Athens Day 1

 

We flew Lufthansa from Prague to Frankfurt to Athens. What a relative pleasure, compared to the inferior airlines -- we all know who they are. Among the civilities still included are snacks and light meals in coach, free wine or beer, and free newspapers, including the IHT and the FT.


In the FT was this article about an exhibit in Brescia IT, La seduzione di Michelangelo . . . http://www.matissebrescia.it/  wish we could make it . . .

Anyway, we got to our hotel, turned around 3 times, then headed straight out to the Acropolis. We could see it ahead of us, between the buildings, from the street of our hotel, as we walked down . . . it loomed visible, but distant, we had no idea how close-it-would-seem, but be so far to walk . . .  then naturally we were approaching from the north east side, so we hadda pick our way around thru tiny streets and public parks to get around to the south slope where we could actually get in. On the way we passed what we would later find out was Hadrian's Library, from the back. . . it was pretty impressive even when we didn't know what it was . . . but we headed on towards the headliner. . . 


Not ever'thin' is up on top . . .there's two theatres, names of which escape me . . . there's all sorts of areas mapped out on the south slope, a bronze foundry and the such-like, that now are hardly even depressions in the ground, over-grown by weeds. But seeing the intricate stonework, everywhere, no matter how debilitated, is very interesting . . . and the scale of it all continues to amaze, which you realize when you try to encompass it in a photo shot, if you see how I mean... 


the view over and above just the buildings is so panoramic & intriguing one wants to capture it but it requires professional skills, a tripod, a big lens, and access to locations denied the hoi polloi . . . I'd envisioned having a picnic lunch in this theatre, to relive a moment from Goodbye Mr Chips (with Peter O'Toole), but the literature discouraged knapsacks & such-like and we couldn't get in anyway . . . was too cold to sit on stone, too . . .


so once you climb the slope up to the beginning of the summit buildings the large scale of the structures starts to overwhelm you . . .


This is an entrance way to the plateau, giving a whole new dimension (or an old one) to the concept of an impressive portal. In some paintings  we saw in the National Gallery, if I may jump ahead of myself a little, there was a red-brick tower, er, uh, towering above the Parthenon . . . I can't imagine how big it must've been. All gone now, of course... one the size of the building would allow such porticoes to be called ornamentation . . . as such monuments go, pretty awesome. . . it was blustery cold while we were there . . . almost sprinkling and the wind just howling . . . to think these buildings have stood like so in such weather for millenia is almost as amazing as that they are standing at all from the earthquakes that eat away at the edifices. They're apparently always working on refurbishing what has fallen down, and always to the dissatisfaction of scholars & purists decades later . . .  
there's a crane semi permanently ensconced by the Parthenon as part of the effort, plagued of course now by budgetary constraints -- I'm sure they're paralyzed by critics and their own uncertainty of what should be done first and how. Personally, I'd love it if it could all be done over as it was with the fine finishing on the columns and facades that one can see just part of in other places . . . down in the Athenian Agora, there's a building that was used for many centuries that is still in relatively good repair . . .leading me to believe that continued use is a good thing, and quick repair of earthquake damage is essential to that. Under dis-use the building fall prey to souvenierers and  re-cyclers.

At some point I tried to get a candid shot of Mrs -- instead of just the buildings, but when she turned around, instead of laughing as I intended, she made the face I have come to expect when I misbehave . . . 


It's all like the Grand Canyon . . . after a while the mind just blanks out at the majesty and glory inherent in these structures.


So we walked down again -- a relief to get out of that wind -- into the Athenian Agora. This is interesting, too, but I definitely get an overlay of Rome & Pompeii filling in the gaps that are herein . . . they have a map of what was here but precious little left to show of it . . .




There's a museum just off the Agora, part of it, I should say, with the fragments of sculptures found in there . . . funerary objects, even a casket with a young girl . . . the portico has all these sculpture fragments, including the ubiquitous variations of Aphrodite . . . even without heads, still voluptuous and saucy . . . 8^) . . .

 

Then there are the head that have come off statues, too . . . all these missing parts are probably in the Louvre and British Museum, which is nice for them, but really: they should come back here, doncha think?

These are, I think, the heads of Hermes and Herodotus, respectively...

These busts are of two "ordinary" citizens of Athens, well-to-do enough to  be buried in the Agora . . .

And a Pan . . .hey, I know that guy! He owes me money!

We wandered home after this museum, back to the hotel . . . just wanted a break from the cold and the wind . . . we were staying at the Rezidenz Georgio, aka, Melia Athens Hotel . . . on the corner of Aeillo (sic multi option) and the 28th of Octobre. . . we learnt a new rule of thumb on that walk home:
"Never book a hotel on a street with a date for a name".

But, we did get back to the hotel, turn around three times, then head out for dinner . . . saw this street art on the way . . . that is, very-late-lunch. . . the greeks, like most Europeans, like most Southern Europeans, especially, like to have a siesta in the 

afternoon, and come back later, then sup very, very late in the evening. Well, so Mrs & I can manage a late lunch, but that means both dinner and late dinner are ruled out for us, if you see how I mean.

Armed with an article that magically appeared in the IHT in January, we headed first & straight to the Doris.

The beautiful waitress seemed abashed when she told us that there was no more mousaka nor pastitio left, only some scalloped eggplant . . .so we said that was ok, with our grilled peppers and greek salad, plus a little spinach pie . . . 

I told her later, with a mouth full, "that eggplant is to DIE for!". She seemed pleased with that news. We didn't say anything about the Grilled Peppers, but they were just as good.

Read that review from the times about Doris. We were so stuffed after those four dishes, we had no room for the doughnuts, but we saw them, they looked horrible in that good-but-bad way, if you know what I mean.

Saw this sculpture on the way back to the hotel, light is bad, but I'm not sure the statue has earned the stature of good lighting . . . 8^) . . .

Another piece of street-art that caught my eye . . .