The Acropolis
Sightseeing
When we decided to start our travels at this time we had a varied reaction from friends, family and fellow Airbnb hosts. Some thought it was a great idea whilst others thought that we were mad to choose to start in the middle of a world pandemic. Our thinking is that we have had this idea for a long time, the Covid-19 situation has given Karyo more flexibility to work remotely and so, unexpectedly for us, the time seemed right. We are being as careful and considerate to others as we would be at home following all guidance from the Government and our own common sense. Of course, there are drawbacks. Many places of interest are on restricted hours or indeed are still closed temporarily giving us fewer opportunities to visit. On the plus side, due to the current massive drop in tourist numbers, we have found that the places of interest that are open are much quieter giving us the chance to visit in a way that most people will never have the opportunity to do. Sharing the space of some of the normally busiest tourist attractions in the world with just a handful of people is an experience that is proving to be quite humbling and comes with a real sense of privilege.
The Acropolis
The Acropolis in Athens is probably one of the most famous landmarks in the world yet many people are still not sure what exactly is the Acropolis?, confusing it with The Parthenon which is, in fact, the largest and most imposing temple within the Acropolis.
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| The Parthenon, |
The definition of an Acropolis is a citadel or part of a fortified Greek city, usually built on a hill. There are many of these in Greece although The Acropolis in Athens is so famous and so important culturally and historically that it has now become synonymous with the word itself. The word ‘Acropolis derives from the Greek words ‘Akron (Edge) and ‘Polis’ (City)
It is impossible to visit Athens without going to visit the Acropolis and experience this magnificent archaeological site with their own eyes and so, off we set, in full tourist mode, the day after our arrival in Athens. We absolutely loved the visit, any pictures you may have seen just do not do it justice. Even if you have no interest at all in History and archaeology you can’t fail to be impressed by its significance, age and the unbelievable skills of the ancient Greeks to have built such a magnificent site over 2500 years ago.
Visiting this amazing site should be on the bucket list of everybody, The Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess of war, Athena is the highlight but there are other, smaller temples on the site also. The restoration work being done has been continuous since 1975 and is incredible.
We made the mistake of visiting in the afternoon when the sun was already high. The climb up the hill to get to the Acropolis is steep and once there, you can easily spend a couple of hours walking around the site, there is not much shade so, a travellers tip – go early in the morning and wear sensible shoes, it can be slippery in places due to the millions of prior tourists walking over the same paths.
As a bonus, because the Acropolis stands high on a hill the views are spectacular! The cost of entry was €20 each. There is a €30 ticket that also includes admission to other tourist attractions around the city but we did not know that until it was too late and had already bought ours!
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| The caryatides of Erechtheion |
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| A side view of The Parthenon |
Lycabettus Hill
We are having to be careful not to fall into the trap of visiting every tourist attraction we come across as this can really start to quickly eat into our budget. That’s not to say that there are not always lots of things to see and do that don’t cost a penny (or Euro)! We’ve quickly discovered that Shanks’ pony is by far the best way to discover new areas. We usually take one of the ‘free’ walking tours when we visit new areas to get our bearings and a little local knowledge but have found that here in Athens most are still not working due to Covid-19, However, armed with a map and a little internet research before setting off we are more than happy to get out and do it ourselves which we did this particular day.
We decided to visit Lycabettus hill, the highest of the seven hills of Athens. The summit of Lycabettus is approximately 300 metres above sea level. From our apartment, it was about 30 minutes walk to the base and then a quite arduous one hour uphill walk through a forest of pine trees to reach the summit. For the less mobile, there is a road almost to the top although you would still have to walk the final 100mtrs – most of which are steps. Another alternative is that there is a cable car that will take you quite quickly right to the top. Once you reach the summit there is no doubt that, however you arrived, the effort was well worth it,
Just before you reach the summit you pass a large open-air amphitheatre that was built here in 1964. Unfortunately, it was closed when we were there but it must be an amazing place to see a theatre production or one of your favourite acts perform live, I have read that lots of big names have played there over the years, Deep Purple, The Pet shop boys, UB40, Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel to name just a few.
At the highest point sits the small whitewashed Church of St, George which is open to the public and also a really nice cafe that serves a good variety of food and drink to enjoy whilst admiring the truly amazing spectacular 360𐩑 views of the whole of Athens and beyond.
It’s said that the top of Lycabettus hill is the most romantic place in the whole of Athens, and whilst we were there Karyo promised to wash the dishes after tea that night so there must be something in it 😉
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| The path up Lycabettus hill |
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| Nearly there! |
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| Saint George church |
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| Having a coffee break |
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| Amazing views out towards the Acropolis |
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| The views are spectacular |
After an hour in the cafe, we made the easy descent downwards enjoying the shade of the tree-lined streets against the warm October sunshine as we made our way ‘home’
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