Athens: A Full Belly Among The Ruins
By Chase A. Wolf
Athens: Labors of Herakles at the Temple of Hephaestus
Chase’s Log 3.20.2010. Parting with my wonderful Ukrainian she-devil of a girlfriend, Nastia, at the Istanbul airport, I said a quick prayer to the Gods of Air Travel to not torment me as they have so many times in the past and boarded the plane for a short hop to Athens, Greece. Apparently, their attention was elsewhere – no doubt bedeviling someone else – and the flight was actually quite nice. A little snooze and I awoke as we began our descent to a breathtaking view of the ancient, low-rise sprawl known as Athens.
Athens from the Acropolis
I really like Greece, especially its people, who are delightful, friendly and helpful, and who exude a kind of joy of life not found in all the places I visit. Everyone is especially helpful to a struggling traveler. Even those who demonstrate in the streets or seem somehow less nonchalant than their countrymen, still radiate a certain warmth and charm. Great people.
Greece, for those of you who don’t follow financial matters too closely, is in a bit of a financial pickle and some are predicting they’ll default on their national debt. As a result, the Greek government – along with Portugal and Italy and Spain – has agreed to drastically cut back public expenditures. Home Office, a keen student of history, claims these are just the initial tremors before the collapse of the silliness known as the “European Union” – as if countries who have been trying to invade and conquer each other for hundreds of years are suddenly going to join hands and sing Kum-By-Ya – especially when it comes time to start bailing each other out financially. But then, Home Office is half-British and genetically predisposed to such views about all things Continental.
King George Palace Hotel
Why is the above important to me now? Well, the taxi driver who picked me up at the airport told me it’s lucky I arrived today because tomorrow the airport would be closed due to a general strike by public employees. He also suggested I confirm that things are back to normal – whatever that means in Greece – before I depart. And, as he dropped me off at my hotel, The King George Palace, he said, “the square here is where the biggest demonstration will be” – and then I was enveloped in the smoke of burning tires as he laid rubber, laughing heartily as he sped off. Huh? Demonstrations?
The King George Palace is a boutique-style place and typically European – old, small, charming and beautiful. Shrugging off the taxi driver’s warnings, I trotted jauntily to the desk to check in. Somewhere, the Travel Gods were snickering like middle-school brats as they sprung their latest prank on me. Owing to a “misunderstanding” with Expedia, the clerk informed me that I had pre-paid for three rooms. Seeing the blood drain from my face and my eyeballs start to roll up in my head, he quickly called the Manager Panagiotis Tsouprakakos, who informed me without much concern that his wife works for Expedia and he’s certain things can be worked out – and eventually, they were. Excellent host that he was, he asked me if I would mind waiting an hour so he could arrange a suite to make up for this misunderstanding. The Travel Gods, obviously having enjoyed their jest, decided to show some mercy – for the time being. The suite was huge and there was a complimentary bottle of delicious red wine awaiting me. A first-class gentleman, Panagiotis was.
Elvis, my server and I at Spondi
I only had a couple of Global Shopping Adventures meetings in Athens, so I asked the concierge, Stefanos, for a dining suggestion. He recommended Spondi for French-style cuisine – but was I aware that people eat late in Athens? My stomach rumbled its lack of concern for such dining conventions in response.
Having travelled from Istanbul and not eaten much all day, I arrived at Spondi “early” at 8:00 p.m., ravenous and ready to digest my own stomach – which the delicate aroma of French cooking wafting from the kitchen only exacerbated. The restaurant occupies an elegant former residence, and after being seated by the Captain/Sommelier, Elvis Ziakos, I was surprised with a complimentary appetizer. It was amazingly delicious. I also asked Elvis to bring me his choice of red wine – it was spectacular!
Chef Arnaud and I at Spondi
Elvis told me that most good Greek wine is small batch and not for export. I could go on for pages describing what was perhaps one of the best meals I’ve had on my many journeys, but I’ll refrain. I met the Chef, Arnaud Bignon, and learned the restaurant is named one of the world’s best by Michelin, earning its second Michelin Star in 2008, and was named the 61st best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine. Elvis also treated me to a glass of wonderful white wine with my complimentary dessert. By the way, the menu, though owing its origins to French cuisine, has decidedly absorbed the influence of Greece. Thoroughly satiated, I waddled back to the hotel and collapsed in my bed.
I only had a dinner meeting the second night, so I spent much of the day exploring on foot. I managed to leave the hotel before the demonstrations began, but I noticed bus loads of riot police entering the square from all directions, batons and shields at the ready. Hmmm – I could use a good tear gassing – but I decide to move along and explore the city a little.
Temple of Olympian Zeus
I first stopped at the Temple of Olympian Zeus – not much left of it now but what’s there is absolutely enormous. It was started in the 6th century BC by the Greeks, but not finished for 650 years – and by a Roman emperor, Hadrian, who, of course, built a massive statue of himself behind the temple so the Athenians could thank him for his generosity. As happened to the great buildings of ancient Rome after its collapse, the Temple of Zeus was also used as a materials quarry for medieval homes in Athens and now only fifteen of the original columns stand. However, I read that in 2007, a group of Hellenic neo-pagans honored Zeus in a ceremony at the temple – so I suppose there’s always a chance it’ll rise again.
Arch of Hadrian
I checked out the nearby Arch of Hadrian built in 132 A.D. – though given Hadrian’s reputation as a building emperor – as in Hadrian’s Wall in England, for example – I’m not overwhelmed by it. As fragile as it looks, it is amazing that it’s survived for so many centuries.
I wandered into the edge of the “old city” – the Plaka – with its warren of tourist shops and restaurants. Many restaurants employ callers to stand at their entrances and loudly proclaim the glories of their cuisine to entice hungry travelers passing by. My stomach grumbled at the smell of cooking lamb and I decided a little souvlaki and a Greek beer were in order. Most of the callers had the same sales rap, but I decided to reward honesty and humor and dined at a restaurant whose caller simply said, “Can I hustle you?” Why, yes – you may. The food was good and my stomach stopped complaining – for awhile.
A street scene on the way to the Acropolis
I made my way to the Acropolis of Athens – perhaps the most important ancient site in the world, at least to a Westerner – perched high above the city on a flat rocky butte. Paintings and photos of the Acropolis and the most important classical temple in the world – the Parthenon – adorn the walls of Greek restaurants all over the world. I dare any reader to find one Greek restaurant, anywhere in the world, that doesn’t bear its depiction somewhere. And, as Athens can rightfully claim to be the seat of the world’s first democracy and where classical architecture reached its perfection in the Parthenon – its existence as a national icon and source of pride for Greeks everywhere is justified. Sort of like the Alamo is to Texans. Seeing no escalator, I set out to conquer the Acropolis on foot.
On the path up to the Acropolis
Now, except for their temples, the ancient Greeks weren’t big into building in straight lines and as I make my way up, more difficult it is to see the top, and, not seeing any tourists or locals – and my efforts to summon the ghost of Socrates for directions proving futile – I finally came across a hand-made sign with an arrow to the Acropolis. Apparently, I wasn’t the first idiot to get lost here in 2,500 years!
Me at the entry to the Acropolis
It must have been an awe-inspiring destination for travelers of ancient times – especially when it was in its glory during the 5th century B.C. It’s amazing enough now as a ruin – yet another reason Home Office has nothing good to say about the Ottomans, who used the Parthenon as a gunpowder magazine with the predictable result that during a battle in 1687, a Venetian shell smacked into the Parthenon, blowing a good part of it up. Idiots – the building was 2,000 years old at that point and they’re storing explosive munitions in it!? And, of course, the British Lord Elgin removed a great deal of the Acropolis’s sculpture in the early 19th century – known cheekily as The Elgin Marbles. The Elgin Marbles now reside in London’s British Museum – and the Greeks and the Brits are endless arguing about their repatriation to Athens.
The Parthenon - note the scale to people!
Though in ruin now, an aggressive campaign to restore parts of the Acropolis is being undertaken by the Greek government, using marble from the same quarry that produced the original stone to match the missing pieces. But I wonder if a restored Acropolis would be like a restored Alamo: ruins are evocative precisely because they’re ruins – and I wonder if when the restoration of the Parthenon is done, the Greeks, being used to the ruins, might not say “Huh! I liked it better the other way.” I suppose they can always find some Ottomans and Venetians to start a fight and blow it up again and start all over.
The Erechtheion
But if you yearn for the completed restoration but can’t wait for the Greeks to finish the original, you can visit the recently restored 1897 full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee – yep , you read that right – Nashville. They even have a 41-foot tall gold-gilded replica of the statue of Athena Parthenos, according to Home Office, who claims to have actually seen it.
Leaving the Acropolis, I was admiring some wonderful views of the city when I heard muted roars and drums beating from a distance. Odd. Then what appeared to be bursts of smoke arose. Must be quite a party, I thought absently – forgetting about the cab driver’s warnings about today’s political demonstrations.
Temple of Hephaestus - seen from Acropolis
I wandered down to the Ancient Agora of Athens, which lies at the base of the Acropolis. The Agora, which means “marketplace” served as such for the Greeks, and as a residential area for the later Romans and Byzantines. The Agora has two remarkable structures – the Stoa of Attalos which was destroyed by the Huns in the 3rd century A.D., but faithfully restored in the early 1950’s. It now houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora.
Temple of Hephaestus
The other, even more interesting structure, however, was the Temple of Hephaestus, which is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple in the world – owing its survival to serving as a Greek Orthodox church from the 7th century A.D., until the early 19th century, which is like – a really long time. Hephaestus, known as Vulcan to the Romans (that’s right Trekkers – that’s where the name came from), was the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, sculptors, volcanoes and fire – he was good with his hands. He was sort of the ancient God of Technology – not that they had much tehnology back then – but it was pretty much his job, and whilst the other ancient Gods were off starting wars, throwing thunderbolts, being handsome and seducing mortals, Hephaestus was homely and lame. So – I guess they built him a temple to make him feel better – I’m not sure. Home Office claims to have once spent an entire night on the steps of the Temple of Hephaestus drinking ouzo and passing out, waking up, drinking more, looking at the stars and pondering the immensity of history – until the Greek guards let the dogs loose at dawn and Home Office had to high-tail it over wall. But who really knows?
Along the ex-river - My sister the coca cola addict would love that it's everywhere
I headed back to the hotel, getting lost a few times, for a Global Shopping Adventures meeting. I found myself in a great area of shops and restaurants near a river. It was quite touristy and I heard many languages, although the default language for negotiation seemed, as always, to be English-we’re so lucky for this. I stumbled into the flea market that was packed with people. It was getting late and when I arrived back at the hotel, I noticed cracked windows and glass in the street. I asked about it at the hotel and was told the demonstration turned into a riot which the police quelled with sticks and tear gas – the Greek protestors fought back, and then the whole things turned into a party, with everybody laughing and heading to the tavernas to eat and drink beer and ouzo. Greeks.
Dimitri, me and a few libations with our meal
After my Global Shopping Adventures meeting with Dimitri – a graduate of Purdue – he and I walked to a seafood restaurant nearby called, the Seven Seas. Okay, not the most Greek or original-sounding name for a seafood restaurant – but it was bustling to the brim with people, all talking loudly with their hands while simultaneously cramming their mouth with delicious-looking platefuls of seafood. Dimitri picked the calamari, which was tiny and grilled to perfection in olive oil with lemon. Dimitri says it is unique to the area. I picked my fish – a native of the local waters – from a bed of ice and had it grilled – wonderful. Greece may have some financial issues at the moment, but the dining was great!
Cracked glass at the hotel entry door - post riots
I retired to the King George late to pack and prepare for my flight out in the morning to Rome. Home Office – and ardent supporter of reconstituting the Roman Empire – or at least the Republic – has been chattering incessantly about all the things I must do and see when I’m there. I half-listen and promise to do them all, knowing that since Rome wasn’t built in a day, it’s unlikely I’ll be able to see much of it in that time too.
Greek protestors or Mexican Power Rangers - not sure which
Belly full and happy with my time in Athens, I set the Alarm Rooster for the wee hours and readied myself for whatever the Travel Gods were surely cooking up for me.
As I read through the Greece trip blog, I heard Zorba the Greek singing in the background…what a great visual architectural adventure. As a designer I never tire of looking at wonderful examples of classical architecture,Greece being one of those places to find exquisite samples and “Thank You” Home Office for the historical factoids to accompany the pictures.