Before all that, however, we needed to reestablish a digital connection to the world, so we sought out the closest café with wi-fi. Drinking frappés and sharing a "tost"(grilled cheese with ham & tomato), we tried to get our email accounts and blog caught up. Two hours later, we found a stopping point and threw our hands up til later.
Our hotel concierge recommended taking the Metro to the Archaeological Museum, but warned about thieves and sultry characters at the Omonia Station stop. Neither of us wanted to try that landscape, so we decided to walk back to Monastiraki Square to catch a cab. On our way there, we stumbled upon a lesser-known but impressive ruin: the Loutro ton Aeridon, or "Bathhouse of the Winds."
Originally a "sundial, water clock, and weathervane, topped by a bronze Triton with a metal rod in his hand, which followed the direction of the wind." We didn't see all that jazz, but it was an attractive tower on its own!
Upon reaching Monastiraki, I expected we'd have no trouble hailing a cab to the museum. Easier said than done. All of the cabbies I spoke to there were rude or trying to hose us; the one that spoke most amicably toward me said he'd have to charge $15 just to go the 8 or so blocks past Omonia to the museum. We walked away heading north to the museum, where I figured we might have better luck with cabs. We got distracted by a few large markets--two meat, one seafood--that were active...and stinky, but interesting to watch nonetheless.
We walked on toward the next small square, and there weren't any cabs to be found, so we kept walking, until we just kind of stumbled upon Omonia Square. I felt guilty because my uncle Spiro had warned us to avoid this place, but in the early afternoon it seemed normal enough. We pushed on, warily keeping our belongings safe, but I suspect we had nothing to fear at that hour of the day.
Eventually we found the museum, an impressive edifice with a broad courtyard that sets it back from the noisy road. We began our tour on the ground floor with the vast Sculpture wing.
The museum's sculpture collection is organized to follow the development of Greek sculpture from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. There were many depictions of the famous "kouros boy" figure popular in early sculpture, as well as impressive steles and amphoras that adorned tombs in Athens. The provenance of most sculptures appeared to be Athens, Attica, Boethia, the Peloponnese, or Milos--the island we'd just vacated!
This guy needs some britches.
Towards the end of the sculpture wing, we encountered two of the museum's star attractions: Artemesian Zeus and the bronze Horse and Jockey statues. The craftsmanship required to hew ANY of these sculptures from marble or bronze is simply amazing.
Zeus or Poseidon on a cold day.
The sculpture wing deposited us back near the entrance, so we made our way to the Mycenaean Collection, which beckoned us with gold. The first exhibit you see through the doors is a display of gold artifacts, among them the famous "Death Mask of Agamemnon." We read that the mask is likely too old to have belonged to Agamemnon, but it's an enticing prospect regardless.
As we passed the first display to move further into the new wing, loud voices hailed us from all sides. Employees were none-too-tactfully clearing out the museum and closing for the day. I was bewildered; both of my trusty travel guides noted the museum did not close until 7:30pm, but a museum troll unkindly told me to read the sign up front that said otherwise.
Disappointed(Annie really looked forward to the Metals Collection of bronze works), we made our exit--me grumbling the entire way about the lost tourist dollars and tanking Grecian economy. Once outside, we walked a few blocks until successfully hailing a cab back to Monastiraki.
Once there, we decided to wander on foot until we found a nice outdoor cafe for a late lunch. We stumbled our way through Monastiraki until we happened on the Stoa of Attolos and the adjoining park with ruins of the Roman Agora. We found a nice café with good view of the Stoa and the Acropolis uphill beyond it. The sight was somewhat surreal because we could simultaneously gaze upon ruins that were thousands of years old and watch the suburban tram come barreling through at the foot of said ruins every 15-20 minutes.
After enjoying a delicious plate of gyros for lunch (more like how fajitas are served in America; dish your own ingredients onto the pita slices), we meandered our way back home the long way around the Acropolis.
The city made an excellent decision back in the 90s to construct a "Grand Promenade" of sorts--a wide, cobblestone, pedestrian walkway--around the perimeter of the Acropolis. Locals and tourists can be seen making this loop at all hours of day and night, both for sight-seeing and leisure.
We walked counter-clockwise from Monastiraki, discovering new and scenic areas of Athens. We entered the southern tip of an area called Psirri, then moved on to a really cool area called Thission which was both quiet but bustling. The promenade area was lined with outdoor cafés and great views of the Acropolis' western entrance with the Beule Gate and small Temple of Nike(Victory). There were the occasional ruins along the path, but for the most part you were just afforded a peaceful view of the Parthenon.
Above: Peaceful view ruined by blonde tourist.
As we neared our familiar neck of the woods on the southern slope of the Acropolis, we saw TV crews and crowds gathered in a park area. Annie suspected another protest, but my curiosity got the best of me so we investigated. It was actually a rally car race that seemed to be getting underway.
There was a podium that said, "Acropolis 2011: The Rally of Gods," and the various sponsored vehicles appeared to be getting penned up in formation for presentation. We ogled our fill, wondered how the cars could possibly navigate the narrow and pedestrian-saturated streets of Athens, then returned to our hotel.
After a brief afternoon nap, we decided we were still too full from lunch to require a complete meal. Annie thought we might be able to find a bakery that was still open (it was after 9pm), so I asked our hotel concierge. One of the kind bellmen took us aside and raved about a place ~8 blocks away that was delicious. He showed us on my map, so we set out in search of the Konstantinidis Patisserie.
ABOVE: These guys are ballers.
The delectable smell upon entering the store was overwhelming. Annie immediately smiled and giggled that we were in the right place. We felt like we'd entered a Willy Wonka dessert shop; everything looked delicious. A kind employee recognized our confusion gazing among the various sweets, so she helped clarify our choices. We ended up selected two of nearly every pastry made with honey--Cost: 6.5 €.
Before and After Annie ripped off the ribbon
We returned to the Divani with a couple chocolate pie samples for our doormen(they were quite grateful), then retired to our room so Annie could dive into the sweets!
We enjoyed a couple tasty treats, forced ourselves to save some for the next day, then got ready for bed. I'm sure Annie slept with visions of sugarplums dancing in her head.
Athens June 16 Album:
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| Athens: June 16, 2011 |
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Athens, Greece
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