Carrying on in Athens

The new Acropolis Museum, built to feature sculptures and artifacts from the Acropolis, opened in 2009. The third floor is dedicated to the Parthenon, and visitors are treated to a video of its history. There's an intriguing representation of the 525-foot frieze that depicted the annual parade to the Acropolis and encircled the outside of the Parthenon. Thirty-two feet are original carved slabs while the rest of the panels are plaster replicas of the known panels, many of which are housed in other museums around the world. Blank spaces represent panels that are "lost forever" due to destruction. One of the fascinating facts is the people's heads are the same height, showing that no one is above anyone else.

         

                            Original panels are darker than the plaster replicas

                 Parthenon pediment model  of Nike crowning the newly-born Athena 

Two of the original six Caryatids from the Erechtheion

Following our museum visit, we strolled along a nearby street heavily populated with cafes and restaurants.

At Crescendo Croissant Cafe, the food, drinks, and personable staff called to us. 

One barista noticed us eye-ing the extensive case of pastries and piped up, "Hello! What can I get you?" Annis asked for a mocha. "No, but we have freddoccino. How about a sample?" And she returned with a demi-tasse of the sweet, frothy liquid, similar to Starbucks' frappacino, which Annis ordered along with a spinach pie.

Judy asked about her drink of choice, "Do you have hot chocolate? Is it really good?" They assured her it was and soon she was smiling and sipping a hot drink they called "bitter chocolate." 

On our "must do" list was seeing the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament building on Sunday morning. Though we hot-footed it over there and arrived 20 minutes early, about a thousand people had beat us there. The good news is we were close to the street for the incoming parade of the Evzone guard and near enough to the Parliament plaza even though the police stretched a plastic rope barricade. Despite the jostling for position, kids worming their way to the front, adults spreading their elbows, and everyone holding up cameras, we enjoyed seeing this part of modern Greek ritual.

   Tomb of the Unknown Soldier & Evzone guards in their high-stepping slow-motion march

We stumbled onto a small parade and race called Waiters on the Move. Approximately 20 male and female waiters carried trays of Coca-Cola drinks throughout the streets of the Plaka. At the starting line, we mingled with participants and promoters and were invited to join in. This goofy group did not seem to be A+ waiters as they tipped their trays and spilled their drinks throughout the neighborhood.

                  Judy's up for it

                                                           Ready. Set. Go.

We stayed in the older part of Athens, which gave us a flavor of the ancient and the recent past. 

Our apartment on Matrozou Street was comfortable and well-located. Costa and Vesna, the owners, were available to us by email and the cell phone they provided in the apartment. Everything we cared to see was in walking distance through lively streets filled with bakeries, cafes and restaurants, bars, and small businesses. There was even a supermarket that we frequented each day. 

In our explorations, we encountered protests on Ermou Street, cute kids playing music and singing for tips, restaurant promoters with charming speeches to lure us inside, and graffiti everywhere, some artful and others mere tagging.

             This little girl was singing her heart out while the older one played.

We leave Athens after four days with a new appreciation for some of the world's most famous antiquities and a good feeling because of the friendly Greek citizens we met.