|
Athens
Redolent with mythology, smeared with grime, Athens is an affable city enlivened by outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets, parks, gardens and urban eccentrics. If you get into the Athenian mindset, you might not even notice the layer of nefos (smog) overhead.
The city may look like a concrete jungle, but beyond this off-putting veneer is a kind of dilapidated charm. Almost every house and apartment has a balcony bulging with geraniums, and many of the city's streets and squares are fringed with orange trees.
Athens is a curious blend of east and west; its raucous street vendors and colourful markets are reminiscent of Turkish bazaars, while crumbling neoclassical mansions hark back to the city's brief heyday as the 'Paris of the Mediterranean'.
Area: 428 sq km
Population: 3.7 million
Country: Greece
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2
Telephone Area Code: 21
Orientation The city is bounded on three sides by Mt Parnitha, Mt Pendeli and Mt Hymettos. Within Athens there are no less than eight hills, of which the Acropolis and Lykavittos are the most prominent. The hills provide a peaceful respite from the clamour of the city, and offer stunning views to the glistening waters of the Saronic Gulf, the city's boundary on the south side. The streets of Athens (clearly signposted in Greek and English) now meld imperceptibly into Piraeus, the city's port.
Just about everything of interest to the traveller is within a small area surrounding Plateia Syntagmatos (Syntagma Square). This area is bounded by the districts of Plaka to the south, Monastiraki to the west, Kolonaki to the east and Omonia to the north.
Plateia Syntagmatos is dominated by the old Royal Palace and is the beating heart of the business district, with luxury hotels, banks and airline offices. Plaka, nestled below the Acropolis, is the old Turkish quarter and virtually all that existed when Athens was declared the capital of independent Greece. Though Plaka is packed with tourists in high season, it's also one of the prettiest and most atmospheric areas of the city. Monastiraki is the market district and a fascinating part of town to wander. Psiri, nearby, is brimming with stylish cafes and bars and makes a great place to stop for a spot of lunch. Kolonaki, a classy residential area tucked in under Lykavittos Hill, is full of trendy boutiques, art galleries and cafes. Omonia, a grimy zone known for its pickpockets and prostitutes, is an important transport hub, especially for buses.
When to Go
Athens has a typically Mediterranean climate. In July and August, the mercury can soar to 40°C (100+°F) in the shade, but relief can found in the meltemi, a strong northerly wind that sometimes sweeps the eastern coast of mainland Greece.
back to top
Events Holidays of significance include Epiphany on 6 January, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Independence Day on 25 March, Labour Day on 1 May, Assumption Day on 15 August (celebrated with family reunions), Ohi Day on 28 October, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day (26 December).
The Greek carnival season runs the three weeks before the beginning of Lent; festivities in Athens involve eating, drinking and all-around merrymaking. Easter is the most significant festival in the Greek Orthodox calendar. The candlelit procession climbing Lykavittos Hill to the Chapel of Agios Georgos is a truly impressive sight.
Cultural events rapidly roll in come summertime. Greek folk dances are performed from mid-May to September, and a nightly son et lumière runs from April to October. But the city's biggest event is the Hellenic Festival, from mid-June to the end of September. Ancient Greek drama is performed at the Theatre of Herodes Atticus - a superb setting backed by the floodlit Acropolis. Plays run at other venues as well, and there are various classical music concerts and dance performances during the festivities.
Public Holidays
1 Jan - New Year's Day
6 Jan - Epiphany
Feb/Mar - First Sunday in Lent
25 Mar - Greek Independence Day
Mar/Apr - Good Friday
Mar/Apr - (Orthodox) Easter Sunday
1 May - Spring Festival/Labour Day
15 Aug - Feast of the Assumption
28 Oct - Ohi Day
25 Dec - Christmas Day
26 Dec - St Stephen's Day
back to top
Attractions
Acropolis
The Acropolis stands sentinel over Athens. The city was once a showcase of colossal buildings, lavishly coloured and gilded, and of gargantuan statues, some of bronze, others of marble plated with gold and encrusted with precious stones. Now in ruins, the cool grandeur of the bare marble is still breathtaking. Pericles set about transforming the Acropolis into a city of temples after being informed by the Delphic oracle in 510 BC that it should become a province of the gods. Crowning the Acropolis, unsurpassed in grace and harmony, the Parthenon is the largest Doric temple ever completed in Greece, the only one built completely (apart from its wooden roof) of Pentelic marble.
The Parthenon had a dual purpose - to house the giant statue of Athena commissioned by Pericles and to serve as the treasury for the tribute money that had been moved from Delos. It was built on the site of four earlier temples, all dedicated to the worship of Athena.
Beside the Parthenon is the Erechtheion, immediately recognisable for its much-photographed Caryatids, the six maidens who take the place of columns. The Acropolis Museum houses a collection of sculptures and reliefs from the site.
back to top Ancient Agora
The Agora (market) was the focal point of administrative, commercial, political and social activity back in the old days. All roads led to this bustling and crowded place, where Socrates could be heard expounding his philosophy and, later, where St Paul disputed daily in an attempt to win converts to Christianity.
A good place to begin an exploration of the site is in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos, originally built between 159 and 138BC; its expensive shops were a popular stamping ground for moneyed Athenians.
In the vicinity is the Agora Museum, where there's a model of the Agora upstairs along with a collection of finds from the site. The Temple of Hephaestus, on the western edge of the Agora, dates from 449BC and is the best-preserved Doric temple in Greece.
To the northeast of the temple are the foundations of the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios, one of the places where Socrates spoke to the masses.
Near the southern entrance of the market is the Church of the Holy Apostles which was built in the early 11th century to commemorate St Paul and his teachings. Have a look at the Byzantine frescoes inside.
back to top Benaki Museum
This establishment was born in 1931, when Antoine Benaki turned his family house into a museum and presented it to Greece. It houses a sumptuous and eclectic collection from Europe and Asia, including Bronze Age finds from Mycenae and Thessaly, and ecclesiastical furniture brought from Asia Minor by refugees.
It's the oldest museum in Greece and ranks among its best. More than 20,000 items are on display chronologically over four levels, beginning with prehistory to the formation of the modern Greek state. It has an excellent Byzantine collection and a gallery focusing on the development of Hellenism during foreign domination. The spectrum of Greek cultural history is covered, including Karaghiozi shadow puppets, a stunning array of costumes, jewellery, textiles, and paintings, including early works by El Greco.
The antiquities collection includes Bronze-age finds from Mycenae and Thessaly and Cycladic pottery, while the Egyptian collection includes fayum Greco-Roman funerary portraits. Benaki's heart is immured inside the Museum's entrance, but the soul of Greece is well-enshrined in his gift to the country.
National Archaeological Museum
Despite all the pilfering by foreign archaeologists in the 19th century, this museum still has the world's best collection of Greek antiquities. The dated premises, complete with faded handwritten labels and guidebooks that have remained unchanged for years, has been closed and should open, clean and comprehensively upgraded, in time for the 2004 Olympics.
Straight ahead from the entrance foyer is the museum's tour de force, the Hall of Mycenaean Antiquities, which is filled with gleaming gold. The star attraction is the Mask of Agamemnon.
The Neolithic Collection includes finds from Thessaly, as well as pottery, figurines and jewellery from Troy. The Cycladic Collection includes a lifesize Cycladic figurine from Amorgos (the largest ever found), while other rooms hold archaic, classical, late classical, Hellenistic and Roman period sculpture, bronze and pottery.
Other exquisite objects of antiquity include elaborately decorated mummy cases. Of particular note is the Thira Exhibition, consisting of spectacular Minoan frescoes unearthed at Akrotiri on the island of Santorini.
Other masterpieces include a marble statue from Delos of Aphrodite with Pan and Eros circa 100BC, and a bronze statue believed to be Poseidon or Zeus dated to 460BC. There is also an amusing sculpture of Aphrodite raising her sandal to ward off the frisky Pan.
back to top National Gardens
The delightfully shady National Gardens, featuring subtropical trees, winding paths and ornamental ponds with waterfowl, are a nice refuge from the heat of the summer months. Besides the exhibits of the Botanical Museum, there's also a cafe which makes a pleasant spot for a break.
They were formerly of royal status and were designed by Queen Amalia. The Botanical Museum houses interesting drawings, paintings and photographs. A day spent here will refresh your eyes and lungs for another bout with the Athens streets.
Roman Agora & Tower of the Winds
Under Roman rule, Athens' civic centre was moved to the Roman Agora, the partly excavated site of which features a 1st-century, 68-seat public latrine. Though little more than a heap of rubble to the average eye, the site does hold an interesting nugget or two.
The entrance is through the well-preserved Gate of Athena Archegetis, flanked by four Doric columns. To the right of the entrance are foundations of a 1st-century public latrine, and in the southeast area are the foundations of a propylon and a row of shops.
The octagonal marble Tower of Winds, built in the 1st century BC by Syrian astronomer Andronicus, was several monuments in one: it served as a sundial, weather vane, water clock and compass. Each side of the monument represents a compass point and has a relief of a figure floating through the air, depicting the wind associated with that point. The weather vane, which disappeared long ago, was a bronze Triton that revolved upon the top of the tower.
back to top The Keramikos
The Keramikos was the city's cemetery from the 12th century BC to Roman times. It was discovered in 1861 during the construction of Pireos (the street that leads to Piraeus). Remains still stand of the city wall, which was built by Themistocles in 479 BC and rebuilt by Konon in 394 BC. The wall is broken by the foundations of the Sacred Gate, through which pilgrims from Eleusis entered the city during the annual Eleusian procession, and the Dipylon Gate, which was the city's main entrance. It was also the top spot for prostitutes, who touted their services to jaded travellers. Heading away from the city, the Street of Tombs consists of an astonishing array of funerary monuments, and their bas-reliefs call for a close look. This avenue was reserved for the city's prominent citizens, while the ordinary folk were buried in the bordering areas. To the left of the Keramikos, the Oberlaender Museum displays stelae and sculpture from the site, as well as an impressive collection of vases and terracotta figurines.
Theatre of Dionysos
The enormous dimensions of the Theatre of Dionysos give testament to the importance of theatre in the life of the Athenian city-state. The first theatre on this site was a timber affair erected in the 6th century BC, where goatskin-clad performers sang and danced during the annual festival in Dionysus' honour.
During the golden age of the 5th century BC, dramas by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Aristophanes were commissioned for the Festival of Great Dionysia.
The theatre, on the Acropolis' southeastern slope, was reconstructed in stone and marble by Lycurgus between 342 and 326BC. The auditorium could seat 17,000; of an original 64 tiers of seats, about 20 tiers still survive. The 2nd-century reliefs at the rear of the stage depict the exploits of Dionysos. The two hefty, hunched-up selini were worshippers of the mythical Selinos - he of the oversized phallus - who charged up mountains in lecherous pursuit of nymphs. He mentored Dionysos with whatever energy he had left over. back to top
|
