Today we went to the Acropolis in the morning. We beat the crowds who were swarming over everything like ants by the time we left. The Acropolis is under a lot of restoration. I get the feeling that it's been under restoration for a while and will continue to be so for many more years, possibly forever. In the end, it was impressive, but at the same time, it was a pile of stones. There was a small museum on site with sculptures from the Acropolis. Again, it was nice, but not enthralling. The site offers, or at least I assume so, great views of the greater Athens area. It's hard to say since it was hazy, which appears to be a chronic condition of the city.
Perhaps I'm coming off a little bit unappreciative of the cultural and historical significance of the Acropolis (or any monument or preserved site). For me, places like the Acropolis will generally be nice, but not inspiring. I can appreciate a great deal and to a fairly high level without gushing over something. That's probably a part of my typically reserved nature. It takes a certain, highly indefinable something for a place to be inspiring to me. The scaffolding for the restoration work at the Acropolis greatly diminished the majesty of the structures. The crowds didn't help either.
Starting in Chicago and with me to Athens, there were many tourists who were part of a large tour group on my plane. According to these ridiculously silly things they all wear around their necks that holds their boarding passes and passports and name tags and all that jazz, the group is called Life and Teachings of Paul. I think it's one of those groups that retrace the steps of the apostle Paul. I mention this because I saw one guy that I definitely recognized from my flight at the Acropolis today. That is all.
After the Acropolis, we went to the National Archeological Museum. My goodness, that was a lot of sculpture. Lots and lots of sculpture. And some nice gold-work too. Anyway, it was thoroughly culturally enriching and all the other things it was supposed to be.
After lunch, we took Athens's tram/metro/subway to some street market. We wandered about for a while. It was reminiscent of the street market that my brother and I were at in Camden Locke in London. A lot of local flavor and amusing trinkets for purchase. We then had a snack at one of the 47 McDonald's restaurants that are in the country. My brother and I both tried the McBacon. It's a lot like a double cheeseburger with a slice of ham inside. I've come to realize that many places (by many, I mean England and Greece so far) call bacon what I call thin-sliced ham.
We had a late dinner that was a lot like dinner last night. Since I didn't describe dinner yesterday, I suppose I'll continue that trend. There's nothing all that gripping or unusual about dinner here. It's just a little different. Anyway, what I find more interesting is the different way that brands common in America are used and marketed here. For instance, both Dunkin' Donuts and Haagen Dazs have basically full fledged restaurants. However, they don't serve anything beyond their dessert fare. They simply have full indoor seating and lots of outdoor seating as well. It's as if going to those places is a destination that rivals going to a restaurant for dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment