A walk around tourist Athens

We spent our first full day in Athens walking around the maim tourist neighborhoods of Plaka, Anafiotias and Monastiriaki, following a audio guide narrated by Rick Steves.  We began with a lazy morning, catching up on sleep, adjusting to a new time zone seven hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, breakfasting on yogurt with granola.  We did not emerge from our apartment until nearly noon.  It looked cloudy and threatening rain, but buoyed by a weather forecast that put the chances of rain as no more than 10% or 20%, we took no rain gear.

We began by checking out a small Russian Orthodox church just across Fililennon Street from the street where our apartment, the Ekklisia Agia Triada Rosiki

As we left the church to head for Syntagma Square, we learned that it was a big mistake to trust the forecast over our own eyes – it started to sprinkle rain and, within minutes, it was a hard rain.  Happily, we were but a couple of blocks from our apartment, so we went back for small fold-up umbrellas, which were needed for the next hour.

At Syntagma Square, we began to follow the Athens City Walk audio tour downloaded from the Rick Steves web site.  He took us first to the Greek Parliament building

originally built at a royal palace by the foreign kings who had ruled Greece up until the independence struggles of the early 19th century, and then until the creation of the first Greek constitution (Syntagma means constitution).  There were a pair of guard shacks in front of the building, each occupied by a single guard in a fancy uniform

The guards stand ramrod straight, staring ahead, forbidden any facial expression.

There is a ceremonial changing of the guard every hour, and the time was approaching, so we stayed to watch.  A soldier in fatigues approached each guard in turn, straightening his uniform and the presentation of his rifle. 

As the crowds gathered for the ceremony, a truck arrived at the curb, and two new guards arrived in their uniforms.  Each was marched up to the shack as a replacement, with the replaced guards heading back to the trucks. 

As they proceeded, they stared ahead so rigidly that they had to be guided up and down the small steps

From the parliament, we walked through Syntagma Square

and then along the pedestrian-only shopping thoroughfare of Odos Ermou, a street  lined with fashionable shops

One of the 21st century innovations meant to address the serious pollution problems of Athens was to create a number of streets where only pedestrians are allowed, as well as allowing only even-numbered and odd-numbered license plates into the city on alternate days.

After several blocks, we found the Church of Panaghia Kapnikarea in the middle of Odos Ermou

We had a pleasant lunch at Restaurant Hermion in a leafy square in the Plaka, then walked to Hadrian’s Arch

and the ruins of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus

also built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as expression both of hs admiration for Greek culture but also of his superior building ability, shown by the creation of a temple twice the size of the Parthenon

Our tour took us next to the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, erected in the fourth century BC by Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of the arts, to commemorate a play that he has sponsored.

we noted this monument to Lord Byron who stayed at a monastery on the site during a visit to Greece

Next we retraced our steps from the previous day’s walk, up to the base of the Acropolis and then through the small neighborhood of Anafiotika, originally founded by residents of small Cycladic island of Anafi who came to Athens in search of work (we saw several posters commemorating the island)

From Anafiatoka we descended to the Mostitriaki neighborhood to see the Tower of the Winds, built in the first or second century BC as both a clocktower (featuring sundials) and a weather station (there was a weathervane on top). 

When the Roman arrived, their agora and forum were located in the fields beside it

Finally, we walked toward Monastiriaki Square, past the ruins of Hadrian’s Library

This Tzistarakis Mosque dominated one of the corners of Monastiraki Square

(We noted Arab inscriptions on the door)

It is now used as a part of the Museum of Greek Folk Art.

This was the end of our walking tour.  We headed back to our apartment, stopping at a bakery and supermarket to pick up supplies for the impending arrival of family members.  We tided ourselves over for an anticipated late dinner with a happy hour drink and dessert at a café along Kidathenion Street.  Sam, Nafisa, Abe and Soraya arrived shortly before 10 PM, and we hurried out for a quick dinner at Palea Athina restaurant – very good food right around the corner from our apartment.  The grownups each enjoyed their excellent grilled calamari, lamb kapama (done with tender lamb shank), stuffed cabbage leaves and moussaka, with pasta bolognese for the children.