Athens
I started to get a little worried when the tanks rolled in. The army quickly blocked off the main road, leaving me stranded on the grounds of the Temple of Zeus. I flipped through my Lonely Planet, hoping it could tell me what was going on. I learned that Athens hadn’t seen a coup since democracy was established in 1975. So did this mean Greece was done with such things, or that they were well overdue? I asked around, and got plenty of animated answers, but, of course, it was all Greek to me. Turns out it was Greek Independence Day – celebrated March 25. If you find yourself in Athens on that day, you will be treated to an impressive parade of military might, complete with low-flying air force planes. On the down side, everything else is closed. Even if they’re not parading, whatever day you find yourself in Athens, you’ve got to check out the evzones, the fabulously attired guards outside of the parliament. With their cute little skirts and fetching pom-pom shoes, they offer a fine photo op. It is really worth hanging around for their contribution to the Ministry of Funny Walks. Once an hour, the two guards commence a deliberate, cartoonish walk towards each other, culminating in a slow game of footsies. An Athenian man who had served as an evzone in his youth, and who did not find any humour in the situation, informed me that they do this to keep limber, as they stand rigidly at guard for hours. Tourists seem to think they do it for a bit of light relief, and laugh endlessly at the well-armed soldiers, who have mercifully not yet given into the urge to launch a bayonet charge into a pack of Americans. The main sites of Athens are all packed into the ancient city, at the foot of the Acropolis, still the core of modern Athens. The Greeks, who famously had their Elgin Marbles stolen/saved by the British, didn’t take great care of their ancient city, and now a train line cuts through part of the Roman Forum. Take some time wandering the endless marbled pedestrian streets around the Acropolis to get a feel for the place. The shop keepers and restaurateurs are incredibly friendly, and will compliment you on your shirt, your hat, your posture, your stunning good looks – anything at all, in fact, to slow you down and convince you to come and check out their wares. People will try to sell you everything each second you are in Athens, so you may as well remember that nai means yes and ohi means no, and enjoy the show. As far as I can tell, there is no good time to go up the Acropolis. Unless you are there in December, it is going to boil your brain. There is not even the tiniest of shadows, and amazingly you can’t buy water inside, or take your bag with you, so make sure you have a bottle you can carry. The Parthenon (which means ‘the virgin’s apartment,” in honour of chaste Athena) is a crumbling beauty, though they are patching it up. There is no trace of the giant statue of Athena, for whom the city is named, that once filled its interior, but it is still a splendid sight. If you don’t mind looking like a bit of a weirdo, a fun thing to do is lay your head on the steps and look toward the centre – you can see the stairs bend up in the middle. This, along with having columns get smaller toward the centre, is one of the many tricks the ancient Greeks used to make their buildings look bigger. Next door is the Erechtheion. It was the main sanctuary in ancient days, the Parthenon being mostly a showpiece, and during the Ottoman rule of Greece, the Erechtheion was used as a brothel. Allow yourself a small snigger. When you start having visions of fair-eyed Athena, it is time to come down from the hill and dwell in the cool green gardens below. If you’re as big a nerd as me, this is when you find a shady spot in the corner of the Forum near the intact Temple of Hephaestus. This is where Socrates, and later Saint Paul, taught. Kick off your sandals, pull out your copy of the Crito, and listen to Socrates teach late into the warm evening, as the pink sun sets over the Acropolis.
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