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Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Sunday, October 15: We were up at 5:30 and were ready when the ferry docked at Piraeus about 6:15. Our cabin was right next to the stairs, though, and we couldn't get out for several minutes because of all the people lined up in front of our door. Some kind soul finally held up the line so we could exit. When we finally did disembark, it took a while before we spotted Ore. She was a welcome sight! She and Charlie drove us to their condominium in Glifada. We had breakfast, unpacked, and Jane washed clothes while I sorted guidebooks and souvenirs. After a big meal at noon, we caught a taxi into Athens to visit the Archeological Museum. We got there around 1:30, they started closing at 2:45, and we were chased out before 3:00. Even so, we got to see most everything we wanted to, including the murals from Akrotiri (Santorini)(16th Century B.C.), the ancient Mycenean treasures (15th & 16th Century B.C.), and the huge collection of vases. We had been to the museum before (1963, 1973 and 1983), and not much had changed since the last time. Nevertheless, we could never come to Athens without visiting the museum.
After leaving the museum, we roamed around central Athens for a while, then caught a taxi to the Acropolis. (Like the museum, it was free on Sunday.) The site had been occupied since 5000 B.C., but most of the famous buildings now on display date from the 5th Century B.C. or a little later. We had been there three times before: in 1963, 1973, and 1983.
We thought the Parthenon had deteriorated badly, even since 1983. The formerly lustrous white marble was dull and almost gray, and some of the edges seemed to have been eaten away. The restoration project that was just beginning in 1983 had made no visible improvements. In fact, the entire center of the Parthenon had been disassembled, and there was a large crane sitting inside. We were very disappointed.
It was close to 5:00 when we came down from the Acropolis. After some difficulty, we finally got a taxi back to Glifada. Apparently, few of the drivers wanted to make the long trip so late in the day because they were unlikely to get a return fare. Back at Ore's, I installed a garbage pail inside the door of the sink at her request. Bia dropped by for Eleni, who had spent the day there. We had a relaxing evening and went to bed at 10:00. Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 |
