Five days in Greece

The five days were originally intended to be six, but the train to Istanbul was fully booked for 3 nights in a row, so I decided to push on one day early, rather than wait 3 days - as nice as Athens is. And I do like Athens. It's certainly European, but has something of the chaos often associated with Asian cities; it's the beginning of a transition.

I had 3 full days based in Athens. The first, of course, was used to explore the Acropolis of Athens, perched high above the city. In fact, an Acropolis is a generic term referring to such structures built on high rocks, inclusive of spring water to out-last any siege. This one in Athens is of course the most famous of them all though. So you have a combination of amazing monuments which are around 2000 years old, and a view of Athens which is breathtaking, especially with the weather; clear-blue sky and over 30 degrees temperature.

Around the Acropolis are various other historical sites, each of which would be highly noteworthy in their own right if they didn't stand in the shadow of the Acropolis. A number of different groups ruled Greece over the years, including the Spartans, Romans and Turks, and thus there are relics from all of these periods here. I spent a good 9 hours on the first day, starting at the Acropolis, then down to a site where Aristotle and others had preached their wisdom so long ago, and then beyond to many other ruins from the various periods of Greek history. The day was finished with a climb up a small hill, with a beautiful view onto the Acropolis, and the lengthening shadows across the city as the sun gradually got lower.





On the 2nd day I made a trip to Delphi; the "navel" or centre, of the earth, as the Greeks believed. Perched high in the mountains, the relics, combined with the views, are spectacular.


Delphi

My final day in Athens was a museum day. As well as the national archaeological museum, I managed to get to the new Acropolis museum on it's first day of public opening. It's brand new, and housed in a modern and spacious building. It makes a compelling companion to the Acropolis site. The only downside was the fact that it took an hour to order and pay for a sandwich which took me 5 minutes to eat, but then again, it was their first day. I'd even suggest going to the museum before you actually visit the real Acropolis site. You'll be able to appreciate and understand your visit much more.



A visit to Greece would not be complete without visiting the islands, so I made a short jump to Syros, Mykonos and Delos. It was really the latter that I was most interested in. This small island became the centre of commerce for the circle of islands here, and despite its small size, housed tens of thousands of inhabitants. A combination of its immense wealth, and supporting the wrong side, led to its very sudden demise. This all happened about 2000 years ago, but what is interesting, and what is different from all the other ruins I've described until now, is that it is still possible to walk down the narrow streets that existed 2000 years ago, albeit with the walls reduced to less than a metre high. It's easy to imagine how it was, so long ago, walking among ancient history, as it has lain for so long.


Ruins of Delos. Who lived here?

After a late-night return to Athens, it was time to continue my journey. First the train to Thessaloniki, and then the night-train to Istanbul... and Asia...



Practical information
Delphi is an easy day-trip, taking only 3 hours by bus. The bus station in Athens is not easy to get to by public transport, so take a taxi from Onomia metro station, explaining you want to take a bus to delphi, and the taxi only should cost about 4 euro.
If you're a student of an EU University, possession of an ISIC card will get you free access to all historical sites in Greece, including the Acropolis and all museums, Delphi and Delos. Definitely worth it if you're eligible.
It seems that the train to Istanbul can get quickly fully booked, so reserve at least a few days ahead. Upon boarding the train, the assigned compartment number ceased to have any meaning, and the passengers were just filled in the compartments one-by-one in a random order.