REALISING this would be my final days stay in Athens, I was determined to fit in a whole bunch of activities that I had saved/not been able to get round to doing on my trip.I had planned the final day of my stay here in Athens to be spent on a near by beach and also visiting the Cape of Sounion which is situated by the coast and hosts the temple of Poseidon. Having seen (and felt) enough rainfall to last me a week yesterday and with grey clouds headed Greece's way overnight I felt it best to stay in the city and tie up some loose ends.
My first port of call was decided for me thanks to the time at which things like to close in Athens, so I headed to the nearby National Archeology Museum which is about a five minute walk from my hotel. Reading in the guidebook I have on the city, it describes the museum as "unmissable", and says that any trip to Athens is not "complete" without a visit there.... well here's an idea, open until after 3pm!
Walking up to the museum thankfully the streets were full and there were plenty of people milling around unlike in previous visits so I was pretty confident it was open today. Saying that I walked around and left at about 2pm, by which point they had stopped letting people not only pay for entrance but people who were already in were not allowed to enter certain sections of the museum as they were shutting up shop! Ridiculous!
I have to admit that I am not usually a big one for museums, and the last couple I have been in were probably in Paris when I visited several years ago, or in Stockholm. I have no problem looking around them provided there is plenty of different things to look at, and I don't like to take the attitude that once you have seen one old piece of pottery then you probably don't need to see anymore, but I prefer it when museum exhibits are varied and extremely differing.
Luckily for me, the museum I visited today had plenty of variety. There were different rooms and exhibits for a number of different artifacts which were found mostly in Athens but some throughout Greece as well. I started my tour in the section which contained sculptures (as did most of the first floor) but there was also a separate section surrounding the collection which focused on other things discovered including artifacts, weapons and jewelry.
Heading up to the top floor a few of the exhibits were closed allegedly due to "security shortages." I presume this referred to the large number of people sitting on seats pretending to look official whilst also being on the phone that were scattered around the different rooms. One of them almost rugby tackled me to prevent me from coming in at the entrance after I had brought my ticket. I understand she might have just been doing her job, but you did just see me buying a ticket two yards from your face so the man handling may have been a little unnecessary.
The top floor was mostly concerned with pottery that was found in different places and by the time I had looked around and seen everything I was interested in seeing, I decided to head to my next destination which lay a little outside the city.
Following my visit to the Panatonaic stadium yesterday, I felt it was only fair to get a bit of balance by visiting the complex of the 2004 Olympic games which is in a place called Irini. It would also be the first (real) time I had ridden the subway since getting here. I had expected to be hopping on and off the underground plenty during my time here as most things are located right next to a subway station (perhaps that's why there are no maps anywhere!), but after the first day and realising that I could walk pretty much everywhere, I honestly haven't been too bothered about using public transport.
To get to Irini however it was necessary so I climbed on board at my nearest station in Omonia to suddenly realise that the subway here is pretty popular. As I was heading out of Athens (Omonia is quite central) it didn't take too long for the chaos to subside but being squashed against what felt like every person in Athens wasn't a very enjoyable experience for as long as it lasted. I had to change trains once to get to 'line one' and even then it took me ages to work out where I was supposed to be going to catch a different train.
There's quite a few differences between the Metro in Athens and Barcelona for example. In Greece the price is usually 0.70 Euros for a ticket providing you stay on the same line, and if you need to change then it is 1.40 Euros. There are no barriers as such to enter the station, partly because they are used to so frequently to cross the road, but you do have to 'validate' your ticket before you board. There are huge signs threatening a massive fine should you not have a validated ticket but I have seen plenty of people just jump on board without even thinking about purchasing a ticket.
Eventually once out of the city, the train wasn't quite so packed but soon enough I had hit Irini and the Olympic Stadium. Unlike in England where our plan for the London 2012 games is to use a large portion of the city, most of the Olympic village and its stadia are located in one place. You can see most of the stadia as soon as you climb of the train, and to be honest once you get down at ground level it looks pretty spectacular. Even though it's only seven years since Athens hosted the Olympics in 2004, I would imagine that large sections of the area are now unused.
Walking around the first thing I came upon was the velodrome. Unlike in Korea where everything was just 'open' to walk around in, the doors were bolted but sneaking a peak through the window I could see a few people inside training. Walking around a bit further I found the swimming pools. One was obviously a training area, and again there were a few people in there but the main pool was totally empty (of people, not of water.) Sliding a very flimsy metal barrier to one side (remember I have previous with going inside Olympic Stadiums, particularly abroad!) I was able to take a quick walk around the outdoor swimming area before leaving without a trace.
In the middle of the village there was a huge indoor hall which I presume was used for basketball, netball etc... so it's probably where Team USA somehow got it handed to them by Spain seven years ago. It's often strange to think in such empty surroundings how in the past famous feet would have been walking all around the areas where I was visiting today.
Last but not least I came to a rather familiar sight which is the Spiros Louis, which is the Olympic Stadium, and also where Greek team Panathinaikos play their home games. The stadium looks pretty immense from the outside, and it is very original so I took plenty of photos before heading back to the Metro Station to get the train.
The last place I had planned to head today was to Mount Lykavittos, which as the name suggests is a mountain situated at the centre of Athens and provides excellent views of the surrounding area. Lykavittos is pretty easy to spot from the ground because it has a small white church, named St George's which, makes the peak very easy to spot.
I caught the train back to Akropolis Station which is at the East side of the great monument and close to the Temple of Zeus that I visited yesterday. Following the guidebooks directions I managed to make it to the side of Lykavittos from the Acropolis and then it was a case of following some staircases to get to the foot of the hill. There was a road up to the top, and also the option to catch a funicular (think an outdoor lift) to get you to the summit. I followed some unofficial man made paths to get up the side before eventually joining on with the actual path which by now had become very windy.
At about half way up, even before I had started to climb onto the rock bit of the mountain, the views I was seeing were pretty spectacular. I continued to ascend, stopping every flight of stairs or so to take a picture of my improved very. Two things stand out very obviously from up at that height; the Acropolis and the Olympic Stadium. I think this is probably because they are both huge structures and both made of marble so at sunset when I was climbing up they are certain to catch your eye.
Once you get right to the top, the view is what can only be described as one of the greatest I have seen in my short lift. Athens seems to stretch for miles around and in one direction you have mountains, another there are houses, another monuments, and behind all there there is a view of port of Piraeus and the sea. I could literally have stood up there all day and not got bored of that view.
The sun was still setting at this point so I headed across to another part of the mountain for a different view before returning to the perfect church setting to watch the sun completely disappear behind the Acropolis and the mountains to the west.
As I climbed down, still with the view in mind, it was possible to see the twinkling of little lights coming on all across the city. Several of the postcards I have brought show the view of the Acropolis at night and I was eager to see that it looked like with my own eyes. As I got back to ground level it was becoming dark but the great monument at the centre of the city was out of my view for the time being.
I walked my way past the familiar setting of the stadium and the Temple of Zeus which both looked extremely good illuminated. Grabbing my attention as it always has done since I came here, the Acropolis soon came into view and it wasn't long before I was snapping away and looking for a way to get some elevation to get some good pictures.
Heading back to the sight of my first evenings 'conquest' I climbed back up Akropolis Hill for a great view of the centre of the city, and one of the few things I have seen that has amazed me whilst traveling. I stayed there for half an hour or so, on top of the deserted hill looking out for miles and miles around as cars and people carried on with their evening routines.
Soon I started to become absolutely freezing so I decided it was time to get some dinner and head back to the hotel. Walking through Athens during the day and at night are two polar opposites. The hustle and bustle is still there, but there seem to be a lot more people hanging around and doing business during the evening whilst those who have been busy in offices and shops all around the city are enjoying time with their family.
As I walked back, I started to think about how Athens has grown on me since I arrived. On my first evening here it seemed like quite an intimidating place, but as I have spent time here I have enjoyed exploring and seeing what this city has to offer. Athens has always been high up on my list of 'must visit destinations' and I am glad that I finally made it here after 26 years.
I leave tomorrow with mixed emotions, pleased to be returning to the familiarity of home but also sad to be leaving behind such a historic, varied and enjoyable country. Both Athens and Barcelona have given me plenty of happy memories to take back to England with me, and I would not hesitate to recommend either destination to anyone who was unsure about whether to visit.
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