28/4 - Athens
View of the Acropolis from the Pnyx
Orator's Bema on the Pnyx, from which Themistocles, Pericles and Demosthenes addessed the Athenians
St Paul's hill from Pnyx
Pnyx
Around this time, it started drizzling again. Gah.
Kimoneia, tomb once thought to be associated with Kimon
I then sat down for a crepe - I'd skipped lunch and hasn't eaten since breakfast (which was an excellent green onion pastry at a place recommended by my brother-in-law). While sitting I saw a female police officer who had not tied up her shoulder length hair, and who was wearing medium height black high heels (which appeared to be part of her uniform); it wasn't the standard uniform - I saw another in low cut boots later. I wonder how she'd go about her duties if the occasion warranted quick action.
I then headed for the Keramikos. I was very pissed off to find that they'd moved the entrance from 2 years back, and I ended up going in one big round to get in. But then I think most of the place (including the museum) was closed during Exercise Minotaur.
Grave relief of Eupheros, 420 BC
Grave relief of Demetria and Pamphile, 325-310 BC. This is a late work, which explains their apathetic looks as they've already passed on.
Grave stele of Zosimos and Blaste of Phaleon, 1st c. AD
Cup with confronted Sphinxes, 650-580 BC
Bull from grave of Dionysios of Kollytos, 345-340 BC
Miniature Gaming table and dice with figurines of mourners, 580 BC
Lekythos with depiction of the preparation of a warrior, Lekythos with depiction of men
Hydria with 4 horse chariot, charioteer and hoplite. Battle scene on shoulder, 530-520 BC
Askos, 440 BC
Ostraka - ostracism shards, early 5th c. BC
Kylix with flirtation scene, 430-200 BC. On the left: Enkainlon consisting of small skyphoi.
Street of tombs
Sacred Way
One side of the Dipylon, supposedly the largest gateway in the ancient world.
Fountain house. Travelers would refresh themselves here.
Pompeion. Pompeion of Hadrian in the background.
Pompeion of Hadrian
Theseion - the best preserved ancient Greek temple. The only one with a roof.
Ancient Agora from Theseion
Back view of the Theseion
The Theseion was at the top of a hill with much vegetation and there wasn't much space around it on 3/4 sides (the 4th was a lawn you were not supposed to walk on), so it was hard to take an all-encompassing shot except by zooming in from below.
Theseion
Interior
I then entered the museum of the Stoa of Attalos. I think it was closed during Exercise Minotaur (stupid Olympics). In the information panel, the capitalised the word "Democracy", and called Ancient Athens the truest direct democracy that ever existed. Guess they still don't care for slaves and women.
Jury Duty machine
Jury Duty machine explanation
Huge bronze spartan shield - loot from Battle of Pylos, 425 BC
Oinochoe by the Eucharides Painter. Illustrating Nike at an altar. 490-480 BC.
Terracotta figurine of Eros leaning on an inverted torch. 3rd c. AC (sic)
The disabled toilet in the Stoa was labelled as being "Only for people with disabilities" (emphasis original).
At 7pm I called it a day, being tired and with only half an
Malaysian mannikins in a shop near Monastiraki. I counted at least 3 more in the shop. And the shop down the street had 2 old ones in faded colours and 2 in vibrant colours.
Wth mannikin - even Malaysia, AFAIK, does not have this.
I decided to finish off with something special, and ate at the 24hr taverna in the market which my brother in law had pointed out to me. The daily soup was €4,20, and I asked what it was. It turned out that it was fish soup - without fish (basically the normal €8,20 fish soup sans fish). Uhh. In the end I had €8 goat soup. It was good but very oily - my mother would definitely disapprove. Instead of olive oil and vinegar at the table, the taverna has vinegar and vinegar with garlic cloves inside. I also saw 3-4 other sad people eating alone in the taverna - it was a good place to do this since it was inside the market, so no one could see how sad you were.
Pig's trotter on the market floor
By the time I'd finished dinner, it was too late for me to take the train to the airport (due to repair works, the last one was at 7:20), so I had to take the airport bus from Syntagma Square. It was only one stop from Monastiraki (the station closest to my hostel) but I was carrying 3 bags, so I took the metro one stop. When I got off the metro, the Greeks did an MRT on me, but with my big backpack on my back, my schoolbag in front of me, a small bag slung over my left shoulder and my umbrella hanging in my left hand, I was perfectly equipped to bash my way through. I was tempted to shout "All..." but I knew I'd cause a riot and be prosecuted for sedition, causing a riot and forcing someone to blow up the Singaporean embassy in Greece just for my utterances, so I controlled myself.
The airport bus turned out to cost €3,20 - almost half of the €6 train fare. But then it took maybe twice as long (1 hr) and was less comfortable.
The billboards on the way to the airport promoted Greece as a holiday destination and read: "You never say goodbye to a myth." They're also advertising this on CNN. Presumably this means that the image of Greece that overseas advertisements has constructed in people's minds is a myth bearing no relation to reality, so since it exists purely in people's minds, one can never say goodbye to it.
Planning my day in Brussels I realised that Queen's Day was on the 29th, not the 30th it was normally on, since the latter date was a Sunday. Coupled with my great number of bags and projected tiredness from insufficient sleep (the disadvantages of cheap flights), I decided not to tarry in Brussels for any longer than necessary than to see the Manneken Pis, since I would be arriving very early. The art museum was the other thing that sounded nice, but I'd been to the Louvre recently, so.
If it's so dry, how do plants grow in Greece?
The Athens/Attica promotional booklet had the number of the blood donation centre at the back. Wah.
I'd always wondered why people bothered designating self-contained toilet cubicles as male or female. After all, only one person could use them at a time so they were perfectly cross-substitutable between the sexes (the minor issue of sanitary bins notwithstanding). And then I realised it was to stop the women hogging all the cubicles.
I saw a poster for "The Promise". It looked a lot like "The Myth".
I'm told that besides Greeks bearing gifts, one has to be wary of gypsies holding maps. Apparently they distract you by opening it up and/or dropping it and then pickpocket you.
At almost all Greek kiosks, both on Crete and the Mainland, a 500ml bottle of soft drink cost €1. I call this SGKP - Standardised Greek Kiosk Price.
Greek restaurants all state their cover charge. Unlike the stupid
