On oranges and the color blue

The drapes in this hotel are monumental.  Seriously.  They should've been used during air raids during WWII.  I didn't wake up until nine this morning, and even then, it was only because it was strangely silent in the room.  I brushed my teeth while reading in bed, because 127 Hours Between a Rock and a Hard Place is getting seriously intense.  Like, can't put it down for the amount of time necessary to write a blog.  Well, that's not exactly true, but something close to that.

Jude and I went to breakfast because Jim and Gill like to eat early.  The restaurant of this hotel is on the 7th floor, and overlooks the entire city of Athens.  We're just about level with the Parthenon.  Not a bad view for nine in the morning, right?  Yeah, I didn't think so, either.  Breakfast was a fancy affair, with silverware, cloth napkins, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and poached eggs.  I also had some yogurt with dried fruit, and two different types of halva.  It was glorious, but filling.  I waddled back to the room and wanted to die slowly, but it wasn't meant to be.  We geared up and left in the general direction of the Acropolos.

To get to the Acropolos, which is a giant hill in the very center of Athens, we had to go through the Plaka, which was fine with me, because I needed many different things.  I quickly picked up a pair of knock-off Ray-Ban sunglasses because my last pair broke in Prague, a pretty scarf to shield my head from the burning sun (Israel taught me well!), and we'd reached the end of the Plaka.  From there, we climbed the hill to get to the Acropolos, pausing only to take pictures and complain about the hike.  It wasn't as bad as the walking has been, but I wasn't smart enough to bring water, so it got a little scary for a while.

Greeglish?

My summer home

Just some wall, and a woman

A rather pretty shot, I thought

There are quite a few churches on the road to the Parthenon

Also, stray puppies who like to sleep in the shade

And a kitty, who rules over them all

I'm constantly tempted to climb up and get oranges for my snack, but I think it's illegal or something.

A house with potential

Yummm oranges!

The church of the Metamorphosis, which has been in this spot since 1000 C.E.

Athens is HUGE

The paths are narrow and tricksy

Like I said: HUGE!  In every direction!

I also love the contrast between the modern construction and the temples built before any of the modern religions were even cults

My new look: shielded from the sun chic

A first look at the Parthenon

On the path up, there were a few little churches, but one in particular caught my eye.  It's the Church of the Metamorphosis, and is pictured above.  I don't know what it was about the place, but the moment I walked in, I knew I needed to light a candle.  I added a little bit of money into the till, picked up a small candle, and lit it from the one that was almost burnt down in the holder.  I crossed myself, and kissed the icons, which is what we do in Russian Orthodox church.  Next thing I know, the caretaker of the old building is getting my attention in Greek, and trying to explain something to me.  I'm not getting it, but my head's covered, so I don't think it's anything about disrespect. 

He points me in the direction of the back of the church, which is hidden in shadow, and urges me toward a corner in the back.  I get the hint and walk forward, only to find another place where I could've lit my candle, more icons, and a little alcove, hidden in the back of the all-stone church.  In the alcove (more like a tiny grotto with a stone stool, just large enough for one person to sit and meditate) is an icon of a woman, and a votive candle burning before her.  I know that there are people waiting for me outside, but I've lit the candle, the man showed me the alcove, and now I need to complete my ritual.  So I sat down on the stool, said a prayer, and, marveling at how cool it is within the sanctuary, promptly burst into tears.  I'm not a very devoutly Christian person, but something about the ambiance, the journey to get there, and the sacred age of the place contributed to a perfect moment in which I knew I was heard. 

Tears still on my face, I emerged into the sunlight, and put the sunglasses back on, avoiding eye contact with the caretaker of the church and the assortment of elderly Greek gentlemen with whom he sat.  I joined Gill and her parents again, and Judy started telling me about the church, and what she'd been reading about it while I prayed.  Apparently, it's been in that spot since 1000 CE, and is constantly re-built due to natural accidents, fires, etc.  There are parts of it, though, that remain from the original structure.  I'd be willing to bet that the hollowed-out room with the icon where I prayed is one of them.

From there, we continued up the Acropolos to the Parthenon.  We got our tickets, and braved the inevitable crowd of Italian tourists to see the ancient monument to Athena.  I took so many pictures it's not even funny, because the weather was beautiful and the marble has an ageless beauty to it that simply calls out in the muted voice of centuries.  I got a sense of age in Prague, where the buildings have stood for hundreds of years.  All cities in the world are young compared to Athens.

The start of the approach to the Parthenon, and the huge crowd

With an olive tree that stands to the exact specifications of The Olive Tree (the mythical one that Athena gave to the city of Athens)

Rawr!

Close-up on the Carytides

Please don't leave your gross finger oils on the priceless monument kthanx

I liked the lighting on this shot

Some pretty Ionic columns

The Parthenon

I match :-)

We descended from the Parthenon, and walked around for some time, looking for a usable WC.  I'd realized by this point that bare shoulders and no sunscreen were a bad combination, so I donned my shrug, and we went walking in search of a likely-looking restaurant.  We finally found one, with an overly friendly waiter who convinced us of the deliciousness of their open sandwiches.  Jim had baclava, which was delicious, though slightly dry.  Judy had a green salad and a chicken version of the open sandwich, followed by an iced cappuccino.  Perhaps the most delicious beverage I've sampled thus far.  Gill had a mozzarella open sandwich, and I went for the Greek salad. 

Yum!

I like sunflowers :-)

We walked along the street for a little bit after lunch, looking around for the Acropolos museum, where they store the original marble statues found around the Acropolos.  On the way there, we passed a stand with a man who sold nuts, and lollipops in the shapes of roosters.  I remember getting these in my childhood whenever my grandparents took me to the store, so I had to have one.  Gill and I took many pictures of ourselves as "cocksuckers." 

You know it's funny!

At the Acropolos museum, things got slightly more serious.  As we walked, we saw people working on something underneath the clear plexiglass floor.  Did I mention yet how happy I am that I didn't wear a dress today?  Well, I'm very happy I didn't wear a dress today, because my unmentionables would've been on display for the entire undercity of Athens to see!  Apparently, the museum, along with the city of Athens, is sponsoring an excavation underneath the museum, to show tourists what life would actually look like in an ancient Greek city.  It's very cool, but a little creepy after a while, because men are literally working on serious archeological business while you leisurely stroll through the museum looking at ancient pots and sculptures.

Sorta creepy, but still very cool

There is no picture-taking allowed in the museum, so I don't have any photos of that, but I promise it's worth the 5 Euros to go in if any of my readers ever find themselves in that situation!  The space is stunning, well-lit, and chock-full of Korei figures, some of them with chips of paint marking their original colors.  I must say that age has done good things for the Greek aesthetic.  All the ancient sculptures were painted in bright, garish, and tasteless colors as tributes for the Gods.  With time, the paint has chipped off the marble, leaving only the classic white we see today.  A marked improvement, I should say.

From the museum, we walked back to our hotel, passing through the Plaka again.  I bought a pair of leather flip-flops, which I'm very excited to wear as soon as my feet are in a manageable condition once again.  Weeks of hiking boots and walking all over everywhere has done NO favors to my pedicure.  C'est la vie.  I also did some souvenir shopping, which is long-overdue, but also troublesome, since I have limited space in my backpack for things that aren't constantly useful.

When we got back to the hotel, Gill informed me of a sauna/swimming pool in the bowels of our hotel, so all four of us got changed in record time, and mosied in that direction in our fluffy bathrobes and slippers over swimming suits.  I went straight for the steam room, which soothed my tired muscles.  The others went into the hot tub first, then joined me, and then left again.  I also did some laps in the pool, but I only brought my bikini, and it gets annoying to readjust everything after one lap, so I tired of that exercise fairly quickly.  Instead, I went back to the room, and took a leisurely bath with my book, some tea, and an apple.

After drying off and discussing logistics for the future of our adventures with Gill, it was time for dinner.  We went to a small cafe restaurant between the hotel and the Plaka.  I had some penne, and as a result can no longer lie on my stomach.  Then, we came back to the hotel, and I set to blogmakken.  And there you go!  I'm going to go read now.  :-)