Athens (Day 16)
We had an action packed few days in Athens. We loved the ancient sites, our charming neighborhood, being able to walk everywhere, and the fun activities that Ashley planned.
We visited the Acropolis twice. For a world class historic sight, it did not take much to beat the crowds. One day, we arrived when it opened at 8 am, and there were only maybe 30 other people on the Acropolis for our whole visit. Much less crowded than a morning in Santorini!
The kids also had sort of an extra visit to the Acropolis – the LEGO Acropolis! They found it at the Acropolis museum, so we guess it was sort of legit. Anyway, they loved it, probably as much or more than the real thing!
We visited the Agora twice. It was the city center of ancient Athens, with government buildings, shops, etc. Here are Hugh and Jamie in front of the Temple of Hephaestus.
Keeping the theme of ancient toilets going, the Agora museum had a child’s potty from about 2,500 years ago.
We came back to the Agora to visit a live dig being done by the American School of Archeology. They ran the original Agora excavation starting in 1931, and they are still excavating today. We also visited their academic campus and saw the vast storage rooms that contained rows and rows of pots, sculpture fragments, and even human remains!
The Theater of Dionysius, on the slope of the Acropolis, is the oldest theater in the world.
One night, we went with Jamie’s parents to a performance by the Bejart Ballet at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, another very old theater built on the slope of the Acropolis. Ashley loves Bejart, and she played Juliet in the Suzanne Farrell Ballet company’s performance of Bejart’s Romeo and Juliet at the Kennedy Center about 12 years ago.
One of the keys to our great time in Athens was staying in Plaka, a historic neighborhood close to the Acropolis entrance. It is the old town of Athens, maybe a bit like Beacon Hill or the South End. It felt local, and we walked to pretty much everything. Avoiding Athens traffic helps a lot! Every day, the kids put serious mileage on their knock off Fitbits. They were really proud!
