertisement.
