| Page Views: 1,206 Last Visit to Athens: September, 2002 | ...........Only the beginning by maple_air - last update: Feb 26, 2005 |
sept.10,2002
18:30
..........the mere thought that i'b be in the place that i'd been dreamin' of an hour from now, is now makin' me more restless and giddy from excitement.
Acropolis....and finally the Parthenon. People have inspirations that makes them visit certain places...some would go to see the Statue of Liberty, or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or the Colosseum in Rome, mine, all through out my growing up years, was the Parthenon. The ultimate edifice of my dreams. Plus the thought that I'd be walking the same path that the gods have walked on eons ago, made the whole thing more surreal. |
| resting outside a greek orthodox church |
|  | The first thing that came into my mind the moment we reached central Athens, was, this is just like home!....not figuratively speaking home,..... like maybe in my past life i was an Athenian kind of feeling or the deja vu line of " i have a feeling that i've been before", no..nothin like that . The air and some of the buildings, the modern ones, obviously, reminded me of my city in the Philippines. Even the area where our hotel was looked exactly like one of the street in our city. But of course that was close to midnight when we arrived, so i wasn't able to see the rest of the city really.
Come morning when i finally saw Athens. Except for the ruins of course, i still had the same impression of the city...it must be the traffic or the humidity in the atmosphere?
So can i say now that "it's a dream come true, i can live happily ever after" ?. In a way yeah, this was the only place that i wanted to go in my entire life...ever! Never really longed for other places as much as i've longed for this place. I used to tell my friends, that if i can go to Greece, i could die a happy person. It was that kind of DREAM!
In a way, i was a little bit disappointed. Maybe i had set my hopes too high. When they said the Greek ruins, it was indeed ruins to the T!...some, you couldn't even figure out what it is? a gate? a house? a temple?...it's because, a pillar or two are the only ones left. I know i can hear some reacting to what i've just said..."what are you expecting?? The Whitehouse??, Buckingham Palace?!....i know, i know...that's why i said, maybe i had my hopes too high. Still, the Acropolis area is still a sight to behold.
Would i go back to Athens? Maybe not. I've seen it. Been there, done that. And like i've said, it's only the beginning. I think i would love to explore the rest of the islands. That would really be nice.
Greece will always be my first love, and eventhough i said before that this is the only place i ever dreamed to go, after being there, i know i couldn't just stop there.....it's only the beginning and i've got the rest of the world to see. |
| | Athinai Athens has been continuously inhabited for more than 7000 years, and is now home to almost half the country's population.
Though most of Athen's is new, built after World War II, nevertheless, a turn in a small corner would still bring some concealed surprises....like that of a 1000 year old church or a park full of scattered toppled ancient ruins, or a mosaic decorated wall of a temple, or a quaint old taverna, or 19th century Neoclassical houses, some grand, some humble.
After two and a half millenia, the temples and buildings or what has been left of them, still has the power to move anyone who has been here, ..... this land, its people and culture, and their contributions to civilization, and whose history probably defined much of the present world today, will still definitely continue to move the generations to come. |
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "...food, the ruins, meditteranean sun" | | Cons: | "flagging down taxis.....its a nightmare!" | | In A Nutshell: | "Veni, Vidi, Vici" |
maple_air's Athens Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 7 - Photos: 7 | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for maple_air about Athens | | | | |
amesian Sun Feb 26, 2006 14:24 UTC
Greece is on my must-see list 2 visit.Thnx 4 sharing your informative pages ;) regards from Turkey | Wild_Orchid Thu Mar 3, 2005 12:29 UTC
this is a BEAUTIFUL page!! :) thanks for sharing the pics. | BeatChick Sun Feb 13, 2005 16:27 UTC
Wow, April, you really brought Athens to life for me! I totally understand how you feel about this city because that is exactly how I feel about Paris!! :D | mrclay2000 Sat Dec 11, 2004 13:26 UTC
Enjoyable page on Athens. I've not really considered a visit here because I heard that little of ancient Greece remains but the Acropolis. |
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