Greek expectations

Greece, in early September, is both warm and cool. The sun is brilliant and the wind is soothing. In such a perfect climatic setting, everything else is naturally lovely. Every street you walk down and every corner you turn, you find something to sigh about. I felt I found heaven in Greece and if I had been given a Drachma for every time I said the word 'dream'...I would've been able to do a lot more shopping! I was in Greece - yes, me - ME! 

I had studied about Greece and had built castles in the air about my trip to Greece ('someday'). The 'someday' finally came (much sooner than I had ever expected) and what was so much more special was that I was there with friends who had shared with me the experience of studying about Greece. 

So it was almost poetic justice that the first of the ruins we visited was the Acropolis in Athens - the nucleus of the ancient civilisation, which housed all that was needed for the spiritual, physical, material and psychological development of the people of Athens, from the temple to the marketplace; from the theatre to the court of law. I stood at the foot of the hill for a few minutes to take in this overwhelming sight before me. In my mind the wishes of my dearest friends echoed, 'hope it will be everything you expect it to be and more'. That, it was. 

From where I stood I could see the huge steps that stretched all the way to the top and in the distance stood the magnificent pillars that belonged to the Propylaea, the awe-inspiring monumental entrance which leads to the Parthenon. The Propylaea (which is the term used for an entrance with several doors, usually to a shrine or palace) was built in 437 B.C., the era of Pericles, to replace the original that was destroyed in the Persian wars. 

At the Propylaea I turned around to catch a glimpse of the rest of Athens, which looked rather small from way up where I stood and gave me a real 'on top of the world' feeling. Then, along the Sacred Way, I walked through the Propylaea to the Parthenon. Built on the highest, most prominent spot on the Acropolis, the Parthenon, which means Hall of the Virgin Goddess, is dedicated to the Goddess Athena. 

As one of the many books I bought in Greece almost poetically puts it, the Parthenon is the expression of the 'grandiosity of simplicity, the passion of wisdom and the love of beauty'. For me that phrase just says it all. The simple, Doric styled columns which make up this colossal structure is the very essence of the 'grandiosity of simplicity'; this sight of understated beauty was something that was characteristic of Greece. 

Of all the friezes, my favourite was the one that depicted the encounter between Athena and Poseidon, god of the sea, which is reconstructed in the Acropolis Museum. What is so fascinating about the frieze is that the sculpted figures are so still and yet by the angle of their body or the look in their eyes or even the placing of a hand or foot, they convey so much life. 

As mythology has it, both Poseidon and Athena were eager to prove themselves worthy of being the protector of the city. The event is set in Athens, on the Acropolis, where Poseidon stands with his trident poised having struck the ground to present the city with his gift - a stream. Athena stands opposite Poseidon with her gift to the city, the sacred olive tree. Athena won over Poseidon and so became the protector of the city that was named after her. 

The temple of Athena Polias is, however, at the Erechtheion, which is situated just by the Parthenon. With its flowing architecture and Caryatid porch (porch of the maidens), the Erechtheion is almost feminine in appearance when compared to the Parthenon. This is not a temple in the traditional sense, which is built for the purpose of worshipping a particular deity. Instead the Erechtheion is the house of many deities and so it is the most sacred place on the Acropolis. By the Erechtheion is Athena's olive tree. The tree is not the original one, which was destroyed in the Persian wars, but a new tree planted in the original spot. And inside you get three holes in the ground, which is believed to be the imprint of Poseidon's trident. 

Possibly the most interesting bit of architecture on that structure is the porch of maidens. This creation depicts six girls, known as Caryatids, who carry on their heads baskets, which in turn support the roof of the porch and their feet blend into the base of the pillar. The six girls smile demurely and strike a leisurely pose with their weight resting on one foot (in order to preserve architectural balance three of the girls rest their weight on one foot while the other three rest their weight on the opposite foot) completely oblivious to the heavy structure they balance on their heads. 

Around the Acropolis the other ruins are scattered. To the south is the Olympieion, the temple dedicated to Zeus and the Theatre of Dionysus, the oldest known theatre where the famous plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes were performed. The Odeion, built in keeping with the architecture of Roman theatres was ancient Greece's most happening place. Music competitions, plays and performances were held there and even today ballets, operas and classical music concerts are performed there. 

On the way out, after a rather limb straining climb, we passed the ruins of the Agora, which was the marketplace and one of the three important hills in the area, the Areopagus. Dedicated to Ares, the God of war, the Areopagus was the first court of law. According to Aeschylus' tragedy Agamemnon, it was here that Orestes stood on trial for the murder of his mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Here, too, years later the Apostle, St. Paul delivered his famous speech on the 'Unknown God'. Scrambling up this most slippery rock in a rather undignified manner I couldn't fathom how the regal men of the robe made it to the top. 

Plaka or old Athens lies at the foot of the Acropolis and you can get to it by walking through a maze of little paved streets or take the short cut, as we did, by walking through the street cafés in the area. Plaka was by far, my favourite place in Athens. This little town has retained so much of that lovely 'old' feeling and yet has managed to keep up with the modern way of life. Every street is lined with charming souvenir shops and picturesque street café, with a street musician somewhere close by to add to the mood. The shops were treasure troves, each unique in its own way. The plaques and posters, which adorned the walls, were soon inside my bag and I had the time of my life picking out ornaments, vials of perfume, traditional Greek olive oil soap and arrays of typical Greek amphorae for everyone back home. Of all the sculptures of the gods and goddesses that lined the shelves Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty rapidly vanished as each one of the girls in my group wanted to take her back home (for luck!). 

The walk from Plaka through the city takes one past Syntagma Square where the parliament is situated and beside it is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The change of guard takes place every hour but on Sunday at 11 a.m. it's on a grander scale in the spirit of a parade, which sees troops of soldiers dressed up in traditional Greek costume march around the city square. It's an event that draws people by the hundreds and the five of us who did make it that day were momentarily separated in the rush of trying to get a good viewpoint. I managed to get a bird's eye view by scrambling onto a railing nearby and promptly putting on my 'I no understand' stance when anyone tried to get me to move.

The other monument of significance in the area is the Olympic stadium, where already the Olympic flag flaps proudly in the breeze. A place where games of centuries ago were held, we saw the preparations being made for games of the future - the Olympics 2004. From the stadium, a drive past the Piraeus, the harbour, took us to a tavern - where we tucked into a yummy Greek dinner. Eggplant reigned supreme; in the form of appetizers and instead of turning my nose up (as I do at home when the 'vambatu' curry is placed before me) I relished the dish and stopped only to ask if I could have more. 

From the toast onwards all the visitors are treated to an array of Greek dances. And after dinner, the accommodating performers invite the guests up to try their 'foot' at dancing. There was a lot of toe squashing and hoots of laughter and somehow I don't think we even came close to perfecting a Greek dance; still, it was a lot of fun. 

Southeast of Athens at the end of the Attica peninsular is Cape Sounion. At the very top of the cape is the temple of Poseidon. Although Athena was chosen to be the protector of her people, Poseidon too remained close to the hearts of the Greek people who being sailors, constantly struggling against the seas, sought his protection. We chose the perfect time to visit Cape Sounion - sunset. That sunset filled my heart; even the cynics among us were swayed (at least for a moment). It was one of those moments that really make you believe in the romance and magic of a perfect sunset. Standing on that cliff that day, surrounded by ancient ruins, looking down into the striking blue sea while watching the sunset in the distance, my heart was full...it really was. And this was just the beginning.