The Acropolis

Julie on the hike to the Acropolis

"By all means marry;
if you get a good wife, you'll be happy.

If you get a bad one,
you'll become a philosopher."

---Socrates

Wes and Julie by the Parthenon

According to Greek mythology, the gods Poseidon and Athena both wanted to be the patron of a beautiful area, strategically positioned along the aqua Aegean Sea.

Poseidon struck the land with his trident, producing a spring which promised naval prowess.

Athena touched the ground with a spear and created an olive tree, symbolizing peace and prosperity.

The people chose Athena, who is honored with the city's name.

Jay, Amy, Wes and Julie at the Acropolis

That olive tree survived many centuries but was burned in the Peloponnesian War by Persians, who were allied with the Spartans, when their superior allied naval power destroyed Athens' fleet. From the burnt stump, however, a new sprout emerged and grew to be another olive tree that would last several more centuries.

The Erechtheum

It's interesting how mythology is so intertwined with history that it now is hard to separate them, although in fact by definition the earliest years of Athens are not historic but pre-historic, known through oral traditions passed on by poets.

The leap from cave dwellers to the highly advanced civilization that gave birth to democracy, architecture, philosophy, psychology, arts, science and in essence made further advancement possible is hard to fathom. Did the mythological stories of the gods start as entertainment, similar to movies like Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean and Sex In the City? Or could there be some truth in those "Ancient Astronaut" theories my buddy Sam enjoys?

The Erechtheum with Porch of the Caryatids

In any case, according to Plato's Cratylus, both Athena and Athens come from the root words theos, or God, and nous, or mind, so the names of the Goddess of Wisdom and her city logically refer to God's Mind, which certainly should be an ideal place to dwell.

The Odeun of Herodes Atticus (a "new" Acropolis structure built in 161 AD)

Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, and today she is a city of about 5 million. Her current government financial house is in disarray, but I wouldn't count the city of Athena out. She's like that sprout, always poised to come back. As one of three great playwrites of tragedy in Classical Athens, Euripides wrote, "There is in the worst of fortune the best of chances for a happy change."

Real Ionic Columns

Our plan for the day was to visit the Acropolis, which of course is the most famous site in Athens. Built on a hill 490 feet above sea level, there's a commanding view of the area. It is the perfect setting for a walled fortress as well as a place of worship, which it was in ancient times.

Katie and Jay by the Temple of Athena

Its most famous building, and one of the most recognizable structures in the world, is the Parthenon, built by the site of the olive tree where Athena won her contest with Poseidon.

Commanding View from the Acropolis

There are too many millenia of history to possibly cover in a short article, so let me just get to what we did, on what will probably go down as one of the most legendary days in the history of Athens.

Believing it to be a short walk to the Metro station from our ship's dock, we trekked beside the harbor for a good 45 minutes or more.

The Porch of the Caryatids

I bought a pair of Roy Ban aviator sunglasses for 5 Euro on the walk, replacing my $5 pair of Burn Notice shades I'd purchased in Hermosa Beach the previous time I couldn't find my sunglasses. It turned out my old glasses were buried in my cargo shorts after all, but at least I have a souvenir and gave a sale to the old shopkeeper who confirmed we were going in the right direction. 

View On the Hike to Acropolis

As we arrived at the station, we heard a police car blast his siren as he pulled up to the corner, and some less permanent cardboard watch-and-sunglass stands were rapidly folded up and carted off by their owners who humously scattered like cockroaches. 

The Metro cost 1.4 Euro (.7 Euro for Students) to take the Green Line to a station at the foot of the Acropolis hill. The uphill climb also turned out to be a longer hike than we expected, especially when we went the wrong way at one point, but we enjoyed it.

Wes by the Parthenon

There was good news and bad news about visiting Athens on this day.

The good news, that all the museums and the Acropolis had free admission, was of course also the bad news, because the entrance was jammed with people when we arrived.

Despite the crowds and ongoing restoration projects that added to the din, we all enjoyed visiting this remarkable area.