Despite the hour's delay in departure, the captain seemed to have put his foot down, as we arrived to Pireaus port after a 'rosy' sunrise not long after 8am. Athens, like many great European capitals, is well covered in terms of touristic advice on the internet. I will just provide a little logistical information and my highlights. From Pireaus port, on the West side of the Attican peninsula, don't fret - as I did- there is a free bus waiting to take all passengers towards the nearest metro. Get off at the last, or perhaps only, stop, and follow the crowd of people heading towards Pireaus metro station on the green line. Tickets: Plan now to save money and get either a 24 hour or 5 day ticket pass. There will be a machine to get integrated metro and bus tickets. So you can use this ticket (don't lose it) as many times as you like within the period you choose, allowing you to move about freely. At the time of writing there were no barriers or ticket checks on the metros but they are in the process of installing automated ticket barriers like those in London as I'm pretty sure many cash strapped Athenians and travellers alike don't bother with the ticket. it's all Greek to me...If you hadn't already considered the extent of the difficulty of the Greek language, then your troubles will be soon fully realised. This is not a matter of pronouncing a bunch of letters in your best Greek accent, or vaguely noting down the sounds of what you heard when someone told you the name of a station. It really might as well be 汉语. (If you speak Chinese, then replace accordingly!) The metro map and many signs, helpfully or not, are written in both Greek and Roman alphabets. However, even if, as I did, you think you have knowledge about the letters enough to work out the English equivalent, BEWARE! Many names are so long you've no hope of guessing correctly which syllable wins the right to be emphasised; and a confusing range of sounds and uninterpretable diphthongs will ensure you flounder regardless. Two useful stations you may need are: Μοναστηράκι 'Monastiraki' a very central area near markets and restaurants and where the Green line changes with Blue, and Σύνταγμα 'Syntagma', the 'Constitution Square' in front of the parliament and not far from the national gardens, where the Blue line meets the Red. I always thought that so long as you could see a metro map, it was hard to get lost in a city. But I managed to do some bizarre loop the loops and taking of trains in wrong directions from Monastiraki, as not all the signs are intuitive and sometimes they only give one 'direction'. So... be flexible, and if in doubt, ask - most people speak pretty good English. My hopes of picking up some conversational Greek already squandered, I was fortunate enough to be guided here and there by a local friend. I recommend walking up through the olive groves from a central station when you decide to splash on your Acropolis ticket (€20 full price), instead of using the namesake metro which will take you to the new museum instead. If you head up there middle-late afternoon you'll be able to hop up the nearby 'rock' as everyone enjoys the sunset, and -if you're lucky like us- a gust of vomit, as it seems to be a night spot for a few drinks...or more. Once you step through the gates to the Acropolis and make your way up to enter the territory of this historic place, I advise you to take as many silly photographs as possible. There is a squad of casually dressed wardens, armed with whistles, ready to blow til they're faint, should you venture to strike a pose, or -god forbid- sit with two feet off the ground on a wall. You'll never know who you're standing next to and where the next shrill peep will come from next, but as I rambled slowly back to stop via a certain corner I hadn't seen, 15 minutes before closure, I was stopped by a treble call of 'lady! lady, no, you must go this way!'. An experience to be oft repeated in my trip through Greece: from eating a snack while waiting (12 minutes) for a metro (yes, twelve), to huddling my cold knees to my chest thus placing my toes upon the bench where I was sitting, - I constantly found myself being told what I must not do, by people with no apparent authority, nor particular stake in what I was doing! To complete the Acropolis experience you might want to visit the new Acropolis museum down below. But you might also do better to go to the British Museum (London), where the marbles, comprising exquisite statues and enormously long friezes, stolen by Lord Elgin from the Parthenon building at the beginning of the 19th Century, are kept to this day. Carefully arranged plaster casts are positioned in the bright, modern purpose building, along with a thorough archeological history of Athens. Expect long queues, and intense air-conditioning. Here I take the opportunity to display a very large painting I did many years ago, inspired by the Parthenon friezes at the British Museum. It involved photographing a schoolmate from above, as she replicated some dramatic poses of the horses! Below you can see an extract of the frieze from the Acropolis museum in Athens. Other spots to take a walk which I particularly enjoyed include:
Sounion's CapeIf you've a few days in Athens, it's a good base from which to head down and visit Sounion, the Southernmost point of the Attican peninsula, and home to the Temple of Poseidon. Although, all down the coastline the shimmering sea and enticing little pebbly beaches may seduce you, once at the bottom itself, Sounion offers very little, so don't plan to spend a day there. In fact, the time to go, as you can see, is sunset. Place me on Sunium's marbled steep, Legendarily this is where some say King Aegeus, looking out for the safe return of his son, jumped off the cliff into the namesake Aegean Sea, when Theseus forgot to change his black sails as he returned, bride in tow, from slaying the Minotaur in Crete. If you're fortunate enough to be able to drive with a friend - or perhaps a newly met Athenian acquaintance - in an open top car, winding your way along the dazzling coastline and stopping here and there for a dip in the sea, then I recommend it! Otherwise you can find the bus information, with times and departure points here. These timings may vary with the season and it gets very busy around sunset so make sure you have a ticket and remember not to miss the last bus back. Although in the worst case it might be easy enough to hitch a ride! |
Hello, I'm LaraA Wandering Philosopher Categories
All
Archives
August 2017
|