Good morning Athens!After an amazing 14 hours sleep i awoke at approximately 6am and ventured outside, where the cold quickly drove me back inside and back to bed. An hour later i remerge from state of slumber, feeling excited anxious and a tad apprehensive about just what one of the greatest learning centers of the ancient world would have in store for me.
Breakfast that day consisted of bacon and eggs (2.5 euro) a complimentary cup of coffee and of course the best part, charming company. Alicia, world traveller, american, recently arrived from India was a great company and considering that her circumstances and my own where quite similar, no small relief. After debating with myself over the benefits that a 12 euro walking tour could give over following the lonely planet guide tour i was eventually convinced by a charming smile and no small amount of guilt tripping to take the tour. Best 12 euro i'll think i'll spend.
The Plaka is quite simply charmingly cliched, coffee shops and taverns line the narrow roads each of them serviced by an army of middle aged gentlemen desperately trying to convince that their (insert shop type here) is better than (insert brothers name) down the road. The aroma's of freshly brewed coffee and hot bread straight from the oven combined with the charming simplicity of the entire area could make one forget about the so called modern world that was literally only one street away.
Anyway enough with the modern culture, today was a day about exploration and education of the classics. A day when a simple traveler from the land down under would have the opportunity to sit down in a marble chair and wax, lament and ponder the greatest questions of life with the likes of aristotle and Socrates, Yell from the top of the speaking rock and walk the abandon temples dedicated to ancient deities long since forgotten.
After convincing the ticket agent that my ISIC (international Students Assoctation Card) was in fact valid (Which it is buy the way) and that the Queensland University Of Technology is in fact in England i was given an unlimited weeks pass to al of the ruins in Athens (Apparently European students from any country and any university are given free entry). After visiting both of the Agora's (Marketplace) we arrived at what has to be the one monument that simply screams to the rest of the world this is greece! The Parthenon. Housed in the Acropolis (high city), The virgins apartment was the largest temple ever to be completed in Greece. It had two purposes, one being to house the solid gold 10 meter high statue to the goddess Athena and second being the nations treasury.
The view from the acropolis is completely breathtaking and words cannot do it justice. When walking up the marble steps and through those ancient columns you can't help but realize that your walking through history. The striking contrasts from the ancient sandstone and marble ruins overlooking the olympic stadium and the sprawling concrete jungle that is athens strikes awe into the heart. This city has history that is measured in the thousands of years and my boots are tracing the same path that many of the worlds most powerful and influential men was walked. It was a truely humbling experience.
Back down the the Panathenaic way and through Athens gardens we arrived outside the tomb of the unknown warrior just in time for the changing of the guard. I always wondered just why traditional greek uniforms included that ridiculous pompom on the end of their shoes. Word to the wise... never step on one. Apparently it contains a 3 inch spike, the weapon that the greeks accredit to finally winning the war of independence. When the turkish soldiers disarmed captured greek soldiers and removed their gun the greeks would wait until the turks where lulled into a false sense of security and then literally kick their captors to death.
After a visit to the national archaeological Museum and the national art gallery i arrived back at my hostel when Neil, Alicia and myself book a 6 a.m ferry trip out to the greek islands.
Anway thats the highlights!
Carpe Diem
Ralph Bragg reporting for the Age 4th Century b.c