Athens: A Day at the Acropolis

Today, Wednesday August 17th was our first real day in Greece, and what a day it was! 

We started the day around 9:00 when we all met for breakfast on the roof of our hotel, which had incredible views of Athens in all directions. After breakfast, we boarded our bus and started our panoramic tour of the city. The first thing we learned was that the old town in Athens is centered around 3 main squares which form a triangular area. They’re called Constitution, Monastiraki, and Omonia squares. We drove towards the Acropolis, although not before seeing some historical sights such as some of the churches for minority religions like Russian Orthodox and Catholics. There is only 60,000 Catholics out of 5 million residents in Athens. We also saw the Arch of Hadrian and Temple of Zeus before arriving at the acropolis. 

The Acropolis translates to the highest point in the city, and historically was used as a last resort for Athenians if enemy’s breached their walls. We learned that the acropolis is dedicated to Athena, the goddess of war. When we arrived we could see the hill was covered in olive trees, which our tour guide explained was a way of honoring Athena. The main building on the acropolis is the Parthenon, which is dedicated to Athena as well. 

Being able to visit a sight that has seen so much history was incredible. We learned about just a few of the historical events that happened in or around the Acropolis, and they stretch back more than 2,000 years! 

From the top of the Acropolis you can see all of Athens, especially Philopopos Hill, and you can even view the Aegean Sea. We also learned that Athens geography has been a blessing and a curse, as being surrounded by water on one side and mountains on three sides protected them from invaders, but also has made it harder for them to expand the city in recent times

Besides the Parthenon, the Acropolis also has the Temple of Poseidon, the Temple of wingless victory (built after the Athenians shocked the Persians and beat them in battle) and the first olive tree planted by Athena. It was fascinating to be able to see these buildings up close for the first time, and despite seeing them in history textbooks over the years it was completely different to what I had thought it would be like, and seeing it in person allowed me to understand just how large these structures are.

After the Acropolis, we took our bus to the Panathenaic stadium, where the first modern Olympics kicked off. It was very interesting to see this location as it represents the revival of the Olympic tradition, which is one of the few things in the world almost every country participates in and enjoys. 

After the stadium we completed our tour by seeing some of the following locations: The glass marathon statue, Athens University, the Museum of war, the Byzantine art museum, the first Olympic village, the national library, the Greek commercial zone, the old industrial zone, the ancient cemetery, and finally one of the cooler locations in Athens which was the monument to the unknown solider (dedicated to anyone who died defending the country that didn’t return). We learned at the monument to the unknown soldier they wear traditional attire that includes skirts due to mountainous terrain in the area which aren’t suited for pants, heavy boots that make loud clicking noises and protect them from the elements, and a red hat that represent blood shed with a black tassel that represents greeks being ottoman slaves.

After the tour, we went back to our hotel for a few hours before having our first dinner together at a nice Greek style restaurant called the Cave of the Acropolis which had a great view of the acropolis. This was a good way to end our first day together and try some classic Greek dishes!