Athens, Greece

Katie and I took a five day trip to Athens, which included a day trip to the island of Angistri to enjoy the quiet beaches. Being both History majors we were very excited to see the ancient ruins of the Acropolis and the other archaeological sites in Athens. We have both been to Rome and so had high expectations for the even older sites in Greece. We arrived in the afternoon and decided to get a good view of the city by hiking to the top of Lykavittos Hill. There is an old church and restaurant at the top, as well as an amphitheater for summer concerts. The hill proveded 360 degree views of the city, the Mediterranean Sea and of course Acropolis Rock, home of the Parthenon and several other temples. It was a great way to see the city. As you can see from the photo, Athens is dense and crowded. I hate to say it, but it is an ugly city. Aside from the ruins, there is no beautiful architecture and many buildings are abandoned and in severe disrepair. Although the city itself is quite safe and the people very friendly, overall I am sad to say it is the ugliest European city I have seen. In addition, unlike in Rome, the ruins are very poorly preserved. There were no crews of archaeologists working, the few workers we did see appeared to be unskilled workers moving marble fragments into various piles. Every site we saw there were countless stacks and stacks of fragments, just sitting in piles, exposed to the elements and with no apparent plans to protect or restore. It was very sad to see that these ruins are reduced to foundations and piles of fragments, unprotected from graffiti and seemingly abandoned in their various piles. Still, the Acropolis is definitely worth seeing. The Parthenon is still in fairly good shape, especially considering it was shelled while being used as a gunpowder storehouse. There were restoration projects going on at the Acropolis, and the scaffolding takes a bit of the charm away, but it seems at least there is some work being done to preserve these sites. Unfortunately archaeological and restoration projects are expensive, and given the state of the economy it is not totally surprising that things are not as well preserved as they could be, but it was a disappointment all the same.
The National Archaeological Museum was definitely a treat. My favorite exhibition was Greek sculpture. The museum has statues dating back as far as 7th century BC, and the early colossal statues that surrounded the temples look Egyptian in style, gradually moving toward more realistic and humanistic poses of the Classical period. Most statues remaining are marble but there are also impressive bronze sculptures. There was also a great deal of pottery and other more common everyday items. Knowing that Greek sculptures are in museums all over the world, and still seeing the amount that remain in Greece are a reminder of what an impressive civilization once flourished there.
We also took a short ferry ride to a nearby island to enjoy the beach. The weather was hot in Greece, although not as hot as Arizona, the beach was a welcome treat. The water was clean and turquoise and the beaches were not crowded at all. The island was very small and quiet,a true getaway so close to the bustle of Athens. I can see why the islands of Greece are a popular destination point, I could have spent more time there than we did in Athens. All in all, Greece was a little bit of a disappointment but perhaps only because my expectations were too high. I enjoyed seeing the ruins of Athens and the beaches on the island, and all of those made it worth it. Still, I have to say that the seeing the ruins in Rome was a more rewarding experience.