Off we go to country #16 through my most extensive blog yet with 60+ photos and 3,500+ words. You’re welcome. 🙃 Be sure to comment and share with friends, because this one was a long time in the making.
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Friday started with a super early wake up to catch the 6 a.m. flight and land at noon. I always book early flights because it maximizes my time on the ground in the new city. I read on some of the travel Facebook groups that taking the train can be sketchy because of pick-pocketing. I didn’t want to pay for the taxi though since the airport is pretty far away from the city. After an annoying and unhelpful talk with one lady at the counter at the airport I made my way to the train station, to another rude lady who did sell me my train ticket but wasn’t thrilled to help point me in the right direction. Again, like Amsterdam, I bought a four day pass that works on all forms of transportation. This one was €22 and these continue to be really great. The train ride wasn’t bad. I kept my backpack in front of me and made my way to Akropoli station. Then walked the quarter mile to my hotel.
My first reaction walking out of the subway station into the city was that I wasn’t sure I wasn’t actually in Africa. Kenitra and Rabat, Morocco, look a lot like Athens in my opinion. The trees, the dirty city, the building style, narrow streets, etc.
I dropped my bag, got my rain coat and hiking backpack and took off to find a hike somewhere. I found it on my way up to Mount Lycabettus and saw the the Agios Gerogios church. Along the way here I realized how many orange trees are around the city. I saw a trail cut through the trees and tall grass and decided to go that way. I think it was the path homeless people use because there was a lot of trash and stuff on the trail, but it was cooler than the paved trail for a while. I reached the top and looked over the city and finally saw the Acropolis for the first time. No kidding thought, “Wow, it’s really real. They weren’t kidding.” (I know, obviously its real, but it was one of those moments you just didn’t believe it until you see it.)
Then I found myself outside one of the acropolis entrances and I wondered around in this area. I saw Socrates Prison, at the top of Philopappou Hill area I saw Philopappos monument the Pnyx (the meeting place of democratic legislatures in ancient times), and another view of the acropolis.
I somehow made my way to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Arch of Hadrian. It was past closing time and I didn’t have a ticket so I didn’t get to see the temple up close, but this arch was really awesome right outside the gates of the temple grounds. I’ll put these photos together later.
A taxi cab driver told me to go to the harbor at Piraeus to find dinner and enjoy the evening. I decided it was worth a shot. Didn’t turn out well. I was so tired and sore from walking, I went to three places I found on google maps but they were all closed or appeared non-existent. I finally found a place that had street-type food and I got a gyro. The pita bread, veggies and whatever sauce in it was very good. I got gelato at a place down the street to make up for the crummy night on my way back to the train. The night was still young (do people say that) so I found Heterocliton wine bar and asked the bartender to give me whatever local white wine they had. After my first glass and lots of people-watching it dawned on me that today was valentines day. No wonder for all the pink balloons and red lights around restaurants, men with flowers all around the city, and several couples at this wine bar. The red chocolate candy hearts on my hotel bed now made sense after I scoffed at them upon check in. And with that recollection I had another glass of wine and tried to enjoy being a divorced 25-year-old in her 16th country because God is good and I’m choosing joy.
Saturday was reserved for a pre-booked biblical tour of Corinth. I googled and googled, emailed four tour companies about booking a tour this day, and finally decided on bibletoursgreece. I can’t tell you it was the best option since the tour started sketchy with a text 30 minutes later than planned that they were outside the hotel, to find some man waving his hand from a car window down the block. I thought the tour would be more..professional..in a nicer vehicle..this was not the case. There were three of us in the back seat of a kinda sketch, older car (the speedometer didn’t work); it was like we paid a random person just to drive us. But much like hitchhiking in Switzerland, the day turned out super cool and really fun. The three other girls were from California 😍 and I’m super grateful I had them to talk, laugh, and do life with for a short time. We didn’t have to know each other or believe exactly the same things to appreciate the fact we had booked a biblical tour in a foreign city. There wasn’t anything absolutely outstanding about the tour, but I had such a good time hanging out with these girls and a guide who knew the area and could teach me some historical things. We stopped and read from Acts and 1 Corinthians, reading the letters Paul wrote to the Corinthians at the time. Even though it wasn’t 5-star quality all those things made it more fun. So, if you’re made of money then maybe you could search around for a fancier tour, but if you’re on your own and just want to adventure then go this route.
Corinth
First we stopped at the Corinth Canal. It was a big deal back in the day as a pivotal way to enable travel through this area without having to go around. I dont know anything else about it, that’s what google is for. I do know however that it took 14 seconds for my spit to hit the water from standing on the bridge over the middle of it. Take of that what you may.
Then we went up to Ancient Corinth. There was an earthquake in 1858 which allowed for excavation of ancient Corinth and modern Corinth city center is now in another location. First we went to Acrocorinth, the remains of a fortress on the hilltop. At one time, this hilltop had a temple for Aphrodite, the goddess of love. We read 1 Cor. 6:9-20 where Paul warns the Corinthians about how everything is permissible but shouldn’t be done and we are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We stopped to see the Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Octavia.
Note: A temple was not where they worshipped, like we think of a church. It was considered the dwelling place of God, outside of the temple was more important at the alter where sacrifices were burned. They were built so beautifully to satisfy and respect to the god.
The temple of octavia was a place to worship Octavia, the sister of Octavian Augustus. This became a way for Christians to be persecuted because they wouldn’t worship or give sacrifices here which was taken a sign of disrespect and disobedience to the royal family. It’s an example to us now how quickly we can turn idolatry into a sin by worshipping humans who then can use that power in a cruel way.
After these places we went to the other side of the Agora (we didn’t pay to enter the agora, just looked at it through the fence). You can see where the different small shops would have been which sold all sorts of things in the marketplace. Corinth was a trading mega spot bringing things from the known world of West and East together for things like spices, textiles, etc. Here we stopped to read 1 Cor 10:25-33 which includes “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” Which is where Paul teaches the Christians that they can eat meat from the marketplace which would have been brought down from the alter at the temple. We read Act 18:1-17 explaining how Paul became a tent maker with Aquila and Priscilla to work for an income to support his teaching to the Jews here to show he could live by example not by using funds from the church people to be an evangelist to God’s chosen.
Here also sits the ‘Bema Judgment Place.’ Here’s a photo of what it could have looked like in biblical times, and what it looks like today. A bema is simply a raise platform on which to speak to a crowd. This is where judgements would have been made to settle disputes amongst the people. According to Acts 18:12-17, this is where the Jews brought Paul to be judged for “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.” However, Gallio proconsul dismissed the case and the Jews beat the official of the synagogue.
It was very cool to walk through places that I could stop and read about in the Bible and know that this was truly a place of history. I was so excited to walk through biblical grounds and be amazed how the Bible is such a great history book. After these adventures we shared lunch family style in Keto Almyri which allowed me to me try things I normally wouldn’t, simply because I personally wouldn’t order €125 of food for one person. I enjoy traveling alone but it was fun to make friends on this quick day trip.
Once I got back I went to the Acropolis Museum where I spent 2+ hours, which is impressive because I don’t do museums, but this one was well done and had so much stuff; I didn’t even read half of it, but the videos were beyond helpful for me to understand the history of the structures on the Acropolis, and how the Parthenon was destroyed/taken apart over the years and where other pieces of the parthenon are today. I had no idea that different people in history took apart different pieces of the Parthenon and the other structures and took them to their own cities around the world. For instance there is a piece in the Acropolis museum of the original torso of a man but in another country the original chest and shoulders remains. So each museum made castings of the other pieces and the casting and the originals are molded together so we can see as much as possible that is preserved today but each museum gets to keep their own respective pieces.
archaeological site under the museum
After the museum I returned to a restaurant I had passed through earlier in the day. I walked by this place and looked at the menu earlier that evening and told the guy I might return later. I did, because he was nice and it seemed like a good place. He was so excited to see me when I walked up several hours later and that really made me happy I chose to return here. I had a good evening people watching at my little table on the steps of an alley full of restaurants. I had some really great Greek wine with dinner too; and by some I mean about half a bottle. After dinner I somehow made my way back to my hotel and sat on the rooftop again, love that I was always alone up here. I prevailed through the less than ideal mental fog the following morning.
Sunday I had a lot of ground to cover. I made it to the south entrance of the Acropolis at 9 am, an hour after it opened, bought my full ticket and walked right through the turnstile with nobody else around. I walked past the Dionysos Theater, past part of the Stoa of Eumenes, around the top of the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, up and through the Propylaea, saw the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheum, and finally up to the Parthenon. Here’s where I note, in case you don’t know, the Acropolis is the whole platform, and all these things are on it.
Acropolis- a settlement built on an area of elevated ground with precipitous sides (says google).
Dionysos Theater
Stoa of Eumenes
Odeion of Herodes Atticus
Propylaea
Temple of Athena Nike
Erechtheum with the Caryatids
Parthenon
I personally think the Propylaea is better than the Parthenon because you can walk through it. You get to actually feel what it would have been like to walk through this when it was brand new and feel the magnitude of the structure. I walked back and forth through it a few times. You cant walk up to the Parthenon very close so yeah its cool, but I get bored easily and because I don’t know any of the gods/goddess were who were depicted on it and what it was actually originally built for, its not that impressive to me. I’m glad I saw it and can tell the world no kidding this thing is here, but not beyond amazing. You can see several brighter white pieces mixed in. These are pieces being remade today to help rebuild the structures, while still maintaining as much of the original as possible. It’s awesome to see the what it would have been like with perfect edges and lines when it was new. The fact people are rebuilding parts of these structures today and ensuring it’s still structurally sound so we can walk around it is truly incredible. It’s truly another kind of art.
Went to over to Areopagus Hill (this large rough rock in the green tree area) and this was probably my favorite place in the whole city. I spent quite a bit of time here Sunday and Monday before leaving because it had great views of the Acropolis in one direction and the Temple of Hephaestus in the other.
Olympieion
Like I said before, I stumbled upon it the first day but coming to see it up close was cool. It kind of reminded of Stonehenge since you couldn’t get that close to it and I didn’t find much verbiage about it. Just some big stones in the middle of nowhere in the city. There was a lot more open grassy area around it. This place had the weirdest people taking photos. No doubt that older Asian women are the oddest but they were out done by some guy who ran up and laid down to take a photo. I don’t even understand because the angle the photographer was standing doesn’t make any sense why he’d lay down. The sun came out when I was sitting here on a bench people watching and it felt so good to relax in the sunshine.
Roman & Ancient Agora
I went to the Roman Agora, followed by the Ancient Agora of Athens which included the Temple of Hephaestus and the Stoa. Hephaestus temple was my favorite, cooler than the Parthenon maybe even for me. You could get closer, the weather was nicer when I was here, and because it wasn’t ‘the’ thing to see, I liked it (I usually vote for the underdog). After, I wondered around the city in the Old Town market district, Monastiraki. Agora- gathering place for administrative, political, and commercial reasons in the city center.
Panathenaic Stadium
Saving the best for last. Turns out this is not part of the €30 ticket, but luckily it’s only €5, and absolutely, hands down totally worth it. By far my favorite thing in the whole trip, (who would have guessed that the place with the track would win me over) It’s the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, which was done around 114 AD after rebuilding it from its previous racecourse which was built in 330 BC. Thats just so incredible.
The audio device you get here for a tour was really good at describing the different architecture and design styles as it went through different eras. At some point this was also used as a gladiator-type arena, as to why the high walls around the track in order to protect the audience from the animals. You walk down the tunnel where the athletes would have entered and exited the stadium. The tunnel goes up to a room full of posters of all the olympic games and some torches carried throughout the years. Super cool to see how the art work changed through the years depending on where the games was held and what was going on in the world at the time and the advertising style of the poster. Was sad seeing the Montreal poster knowing Pre should have ran there.
I got to get on the track which I waited until the last minute for so I could experience the rest of it before walking on what felt like holy ground. The inner field is fully redone with modern track turf and long jump pits. Very cool that it’s used today and there were so many students there. I ran a lap around it (of course) and I definitely won’t be qualifying at state again with that time, but I was also jogging it through students and tourists and in hiking shoes. The sun was shining and in the moment of my one lap I escaped from the world and felt like I was back in high school lost in my zen moment of my 400. What a perfect moment.
King & Queen seats 
The last day I just walked around again. I went back up to the Areopagus Hill from the back side which was a nice hike and sat there for a while. The sun felt awesome up here and I actually sat in a short sleeve short for a bit. Something that definitely wouldn’t be possible a week later in Norway, above the arctic circle, on a work trip. I found a place called Happy Blender where I got a smoothie bowl. I really miss Cali where I found the most incredible smoothie bowl place, and at a minimum I had Jamba Juice all over. This was the icing on the cake for the last day finishing out my trip.
EXTRA THOUGHTS:
As much as people said Athens was no good, dirty, full of stray cats, etc, I really enjoyed it.
I spent at least $950 on this trip, super expensive, but I splurged for a nice hotel in a good location with breakfast included (Greek style is not the typical American style breakfast with a Texas shaped waffle maker and cereal) but overall it was one of my favorite trips surprisingly.
It honestly baffles me you can see the Acropolis and all that it includes, Hadrian’s Library, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Olympieion, and The Archaeological Site of Lykeion on just E30 and I did all of it in a day.
I definitely recommend coming during their ‘winter’ months because its 1/4 of the tourist. During the summer the lines are super long just to get a ticket.
Advice before traveling to Athens to see all of these things:
1. Know Greek mythology. You don’t have to be an expert. But maybe knowing the big name gods/goddesses and what they were a power of might be helpful in understanding some stuff. All I knew was that Nike was a goddess of victory because Bill Bowerman’s character said it when introducing the first Nike shoe to Steve Prefontaine in the movie Without Limits. I didn’t even know the difference in the Acropolis and the Parthenon until two days before I got there.
2. Definitely recommend hiking shoes walking around the Acropolis and some other places. The ground is not level and I walked about 10 miles a day, no exaggeration. I like taking in the whole city and not waiting four minutes for a bus.
3. I also learned that the parthenon was in the hands of several different people throughout history and how it was different temples, churches, storage places, etc. which explains why different parts of it were taken down and changed over history. It’s truly incredible that we even still have a portion of these structures today.
Sitting on my hotel roof top looking at the parthenon at night makes me wonder just how incredible this looked when it was brand new with beautiful marble and perfect craftsmanship way ahead of its time. People then couldn’t have even imagined the year 2020 and all the torment these buildings would go through in wars and being taken apart by greedy people around the world in the 1800s.
4. Don’t be the typical loud, rude, annoying American tourists. There was a group of students from Atlanta, Georgia in the museum and they were too loud. It wasn’t cool and I distanced myself from them quickly.
Oh yeah.. Here’s me!
So, Live; Through Travel 
I just love your writing! Thanks for being my guide!
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Love reading about your travels. Just found you this morning after reading Bates County Live. I’m from south of Butler so I feel like your neighbor.
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