Friday, September 2, 2011

The Climb to Athens


August 29th, 2011
We hit Athens bright and early at 8:30 this morning on the venture to the Acropolis. Our guide led us through the city and to the Olympic stadium from the first modern day Olympics in 1896! From there the bus drove us through the city to the heart of the ancient ruins.

We climbed the 80 steep steps through the Propylara, the monumental marble gateway to these incredible ruins. Along the venture I saw the Temple of Nike and had a great view of the valley in which Athens was built. The whole Acropolis is under massive renovation to restore it to its great glory. It was so amazing to see the ancient ruins and to imagine the civilization once there.

On the north side of the Acropolis stood the Erectheum, the sacred site where it is said to have been decided that Athena would rule the city. At the center was the amazing and gigantic Parthenon. This massive monument was better than I could have ever imagined. It truly is one of the greatest monuments of ancient times. I really felt one with the Athenian culture and really gained new respect for the creativity and forward thinking of their culture.

From the Acropolis we strolled through the modern day Athens to the Plaka, the city’s historic shopping district. We sat down to a great authentic Greek lunch. The food there is truly amazing! It was a little shocking to see that my shrimp still had eyes and a head that looked straight back at me, but it was still fantastic.

Perusing the boutiques, jewelry stores, taverns, and cafes and visiting the local museums and galleries was fantastic! Zipping around the cobblestone lanes of such a colorful marketplace made my day. I loved plunging myself into this great culture and hope that I have the opportunity to visit again soon!

Courtney Dumas

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