The Many Faces of Athens

Location: Athens, Greece (written in Athens, Greece)
Mood: Homesick
NP: Black - Wonderful Life

Athens

At the end of our rental car run of the Peloponnese with Delphi and Thebes we returned to Athens.

This city is much bigger than any other in Greece and this shows as different areas of the capital city feel quite different: in some we've gazed at ancient ruins and felt at ease and in others the atmosphere changes to something akin to an urban jungle. And it can change quickly, within a block or two.

Yet there is lots to see in Athens. Staying only for three nights we did the basics: The Agora, the Acropolis with the Parthenon and the National Archaeological Museum.

The National Archaeological Museum is vast, containing mostly disorganized exhibitions from the neolithic age to Cycladic and Mycenaean, from Roman times to Egypt and, for example, the beauty of the human body through ages. Worth seeing for all that is there, perhaps most importantly (for us) for the relics from Mycenae. You can easily spend 2-3 hours or more here.

Agora
Tickets: 8 euros, student cards are not recognized
Time: 2-3 hours

The Agora is a vast area that functioned as the ancient market of Athens. It has several ruins of temples, fountain houses, stoas and workshops among other things. The highlight may be the temple of Hephaestus, the god of fire, volcanoes, metallurgy, blacksmiths, artisans and other craftsmen, that stands relatively intact in the northwest corner of the Agora of Athens.

Temple of Hephaestus

There is also a small museum that looks impressive from the outside and hosts the toilets in the same building but is relatively thin on content. Unfortunately much in the Agora is rubble where ancient buildings used to be - not unlike from several other ruins we'd visited.


Acropolis
Tickets: 20 euros, student cards are not recognized
Time: 2 hours

Perched on top of the highest hill in Athens sits the Acropolis, an ancient citadel containing the remains of several ancient buildings. Views of the city are magnificent and the Parthenon and the Erechtheion still stand relatively well preserved offering great views into the past.

The Parthenon

The climb up the hill is not difficult but tourist crowds are massive and winds can get pretty strong so high up, blowing sand into your eyes and caps off your head. Still, the Acropolis is worth the visit just for the few ancient buildings that still stand (although 20€ is a steep price).

There's also an old museum with toilets near the Parthenon, but it was no longer in use as a museum (the new one is on the bottom of the hill but perhaps not worth a visit because photography is not allowed). Note that you are not allowed to bring in drinks that you buy outside the area.