We drove the 330 kilometers from Akritohori, in the far southwest Peloponnese, to Athens, arriving by 4 p.m. We navigated the metro to our Airbnb apartment in Theseio, at the foot of the Acropolis. Nia and I stayed here last October at a much quieter time. It has a stupdenous view of the Acropolis.
Athens, for all its endless concrete, is a city of many wonders, not just the ancient variety but layers of civilization from old to new. And a night life to rival any city in Europe.
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View south toward Aegina and the Saronic Gulf
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| Street musicians--African and European drummers |
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| Ottoman mosque at the entrance to Monastiraki |
Now the cafeneions, restaurants, and shops in the Plaka and Monastiraki--the area around the Acropolis--are in full swing. The merchants say that tourism is going gangbusters this year, after two years of Covid restrictions, with millions of visitors from Europe, Asia, North America, and,most recently, Israel.
After settling in, I set off for my usual circum-Plaka run: first up to Philopappos Hill, then to the promontory where Saint Paul addressed the Athenians.
Forty-three years after my first archaeological dig-gig, I remain astounded by this great city--both the new and the old, the insufferable and the glorious. The views of the Acropolis from various vantage points is irresistible.
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| Full frontal: the Parthenon with the ancient theater of Dionysus below |
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Part Hermes, part sweatfest
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Then I dared to run through Plaka, which was packed with tourists, which required some fancy footwork to keep from crashing into gawkers, trip down sets of marble stairs, or get obliterated by a motorcyclist or a taxi.
Ann, Nia, and I set off in the twilight for a walk through Monastiraki, reconnoitering tomorrow's shopping juncket, for which I will be a mere observer-victim.
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| Dinner table view of the temple of Hephaestus, a precursor of the Parthenon, in the ancient Agora |
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| Twenty-first-century Aphrodites--my dinner dates |
We found a quiet alleyway on the upper edges of the ancient Agora for a too-big dinner, requiring two takeaway boxes.
An early night for us--home just before midnight. Just as the night was beginning in the Plaka.
