#2807 The Acropolis

The first morning Lizzie and I were in Athens, we went on a city tour featuring the Acropolis. How could it not? The Acropolis is the heart of Athens, in my opinion. It isn’t on the highest hill in the city, believe it or not, but it is so recognizable and iconic that it draws the eye from wherever you are. 

Like many European cities, Athens is very walkable. That said, I am glad I had the bus to take me at least mid-way up the hill of the Acropolis. It’s a long pull! Even from where we were, there was still some climbing to do. Have I mentioned that there is marble everywhere? The paths to the Acropolis are mainly marble that has been worn down by millions of feet over  thousands of years. It can be pretty slick in some places. Is it worth it? Hell yes.

To be clear, the Acropolis is the actual hilltop. There are ruins of several buildings at the top, most notably the Parthenon, which was a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. There is also the Erectheion, which features the Caryatids, and the Temple of Athena Nike, among others. 

We had a tour guide and she used the whisper tour guide system in which we all had headphones and she spoke into a microphone and only the people in her group could hear her speak. I really like this system because we not only had a large group, but there were gobs of people with other guides up there. It would have been impossible to hear what our guide was saying without the earphones. I had experience with the whisper system in Rome on the Colosseum tour, as well. I liked it a lot on that tour, too.  

Even with the guide in my ear, there are just so many facts and so much history that it was all overwhelming. I don’t remember a lot of what she told me. I do remember feeling awe. The place is just, well, awesome. Here are some of my photos of the Parthenon:

This next photo I took as we were walking up the steps before we reached the top of the hill. I believe these columns are part of the Temple of Athena Nike.

One thing that was on my “must-see” list was the Caryatids. They are the six female statues that are holding up part of a roof with their heads. As I was reading and learning a bit about Athens, I was fascinated with these sculptures. I was looking up at the Parthenon, then I turned around, and there they were!

Heck yeah, I was stoked! You can’t get very close to them here. Those are not the originals, by the way. The originals are in the Acropolis museum across the street. There are only five of the Caryatids in the museum in Athens; the sixth is in the British Museum.

The empty space is for the one that is in London. Notice the poor one in the back has no head.

Each of them have different hair styles.

I totally love these statues. Maybe it is because they represent strong, beautiful women. I love the way they each have a knee forward as if they are about to walk toward you. I love the way the clothes seem to drape on their bodies. I think they are spectacular. I know I could have gone back and stared at them a whole lot longer. 

The Acropolis Museum is stunning. It is so beautiful, both inside and out. If you are ever in Athens, you will almost certainly go to the Acropolis, but please, please, do yourself a favor and go to the museum as well. The main gallery is so gorgeous with all of its natural light and the marble statues. (Photos are not allowed in this section.) Then you go around the corner and there are the Caryatids. You go up another escalator to the top floor which is a recreation of the Parthenon, which you can plainly see right across the way through the giant windows. The display is set up to mirror the Parthenon in every way. Basically, you walk through this museum and all the art and treasures that were up on the hilltop are on display, then the top floor recreates the Parthenon and shows you how all the art you have seen earlier was displayed in or on the Parthenon itself. 

The Acropolis Museum is the only museum we had time to go to in Athens. I have heard that the Archaeology Museum is also wonderful. Next time.

Here are a couple of other things I saw in the museum:

Bluebeard daemon

This three-headed snake monster is weirdly charming to me. Look at their smiles. Did you know there is a name for this smile? The same smile shows up on many sculptures of the time. It’s called the Archaic Smile. 

 You probably know that Athens is named for its patron goddess, Athena. She is the wise virgin warrior goddess, and the owl is associated with her. There are owl statues all over the place in Athens, including this cool carving in the Acropolis Museum. You can read more about Athena and the owl here. 

Read more about some of the amazing works in the Acropolis Museum here.

I could have spent way more time in the museum, but since we were with a tour, we had to go when they did. We took the bus back to the hotel where we started, (not our hotel)  then Lizzie and I went for a walk through the National Garden that was conveniently right across the street from where the bus dropped us off. I do love to wander through green space in the heart of a city. I didn’t take many photos, although the gardens featured very nice, wide trails. It was so wonderful that you couldn’t hear the sounds of the city when you were in the garden. Another great thing? Walking around the garden is free.

I would be happy to go back to Athens someday. It is a remarkable place, and there are more things I would like to see and do there, and even places that I would revisit. I did some research about the place before I went, but it is so epically Athenian that I don’t know if I could ever be really prepared for it. I mean, there are thousands of years of history there. The timeline of events that have happened there is mind-bending. I feel so fortunate that I got to see even just a little bit of it. It whetted my appetite for more!