Athens and the Climb to Mt. Olympus
Getting off a cruise ship with 4000 other people creates some issues. Although we had a bespoke car to pick us up at the terminal, so it seemed, did everyone else. We found our luggage quickly but discovered that the cruise pickup was sheer pandemonium. How we would find our driver, we had no idea. We did have a phone number, but it seemed that so many people were calling around us that the connections were spotty. Finally, we got a call from Dennis, our driver, who would get us to downtown Athens and the Intercontinental hotel, where we would spend one night. Dennis turned out to be the definition of an extravert. Funny, profane and affable, he admonished me for not having WhatsApp. Apparently, everyone in Europe uses it and Dennis wasn’t the first person to tell me this. Make sure you have it if you go. He also told us that everyone should know we were friendly if we called everyone a malaka. But I looked it up. Malaka means wanker or jerk-off, although it is used casually between friends. We opted to leave it off our greetings but appreciated the addition of a new word to our dictionary. Dennis asked us our plans and we mentioned we were only in Athens for one night, returning to the USA in the morning. He quickly arranged to get us to the airport next day so we had that problem solved.
The Intercontinental Athens is a beautiful hotel and I picked it in part because we would be able to see the Parthenon from our room. I hadn’t realized that this is very common since the Parthenon sits on a mountain top and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. But we scored an upgrade to a room with an outdoor verandah and access to the Club Lounge. We had just enough time to get our luggage to the room, and head to the lounge for coffee and snacks before our Athens tour.
We frequently use Tours By Locals when we travel. This service allows one to select from several locals who have a passion for showing tourists around their cities. We have never been disappointed and we always learn much more about a place than we would if we just following along the beaten paths. Our Athens guide was Nikolaos, and he was no exception. Our 5 hour tour was to include the Parthenon and the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium, the Hellenic Parliament, and the National Library of Greece. Bob’s request was to have an authentic Gyro and Nikolaos assured us he knew just the place.
Democracy was born in Athens around 507 BC when their forward-thinking leader Cleisthenes introduced a system of political reform called demokratia, or rule by the people. Unlike our current model (is there one?) the original did not have elected officials. Athenian citizens voted directly on laws and foreign policy. Of course, a citizen was a free adult male. No women, foreigners, children or slaves need apply. But the concept has withstood the ravages of time and is continually tweaked. I mentioned to Nikolaos that I was intrigued that Greece was the birthplace of freedom, and he quickly added an opportunity to the itinerary to see the Hellenic changing of the guard.
The changing of the Guard takes place every hour, every day, since 1868. The unit is known as the Evzones, which is a special unit of the Hellenic Army. They guard the tomb of the unknown soldier in front of the Parliament and the Presidential Mansion. It is a ceremonial event, and each soldier guards for about an hour, 3 times in total every 48 hours. They stand perfectly still until the guard changes. They work in pairs and their movements are perfectly coordinated. Nikolaos told us the men are volunteers within the army, and are chosen for their similarity of height, build, general characteristics and character. They are incredibly fit. Their movements are very slow, to protect their circulation after having stood motionless for an hour. They show no expression, even down to eye movements.
The uniform for the Evzones is hand made and every stitch has meaning. The white skirt has 400 pleated folds to represent 400 years of Ottoman occupation. The fez, or Farion is red with a black silk tuft and the Greek coat of arms and represents mourning and tears shed for freedom. The footwear, or Tsarouchia, are heavy red leather clogs with large black Pom-poms on the toes and are fitted with 120 nails on the soles for traction and to amplify their rhythmic marching. The black Pom-poms have a purpose in the snow. When you see a soldier with black Pom-poms, you know he is one of you. And the thick wool of the Pom-poms keep the toes warm. Also, they conceal small blades! Pretty darn functional for a Pom-Pom. Because the Greek Army was smaller than many of their challengers, these shoes made it seem like many more soldiers were marching toward them. They carry an American made M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle weighing over 11 pounds. Now imagine wearing this heavy uniform in the 100+ degrees and standing rigid for a solid hour. That takes some serious concentration. An additional guardsman evaluates the two guards throughout the hour to ensure their safety, provide fluids and wipe away excess sweat. The ritual is pretty amazing and if you get the chance, go see it.
The Panathenaic Stadium is composed entirely of white marble and is the only stadium like it in the world. Originally built in 330BC, its purpose was to host the first athletic games and is the first Olympic Stadium, and the Olympic flame is handed to host nations from here. The sun shining on all that marble adds another 10 degrees to the heat. Nikolaos pointed us in the direction of the Stadium and said he would meet us in about 15 minutes. It was then that we first noted his ability to appear out of nowhere when we were almost overcome by the heat.
And then it was time to go to the Parthenon and the Acropolis. I mentioned they sit on a mountain. And you have to climb up to see it. The road and the stairs are made of marble, and marble is slippery. It doesn’t sound like much. The elevation gain from the car park is around 300 feet over about a mile and a half. There is an elevator, but it is only for those who cannot walk and Nikolaos told us we would not qualify. It isn’t Mount Olympus, home of the mythical Greek gods, but to us it might well have been. The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess Athena and is considered an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and democracy. The Acropolis is an ancient citadel containing several ancient buildings including the Parthenon. So if you’re in Athens, you have to take this trek.
I am not the most fleet of foot, so walking uphill on marble is not a great idea for me. Bob is way more stable but has some cardiac issues and a pacemaker. But we were determined. And we made it to the top. In 100+ degrees. With no shade. I confess that while Bob wandered around taking pictures, I found the tiniest scrap of shade and collapsed there, certain I would die and hoping Athena would accept me as a sacrifice. But then we had to go down. Nikolaos told us to follow the marble path back down to the car park because it was forbidden to drive a car up there. If you think climbing up marble stairs is tricky, try going down. I was sure I would miss my footing and break a hip. But Bob held onto me, and we inched our way toward the bottom like the two ill advised old people that we are. After a bit, we realized we were lost. There is more than one path and they are all made of marble. Once we realized we had been walking for too long, we stopped to try to get our bearings, and a man selling handmade woven bracelets recognized our plight, gave us directions, tied a bracelet on each of our wrists, and prayed over us that we would make it back to the car safely. Then he mentioned that he usually got 5 or 10 Euros for the bracelets, and we thought that was a good deal.
We walked a few more feet and out of nowhere appeared Nikolaos! He was worried about us and talked a guard into letting him drive the car up to collect his elderly charges. Thank the gods for the old people card! We climbed in the car, swigged down 2 bottles of water, and felt very proud of ourselves.
Our next stop was the restaurant for Bob’s authentic Gyro. I can’t pronounce the name of the restaurant because it was printed with the Greek alphabet, but Bob thinks it was something like the Presidential. And the true Greek Gyro is not made of lamb. Nope. That is an international thing, and the Greeks do it their way. Pork or chicken. And fries inside! So we went with pork, and a Greek salad, which I think was the freshest salad I have ever eaten. And no lettuce. And a deliciously cold Greek beer. It was all so yummy, and the perfect reward for scaling the road to the Parthenon. We were then supposed to meet Nikolaos at a nearby square, which we couldn’t find at first, but our trusty iPhone led us safely. But where was Nikolaos? And where was the store he said he would meet us in front of? And why is everything in the Greek alphabet? Duh. But by now, we knew Nikolaos would pop up soon, and he did.
So it was back to the Intercontinental, and a few snacks from the Club. We were truly beat, and slept like the dead. But not before sitting on our veranda watching the Parthenon light up in the distance. What a terrific day.
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