Our Cruise - Day 4 - Athens, Greece

Athens! We had prearranged a tour for four with a top-rated tour guide we found through , Nikos Loukas, of . When Wande decided to join the cruise we tried to get her added, but Nikos did not have a van available at that late date. So, Terry, Julie, Carol and Sheila headed off in one direction, and Wande joined one of the ship’s excursions. Our tour guide was not Nikos, but another of his guides, Emmanuel, whom Nikos graciously insisted was better than he (and Emmanuel agreed, lol).

Throughout its history, Athens has been one of the most influential cities in the western world. While a bustling modern city today, Athens evokes for most of us ideals of its golden age, with beautiful temples, many gods and exotic legends. In monotheistic cultures, a singular god is immortal, omnipotent, omnipresent, and responsible for the creation of the universe and the earth. “God” is all things, in other words.

The Greeks, however, had a much more complex construct. Their mythology had many gods with divided responsibilities. Many gods were responsible for only one thing, but some had more than one duty. Zeus, for example was responsible for lightning and thunder; Poseidon for the sea and earthquakes; Priapus (Sheila, Wande, and Carol’s favorite) for potency and “abundance” (wink, wink); Athena for war, strategy, victory and handicrafts (she was quite practical); Aphrodite for erotic love, etc.

The Smithsonian lecturer on the ship said that the Greek gods were just like humans with one exception: They were immortal. They fought, lied, cheated, deceived, got drunk, committed adultery and incest and many other favorite human pastimes.

We were all excited to start the day, except for Sheila, who didn’t have time for her usual “double” cappuccino. Her sad face caught the attention of Emmanuel, our fabulous guide, who told her not to worry, and that he had a plan.

We all insisted that Carol sit in the front seat, since she was feeling a little queasy from the motion on the ship. Happy to have the catbird seat, she appreciated our altruistic gesture. Later, however, Carol probably suspected ulterior motives, as the rest of us could nod off in the back seat with impunity while Emmanuel gave his oratory. She, on the other hand, could not, sitting right next to him. At one point in the day, Carol could not hold out and Terry could see her in the rear view mirror, her eyelids drooping with futile resistance. “Wake up!” Emmanuel admonished. He even woke up Sheila, who had completely given up the ghost, her head against Julie’s shoulder as her pillow.

First stop, the Acropolis, with a tour en route of one of the town’s toniest sections, The Castile. Homes like castles dotted the Aegean coast; however, most have been transformed into luxury condos, with the original owner of the home being given the penthouse in exchange for their property.

The Acropolis, built in the 5th century BCE by Pericles, looks vast from the distance; however, once you arrive you realize the genius of the Greeks in utilizing perspective. Carol was amazed that the Acropolis is situated in the middle of Athens, surrounded by homes and traffic. A short hike up the hill landed us at the gate, where Sheila tried to negotiate with the government tour guide for a better rate (isn’t Greece home to bargaining??!) Indignant, she chastised Sheila and Julie (an innocent bystander). As Sheila skulked down the hill escaping her wrath, the guide scolded Julie with “What do you think I am, a common street person?!” Sheila stole a glance to see Julie with that look of false accusation that only a little sister can muster.

We climbed the hill to the Acropolis, which is a citadel. There are three main buildings left standing, with many others still standing in one form or another. The largest temple, the Parthenon, dedicated to Athena, is the crown of the hill. If some of you are like us and have gotten confused over the Pantheon (Rome) and Parthenon (Athens), visiting them resolves this. Short of going there, here’s a quick distinction: Pantheon is from two Greek words, pan, meaning “all,” and theios,” meaning gods. It’s a temple to all of the Roman gods. Parthenon is from the Greek parthenos, meaning “virgin.” Athena was the virgin patron of Athens.

Anyway, the Acropolis is in ruins, and is hard to imagine what it looked like in its days of grandeur. The Parthenon is a mere shell of what it once was, due to human events. The greatest destruction done to it was in the late 17th century, when the Venetians shelled it, where the Ottoman Turks inauspiciously stored their gunpowder. It exploded. The Venetians then looted many of the sculptures and destroyed others. Later came the British, who carted off most of the surviving friezes and pediments, which are now in the British Museum.

Fortunately, there still are many surviving pieces from the temple, which are on display in the Acropolis Museum in the city, which opened just a few years ago. This is a spectacular museum, and unfortunately photography is not allowed. We learned this when Terry snapped a shot of two sculptures (shown on this page) and a security guard promptly appeared and scolded him.

The Acropolis Museum is spectacular, built over the ruins of an ancient Roman city still being excavated. You can watch this in action through glass floors. Over 100 concrete pillars support the building to allow for the excavation. A wonderful surprise was on the third floor, where a huge glass wall allows a wonderful view of the Acropolis. The museum’s web site is worth visiting:. It’s in Greek, but you can select English.

Emmanuel had strategically chosen the museum for our second shop because there was a small coffee shop around the corner. Sheila finally got her double cappuccino and became more human-like. We all enjoyed cappuccinos as well, and they were delicious.

Our next major site was the Temple of Zeus from the 6th century BCE, in ruins, of course. We were anxious to see this, as we spotted it from the top of the Acropolis. It also features Hadrian’s Arch, what remains of a wall built by the Roman emperor in 131 CE to separate the old city of Athens from the new one he started.

Emmanuel then drove us to Lycabettus Hill, the highest point in Athens, which provides sweeping views of the city. It was late and time for lunch. We went to The Plaka, an ancient neighborhood situated around the slopes of the Acropolis. It’s filled with taverns, restaurants, shops, markets and ruins. Emmanuel recommended a café for us that he said made the best pita sandwiches. We devoured them and washed them down with Greek beer.

Emmanuel took a circuitous route on our way back to the ship to show us more of the city. What struck us was the graffiti; it’s everywhere: On walls, windows, doors, lamp posts, sidewalks—on anything immobile (don’t stand still too long!). The city seems to have given up on fighting it and it’s quite unsightly. Greece, like a number of European Union countries, is in a financial crisis, so it’s probably for the lack of money that it’s not cleaned up.

We finally arrived back at the ship and rejoined Wande on our balconies and shared our stories of the day. After dinner, Julie, Sheila and Terry hit the casino and enjoyed Blackjack. We were lucky, and as usual when Sheila is present, we got the table going with celebratory hoots and high-fives over victorious hands. For the first time ever in a casino, the pit boss asked us to keep it down. Are you kidding, in a casino? Apparently someone complained. Terry suggested that it was past that person’s bedtime.

Then we encountered Grumpy Guy. Julie was in a quandary about whether to hit on a 12 when the dealer was showing a three. Terry told her that some Blackjack systems recommend that you do, but to do as the spirit moved her. She hit. The guy at the end of the table lost and got angry at Terry and Julie, saying something about playing “crap hands.” Julie and Sheila pointed out that he would have lost anyway if Julie hadn’t hit, but he would have nothing of it. Terry explained that hitting in this situation is acceptable, but Grumpy Guy insisted it was not. So, Terry suggested that Grumpy Guy reread his Blackjack book, and he said it was Terry who should do that. Terry finalized the discussion by telling Grumpy Guy that if he wanted us to play under his direction, that we play with his money. In a huff, he left the table. Julie remarked, “All this fuss over a five dollar bet?” We all had a good laugh and returned to hooting and high fives.

Terry, flush with $300 in winnings, retired to the room, determined to hold onto it. Julie and Sheila stayed behind and hit the slots, where Terry’s winnings began to diminish.