A week through history: Athens, Agistri Island, and Galataki village

I have, for a long time, always wanted to travel to Greece. Asides from wanting to visit my relatives there, I also had  a yearning to explore the ancient sites. Florent and I had discussed in length of our trip to Athens, but when the time finally arrived, we were both unsure of how it would go. Through a series of long and detailed messages between my relatives, we were recommended many sites and places to explore and were offered a home to stay, located in the heart of Athens.

Our first stop was the New Acropolis Museum where we learned about the history of the Parthenon which began in 447 BC and read extensively about how it was built and the destruction that it went through with the invasion of the Ottomans and the Venetian Empire. It has been used for many things including a temple for Athena, a Christian church, and a mosque. It sits on top of the Acropolis hill, standing tall as a symbol of Greece, overlooking the city of Athens. The day that we went, it was incredibly hot and of course, full of tourists, but the line went by fast. The best thing about traveling in Greece as a student is that everything is half price, but if you are a European student then your entrance is free.

Down the southwest slope of the Acropolis was the theater of Odeon of Herodes Atticus. A truly impressive theater made out of stone. Little did we know that the band that was practicing was preparing for a performance that evening and we would later find out that shows are often performed there during the summer. On the other side of the slope was the theater of Dionysus.

With our multi-ticket pass, we went to the Ancient Agora and walked through the museum in the reconstructed stoa. The Ancient Agora was a gathering place for people to assemble for military and political purposes, to philosophize, to  and later on, it was used as a marketplace to sell goods and trade. Most of the site was in ruins, but there was one that remained mostly intact, Temple of Hephaistos; the best and most preserved temple in Greece. We escaped the heat under some trees and unexpectedly saw a tortoise just walking around, also enjoying the beauty of the temple.

We became very hungry and ate out at one of the tourist restaurant trips in the city where the host stands outside, doing anything he can to get you to dine there. It was not the best food, I had salmon and Florent had the traditional moussaka. We stayed in the city, not wanting to return home and then back to the city again and walked around the Plaka District. Plaka is the "old town" of Athens and there are many many shops and restaurants around this area. Later that evening, we bought tickets for the Jason Bourne moving starring Matt Damon and had our very first outdoor movie theater experience! It was such a delight to be under the stars in the hot summer night, watching a movie. Although the actual film wasn't anything spectacular, the experience itself was worth everything and a big part of the city was actually filmed in Athens!

Day 2
A later start than our first day here, we went back to Hadrian's Library (the previous day it was closed) which I must say was a bit of a disappointment for me. I had assumed that there would be more to it but didn't have any knowledge of what it was. Then I learned that it was built in 132 AD and that much of it had been destroyed during the Herulian invasion. We circled back to the Gate of Hadrian and behind it was the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The most interesting thing about Hadrian's Gate, besides its tall demeanor, is the two different inscriptions on the arch. One side reads: ΑΙΔ' ΕIΣΙΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ Η ΠΡΙΝ ΠΟΛΙΣ which means "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus". While the other inscription says, ΑΙΔE ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΥ ΚΟΥΧI ΘΗΣΕΩΣ ΠΟΛΙΣ, meaning: "This is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus". The Temple of Olympian Zeus began its construction in the 6th century B.C. and was, of course, dedicated to the Zeus. Beside the temple is a fallen down column that had collapsed in 1852 from heavy wind. It lays there, with all of its pieces next to it, providing us with its history. A few blocks away was the Panathenaic Stadium. This Stadium is the only stadium in the world built entirely out of marbles. We were given free audio guides with our tickets. It is where the Olympics began in 1896 and revived again in 2004. It was given a generous donation to be rebuilt and seats over 50,000 people. We learned, through the guide, that in the vault of the stadium was a cave where young Athenians would do rituals of dancing naked in hopes of finding good husbands.

We returned to the beautiful home that we were staying in and rested for a bit before taking off again. Our next destination was not only highly recommended, but insisted. Without any reservations, we acted confident and walked through the bougie filled Hilton hotel to the Galaxy Rooftop Bar that had a view described as being "something unreal". And it certainly was. We each ordered a glass of wine which totaled to 16 euros, enjoying each sip and the breathtaking view. While there, we met a young traveler from Seattle, Washington who had just landed in Athens with his fiance. It felt odd meeting someone so close to home who I identified with but didn't. This time, we researched restaurants and ate out at one that was one of my aunt's favorite classical Greek restaurant. I had stuffed tomatoes, a traditional dish, and Florent had lamb.

Day 3

Our last day in Athens, it started at 6 AM. I had wanted to climb the Lykavittos hills to catch the sunrise at 7. At the top of the hill was the famous Saint George church. We were not alone in this excursion as many people had similar ideas. From the highest point in Athens, we watched as the sun shined over the city slowly. After a much-needed nap, we spent 3 hours in the Cycladic Museum, locating only a block away from the house. This museum was well put together with endless explanations of the Cycladic period, the life of an Athenian during the ancient times, and ancient Greek art.

Our next excursion was the theater which we discovered was one that we had actually already been through. So instead we walked through the Monaki district with more shops and cafes and bought some Greek beer to watch the sunset on the rock with yet another great view of Athens. The city has so many accessible viewpoints.



After walking through the shops for several hours, our hunger got the best of us and we stopped for some quick snacks at a restaurant. The Greek salad came with a block of feta and our dinner was accompanied with a loaf of bread.

Day 4
This day was dedicated to an island. We had chosen Agistri for its close proximity and quiet peaceful nature. On the way there, we had to take the bus, followed by the metro to get to the Piraeus port. This was our first time using the public transportation system because we had been walking everywhere. When we got on, a girl, speaking Greek to the bus driver, was clearly upset about something and for 5 minutes, we were stuck on the bus. Finally, he opened the doors and outside were some type of small parade. The men of the Parliament, dressed in traditional outfits were marching and doing a trained routine.

Finally, we made it to the port, bought some sandwiches for the day and was off to Agistri. We took a flying dolphin, a cheap and fast way to travel. If you ever experience this, you will know why it is called a flying dolphin. The boat goes so fast that it feels like you are skimming through the surface, as if on a dolphin. 

The day was spent at the beach with warm, clear, beautiful waves. Unfortunately, we returned too late to see a show at the theater.


Day 5 & 6
We bought the wrong train tickets to the Galataki village where I would meet up with Chris, my relative to stay for our last 2 days in Greece. Thankfully we were not fined and only asked to pay the price of the actual tickets. Upon our arrival, Chris met us at the train station, took us for a dip on the calmest water I have ever been in. It felt like a private getaway with very few people at the beach. She told us about the history of the village as we walked along the bridge over the Corinth Canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf together in the Aegean Sea, thus separating the Peloponnese Island and Korinthos. She was like a walking book, full of divine knowledge about the history of Greece. Chris could tell us the exact date of every invasion, of when something was built, and could explain, extensively, about the importance of a particular archaeological site. It was inspiring to see her get so excited about a particular subject. We were very blessed to be in her presence.

After lunch at her cute home in the village and meeting the animals, 2 kittens that she had rescued in Athens and a french dog, she drove us to the village of Nemea where we explored 2 ancient sites that were being restored by the UC Berkley Professor Stephen Miller. The first was the Nemea Stadium where the Panhellenic Games was held. As a way to bring in money and to revive the traditions, a rendition of the event is held here every 4 years. Travelers, professors, and people from all over travel to Nemea to celebrate the ancient Panhellenic Games and the 1st place winners are awarded with a celery wreath, the plant of Nemea. The second site that was also being restored was another Temple of Zeus (Nemean Zeus). This was the place where athletes bathe, dined and stayed for the games. Later that evening, she drove us to the top of AkroKorinthos where we had a view of the town and saw the long and never ending fortress. It was built to keep away the franks and the Turks. Almost 2,000 meters long, its location provides the perfect view for any attackers. While many have tried, no one was able to surpass the 3 different gates.

The next day we visited the Theater of Asklepios at Epidaurus and walked through the ruins. Asklepios was the God of Medicine and legend says that his patients were given some type of ecstasy pill where they would dream of the cure to their illness. In the dream, Asklepios would visit them and cure them. The theater was beautiful with incredible acoustics, the sound of a penny dropping on the main stage could be heard from the top of the stage. The Greeks really knew where to construct their buildings. Everywhere that we had been, there was a spectacular view and the cervature of the land was used as a part of the design. We ended our trip at the town of Nafplio where we enjoyed our last delicious traditional Greek food. Florent had some rabbit, a famous dish here, and I had emam. The weather forecast predicted rain and before long, it was pouring. For the first time since May, rain watered the streets and plants of Greece. Chris was delighted that her plants and trees were finally getting some water after a very dry Summer.

 At the top of Nafplio sits another fortress, much more preserved than the one we saw yesterday and just as magnificent. We walked around some of the cute shops and stopped at a cafe where I tried Greek coffee. It came in its original container with the coffee grounds at the bottom of it. A strong and bitter (but good) flavor. The cafe allowed smoking indoors and even though the windows were open, I was a bit surprised. At last, we bought some Greek dessert covered in syrup called baklava and brought it home to enjoy with some Mountain Tea as the rain continued to fall.