Athens - Home of the Gods

We are now in the second half of summer, or tropical winter like I like to call (because even on the continent, summer is starting to feel like tropical winter) and I think it's time to talk about how my summer started.

Well, my summer started in May with a trip to Athens, home of the Gods because here is where you find most of the ancient sites of Greece.

However I have to say, for me, the highlight of this trip were the Greek men. If you thought Italians are the most flirting guys ever, wait until you meet the Greeks.

But before discussing some more about Greek men, I will talk about the city, Athens. Why the name Athens? Well, the myth says that the god Poseidon and the goddess Athena fought for who will be the patron god of the city. In the end they let the other gods decide based on a gift each would give to the city. Poseidon struck the rock of the Acropolis with its trident and water gushed, Athena stamped her foot on the ground and the world's first olive tree sprang up. Athena was the winner.

I have to say I approached this city as a conqueror. The most important spot in the city is the Acropolis. So I said, if I conquer that, I conquer everything.

But I didn't go straight for it. First I studied the surroundings, finding a spot in which I could peak on it from the distance.

Then carefree approaching it, I studied the paths that lead to it at night and the next day I started my march. Again I did not go straight for it.

I first studied and conquered the Roman Agora, located at the bottom of the mountain on which the Acropolis lies.

If I was in the second half of the first century BC, when Romans overtook Athens, conquering first the Roman Agora would be a good move, because you would make the Greeks think you are freeing them and they wouldn't suspect your eye was in fact on another prize.

The Roman Agora was built in an attempt to 'modernize' Athens, being considered also the first true commercial center of Athens. Although its construction was sponsored by Romans, the buildings architectural style was traditional Greek.

The most impressive part of this place, I found it to be the Tower of Winds - used by the people to foretell the weather.

After freeing the Greeks from the Romans (bare with me, this is my imaginary story), they took me to see the renowned Hadrian's Library, Hadrian being a big King of the Romans who built it in 122 AD. The building, I have to say it's impressive, even if it is in ruin. When you get to the entrance, first thing you will notice are the welcoming bushes of oleander.

The next thing that will catch your eye are the remains of the library building which is a Typical Roman Forum architecture style - simple and practical. This is why nature probably felt the need to compensate so oleander trees bring color from place to place.

This is where I started thinking they are on to me. I think they were testing me, to see am I with them or was I like the Romans? Again, a conqueror would do best to not wait long to get his prize, or you could lose the element of surprise. So after taking the Roman Agora and giving the Greeks the feeling I am freeing them and also visiting Hadrian's Library, I had gone straight for the Acropolis, which I have to say it's a scenery that cuts your breath. (you know how I am with rock ruins - see Lisbon Part II)

A friend told me: "When you go to the Acropolis, don't wear flip-flops". I said, of course, no way! I wore high-platform boots, but again not many people can visit Louvre on high heels, so don't try this. But my saying is "When you make a contest, make it in style".

All good and well, until I think the Greek Gods got angry and it started to rain. In my mind I said, if this is what they thrown at me, it's an easy win, rain never gets me down, you could only see me starting to dance and sing in the rain. And that is almost what I did, because I enjoyed the Acropolis under pretty heavy rain. And it's been really beautiful. On top of the Acropolis, the feeling that I got was of freedom. Looking at the remains, my mind played scenes from the Legends of Olympus, with the heroes fighting unjust measures taken by Gods, with other Gods backing them up and in the end becoming all friends.

Looking from the distance or reading bits of information about the Acropolis, I did not understand exactly what to expect. The Parthenon and this whole site is dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron god of the city, who as I told you was picked by the Gods in the contest with Poseidon.

The site consists of 4 main parts: the Parthenon, the Propylaia (main entrance), the Erectheion (the building with the statues) and the Temple of Athena Nike (on top of the Propylaia - see below). The Parthenon is undergoing restoration works, so you will see lots of machinery inside it.

Well with all this said I have to confess no battle was lost or won, I made peace with Athena and we became good friends and I think this is a proper end for a day.

The moment the sun set up, I decided I would do a little bit more researching on the ancient Greek lifestyle. If you want to know how ancient Greeks lived, what decorations they used in their homes, what jewelry the women or men wore, the Ancient Agora is what you want to check.

The Ancient Agora site currently looks like a big park with the Ancient Agora Museum and the Temple of Hephaestus guarding its surroundings.

The Ancient Agora Museum is host to a lot of old Greek statues which were the inspiration for most of the big artists we know. If you study art, the Ancient Agora Museum is a must see place for you.

Strolling through the Ancient Agora, my next stop was at the Temple of Hephaestus. Hephaestus was the patron god of metal working, craftsmanship, and fire. The temple is one of the best preserved Greek temples. It also served as a Greek Orthodox church from the 7th century until 1834.

After visiting the Ancient Agora, I would recommend to stop for lunch at the near by restaurants, trust me even if you are not hungry, freshly grilled octopus smell will open your appetite. The restaurant I would recommend is Diodos. It is situated just on front of the main exist from the Ancient Agora.

The food is great, they have really good octopus served by really good looking Greek men. So just follow the Octopus smell and spot the handsome Greeks. They will also give dessert and some really interesting drink made of warm wine with honey called Enomelo. I would have stayed longer here cause I really enjoyed it, but Zeus was waiting for me..

So I think you guessed which was my next stop, the Temple of Zeus in Athens.

From the original 104 colossal columns, only 10 remain standing today. The construction to this temple started in the 6th century BC and was finished in the 2nd century AD during the rule of Emperor Hadrian, almost 300 years later. It also had a short life, its ruin starting in the 3rd century AD.

Here is where I made peace with Zeus, he promised no more raining and thundering. I have to say his promise was short lived..

The next day has been a pause from visiting and just did shopping. I think I developed a weakness for Greek pottery and shoes. Definitely try to visit the Bazaar which is very close to the main sites and where you will find really good deals.

After a long session of shopping, treat your self with another good meal and if you want to try a different kind of desert, I suggest to try something specific here, a kind of patisserie with feta cheese and honey. It's really good, you won't regret.

Coming shortly to the end of the trip, my last day in Athens has been dedicated to the sea. Not having time to take a ferry to any of the islands, I just took the metro and then the bus to Piraeus. Of course it does not compare with the islands, but it has sand and sea and that was pretty enough for me.

Also the port is pretty nice, with a lot of luxurious cruise ships.

So yeah, Athens is pretty great, I would like to come back as there are still places I haven't seen and definitely for shopping.

Now, I know I promised to also speak about the highlight, the Greek men.

We all know Greeks are good looking, but what I found most appealing at them was their manly attitude. As I said in a previous article, we are now at a phase in which because of the sex equality, man are starting to loose their manhood attitude (if you want to read the previous article click here), but not Greeks, a big bravo to them, they're an example to all the men. Why I say that? Most people would say look at the Greeks, they're lazy, look at how in debt they are. That is not true, they're not in debt because they don't work, they are really hard working and will always go that step forward to give a good service. Anyway, this is related to both the men and the women, but it is also a factor in why I felt the men are really manly. What other? Well, it's a little bit difficult to put into words, if you know a real Greek you would understand exactly what I am talking about. It's their attitude, of both pride and humiliation , a strength that does not need to show off. Also their flirting is almost never too much, they do it naturally, never insisting, always in a respectful manner, never losing their strength and vigor through it. Also I will give a big bravo to the Greek women, they are strong women and I think they are also one of the reasons men here are still manly.

Thank you Athens! It's been a great, beautiful adventure!