Visiting the Acropolis
& the Olympic stadium in Athens
A big reason we went to Athens was to see the Acropolis. Chris loves history and had never been to Greece (whereas he had been to many parts of Europe growing up), so he got his wish. The day we went in late November was gorgeous: Moderate temperature, blue skies, and sunny. Naturally, as we were heading out of the apartment, one child who shall not be named had a fit about having to go visit somewhere. The horror.
To be fair, it was only a week after our super long tour of El Alhambra in Granada, Spain, and none of us wanted a repeat of that (the site was amazing but the tour was painful). So this time I purchased an audio tour versus a guided tour, only I couldn’t get the audio to download. Sigh. I also tried to get a VR app to work, but no dice. We ended up just walking around and taking in what we could on our own. It was fine, but perhaps less than ideal.
Compared to other ancient sites we’ve visited around the world, the Acropolis wasn’t as well preserved/restored and felt somewhat underwhelming. Then again, following so closely on the heels of El Alhambra (which is well preserved and massive in size and scope), it was perhaps an unfair setup. But even Aztec and Mayan ruins across Latin America were more interesting to me. And I suppose that’s a key learning: Historic sites that we have an innate curiosity for likely will hold more value for us than those that may be famous but that we aren’t particularly interested in. I’ve never had a particular interest in Ancient Greek history or architecture nor the Greek gods, but I’m fascinated by Latin American history and culture. That said, sometimes a place will surprise you and draw you in. Unfortunately, the Acropolis didn’t do that for me, but it just might for you. Chris enjoyed it and that’s what matters.
I will say, the views from up top of Athens were fantastic. And it’s amazing how the ruins are right in the midst of the city, to the point that they’re kind of interwoven together. (We would see a similar trend in Rome, though I’m getting ahead of myself!)
One of the things we learned about that I didn’t know (or didn’t remember knowing) was the golden ratio (Phi, or 1.618 to 1), which was used at the Parthenon to create aesthetically pleasing proportions. The ratio is said to enhance visual appeal, resonate with the principles of harmony and beauty, and reflect the ideals of ancient Greek culture. I do like seeing the intersection of math and nature/art and the golden ratio is rooted in this. I was hoping the girls might’ve wanted to go deeper on the topic, but they didn’t. You can, though!
There’s plenty of information online about The Acropolis overall, and if Ancient Greece and architecture are your thing, then visiting here may just be for you. We heard the museum is fantastic, but we’re not big museum people, so we didn’t go.
We did walk around and see some of the other sites nearby, including the Panathenaic Stadium, which is the oldest in operation in the world and, like the Acropolis, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here are some fun facts about the stadium:
It was inaugurated during the Panathenaic holidays in 329 BC.
It was the main venue for the first modern Olympics in 1896, for which it was reconstructed entirely with white marble.
The Olympic flame for the Olympic Games, regardless of where they occur that year, is lit in Olympia, Greece, and delivered to the stadium in Athens, where it is handed over to the first torchbearer as part of its route to the host city. (Yes, including for the 2024 Olympics!)
Like the Acropolis, we were underwhelmed by seeing the stadium itself, though the history is definitely interesting. Of course, you may have a different perspective!
And with that, I think I’m caught up on our time in Greece. We definitely wanted to spend time somewhere other than Athens, but drivers were a little wild, so we didn’t want to rent a car, and it wasn’t the right time of year to have gone to the islands, plus ferries were expensive, so that will have to remain on our list of things to do one day. Let us know if you have a favorite Greek island and what it is you love about it!
We headed off to Rome after our time in Athens; I plan to recap our time there next, so stay tuned.