When in Europe, do a free walking tour!

A delightful Greek welcome

In Europe, I discovered something called ‘Free Walking Tours’ and my life was never the same. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration but it is very close to the truth. As the name suggests, these tours are organized by enthusiastic individuals who range all the way from students to artists to historians, from locals to foreigners who couldn’t leave the charms of the city. They are advertised as ‘free’ because you don’t have to pay beforehand but after the tour you are expected to tip the guide based on how you enjoyed it. I quite like the idea because these tours are usually more fun, they highlight the must see spots of the city without boring you with too much detail. In addition to that, they attract all kinds of people making it a great way to make friends. I made it a point to take the tour in every city I was in.

10 points, if you can read the street 

Rewarding Greek sights on the walk

Athens was the last leg of my trip, by which time it was set in stone that the first thing I would do as take a free walking tour. It didn’t quite go as expected, there are few free tours in Athens, and those that ran didn’t fit my schedule, considering I was only staying for three days. I had no choice but to self-guide, which translates to researching, planning routes, getting confused, decisions, decisions, decisions, all of which are not easy in a new city. It was even harder in Greece because streets are named in Greek symbols, apart from APL programing I know little of the language.

 I started my way to the Panathinaikos Stadium, which was stadium of the first modern Olympic games. I wanted go inside but I was very anxious about the rest of the itinerary, so I did the most touristy thing to do, take a picture and move on, shallow but everyone does it so I guess it makes less wrong.

The stadium and all its beauty

if you look closely, you will see the Acropolis somewhere.

 My next stop was the Acropolis which is THE sight to see in Athens. An adult ticket to the Acropolis costs 20 Euros which is way more expensive than other sights. Of course I used my almost expiring student card to pay half price.  Here is why the Acropolis is important.
Acropolis is Greek for 'city on the highest point', the site is up on a hill and is visible from anywhere . It was constructed in the 5th century and due of obvious reasons it is regarded as the pinnacle of Greek culture and civilization. Like what you would expect from an ancient Greek city, it consists of temples, shrines, theaters and much more. Points of interest in the sight are the Propylea, Erechtheion , the Temple of Athena Nike , the Parthenon  and the theatre of Dionysius. The Propylea is a little gateway building to the Acropolis. It has inspired many other gate buildings such as the Brandenburg gate of Berlin and the Propylea in Munich. As the name 'Athens ' suggests, Athena is the patron goddess of the city. According to Greek mythology she is the virgin goddess of wisdom, craft and war. One of her reincarnations is Athena Nike-meaning victory who is winged. Now you know why Nike products have a wing. The Temple of Nike was dedicated to Athena, it is supposed it had the statue of Nike without wings so that she couldn't fly away. The Erechtheion has even more mythology attached to it. To become the patron god, Athena has to battle with Poseidon- another god. Eventually Athena (being the goddess of victory and all), and the Erechtheion is a shrine that was dedicated to the two deities, with Athena on the Eastern porch and Poseidon on the Western porch. Poseidon's porch is also called the Porch of the Maidens because of the supporting pillars are fine female statues. The statues are so appealing that an English Lord once stole one for himself. What makes it even more sacred is that it was built on remnants of previous temples. A Greek city is not without a theatre and the theatre of Dionysus fills this criterion for the Acropolis. Finally the Parthenon is the epicentre of the Acropolis. Translating to 'House of the virgin', the Parthenon is a temple that was once dedicated to Athena, it later conevrted a church dedicated to Virgin Mary then to a Mosque before being used for storage of gunpowder where it was bombed by Venetians. Even more interesting are the decors adorning which tell the story of Athena.

Greek mythology is a major on its own and Athens just gave me a taste that made me want to learn more.I have to admit, I really liked the Athens vibe where female strength is worshiped and appreciated, a complete opposite to what #WomenInTech face today.

Close to the Acropolis are other archaeological sites, the most notable being Hadrian's Arch, the temple of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient Agora and the Roman Agora. Hadrian's Arch was constructed by the Roman emperor Hadrian to separate the Old city of Theseus from the new Athens that was now under his control. An agora is a central spot in an ancient Greek city and it is believed that democracy began at the Ancient Agora of Athens. It is here that Plato and Socrates formulated the ideas of government and democracy.

I started making my way to the Acropolis when at Hadrian’s arch, I saw a group. I could tell it was a free walking tour (FWT) because I had been on one count-less times.  You know it’s a free walking tour if around 10:00 am/1-2pm you see a heterogeneous group of people and one who looks like the leader is holding a brightly colored umbrella and counting the members of the group. Unsure whether it was a FWT, I was taking pictures of the Temple of Zeus when the guide approached to ask if I wanted to join the tour, which to me sounded like she was asking if Saturn has rings, of course yes! It turns out her name is Sam, she is South African and there was lots of like minded college students in this group. It’s safe to say I was already winning the day.

Hadrians's arch

Remnants of the temple

I was here.

Corinthian columns of Hadrian's arch

The tour was quite fun, as expected. We got to see lots of off-the-grid items like a Roman bath that was recently excavated, the Zappeion palace,  the National Gardens of Athens - a popular running spot.

Newly excavated Roman Bath

The Zappeion

Inside the Zappeion

I know right? Photography is starting to be my thing

Yo-girl-was-there

 In the National Gardens we noticed trees that looked like orange trees, the ‘oranges’ looked really ripe, I too was tempted to pluck one.

Free oranges anyone?

Sam told us, many tourists do that only to be disappointed by how bitter they were. Next we went to Zappeon Palace which is [Something nice about]. Thereafter we went to Panathenaic Stadium, this time, knowing better I took proper pictures.

At the stadium again, notice the sun's position shifted abit

I can safely say I'm an athlete

 We then walked by the Presidential palace which as expected was heavily guarded. There was multiple levels of guards but the most interesting were the Presidential royal guards, also called the Evzones,  the ceremonial guards whose job is just to stand and do nothing. Except, these ones do something, actually a lot. To quality for this job, you have to at least run up the steps of the Panathenaic stadium, not because of new-age health-fitness vibes but for practical reasons. The shoes they wear, the Tsarouchia weigh about 1.5 kilos as they have 60 to 120 nails inside. .They not only have to walk in them but march in them . As they march they raise  their legs really high up making 90 degrees in a perfectly orchestrated manner.

Evzoni march

We were just in time to witness the changing of the guards starting at the Presidential Palace as well as Syntagma square. We took a shortcut through the National Gardens, which was also pleasant to see. Like most squares, Syntagma is buzzing with life, it is THE meeting point. It is where the Evzoni march, protests are held and where you are more likely to be pit-pocketed. We witnessed the march that looked more like a show. It was #LegWork,  #FitnessGoals , #Patriotism all wrapped in one.

Syntagma Square march

Afterwards we had a break at a coffee shop which got my attention because everything was 1 Euro (yes, I’m unapologetically-cheap). We discussed a lot, especially the impending issue of the Greek economic crisis. Little did I know that that would be what every local would be talking about. The issue is the Greeks are not happy; unemployment is high, pay is low, they can’t afford to be in the European Union due to their debts, and in all of this they have to deal with Syrian refugees . Even in all this they still makes themselves happy by relaxing in coffee shops. I understand their concerns but coming from Africa, I have the right to say that I have seen worse. I will talk more about it in another post.

On we marched to wherever Sam was taking us. Now, imagine seeing this tall building, nothing exciting, just another intercontinental hotel.

And then right under, you see this little old church that is begging to be a museum, #OnlyInGreece.

Church under hotel

 We entered the church to be amazed by the elements of the Greek Orthodox religion. It is very similar to the Catholic religion, so I felt quite at home. Speaking of religion, Sam told us that Greece is a Christian country and until recently there were no mosques in Athens. Actually, there is a remain of one, the Fethiye Mosque that was converted from church to mosque during the Ottoman rule and then to military prison, garrison, headquarters and bakery. It has currently been restored and open to the public.

Fethiye Mosque

We then made our way to the Acropolis which was the last stop of the tour. Atlhough it was an uphill journey, it wasn't dull. There were lots of souvenir shops and coffee shops along the famous street of Plaka. Sam made a good point to explain why Olive soaps and Evil Eye bracelets were sold as souvenirs.

EvilEye Bracelets for protection

Olives thrive in Greece, probably due to the climate, but the Athenians believe in something more. Legend has it that when Athena and  Poseidon were battling over the city, Poseidon struck the earth giving a spring of salt water. Athenians weren't as impressed as when Athena offered the Olive tree due to its versatility; olives for food, olive oil for cooking, tree wood for construction etc. And that is how Athena won the city.
 We also stumbled upon cool graffiti where it became obvious the Greeks are rebellious people.

You won’t find any street narrower than the streets leading to the Acropolis. It mostly feels like you are going to a dead end and then another narrower street shows up. The houses are even more interesting, they are very old, white painted and very very small. It makes you wonder how small you have to be Greek.

Streets

Finally, we arrived at the foot of the Acropolis.Opposite the Acropolis is a hill that offers possibly the best view of Athens. From there we saw all the sights we had been to, the Acropolis on one side and the rest of Greece on the other.

#Views

The Parthenon

On top of Athena

This was the last stop where Sam gave us maps, tips and more than what you can expect from a free tour. We returned the favor with tips and gratitude then parted ways.I filled the rest of the day with the Acropolis Museum which not only had the best view of the Acropolis and reasonable price (3 Euro) but also offered context on the archaeological remains.

At the museum

With the original statues of the maidens porch

Acropolis from the Acropolis museum

The Porch of the Maidens

In the museum,all the bits and pieces from the tour started to fit in. Athena, Athena-Nike, the battle between Athena and Poseidon, the Porch of the Maidens, the Agora and everything in between. I ended the day a Greek geek, an Ancient Greek called 'The Agora'. The tour not only gave me information but also pointed me in the right direction on the sights I would enjoy.

 Once again a FWT saved my sanity. Thank heavens for these angels. Till next time!

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