Acropolis, Trevi and a tour of Rome. All before Dinner

Itinerary

• Acropolis Museum - amazing
• Easyjet - hard to fault
• Waiting for baggage at Rome airport - easier to fault
• First impressions of Rome

 

The Acropolis Museum.

Recently renovated, the museum is, we all agreed, the best we have ever been inside. It's OK to look at from the outside and beautiful on the inside. The museum is built on top of the ancient Athens surrounding the Acropolis. The floors are thick Perspex so you can see the ancient ruins beneath your feet and some of the archeologists at work continuing the restorations below. Can a bit disconcerting at times but its (as the kids would say, "epically awesome".

Just because I didn't know this, "the Acropolis" is the area on the top of the hill which was kind of the central square for the town / religion and it was where the Temple of Athena (the "Parthenon") was built.

 

Museum entrance

 

 

Photography is not allowed in the museum, suffice it to say, the exhibits speak for themselves and bring history to life.

There is an interesting movie on the top floor where most people finish up. Talks about the history of the museum which I will attempt to regurgitate below. The language and tone of the film talks about the "brutal and violent snatching" of artifacts by the British Lord Elgin in the early 1900s but omits any mention of the blitzkrieg bombing by the Germans in WW2. Perhaps if your country is broke and you need Germany to bail you out, they weren't so bad in the war after all. Just a bit of a misunderstanding?

 

 

The story of Athena, Athens, The Parthenon, a conquest or two and a bit of filching for home.

(Had a bit of a go at remembering names etc but take no responsibility for errors.

The story ot Athena - the daughter of Zeus and Metis (ocean's daughter who knew more than gods and men). After Zeus swallowed her pregnant mother "what", he got a bad headache "as you do" so he got Herphestus to whack him on the head with an axe! "It's good to be an immortal king of the gods I spose". Athena burst fully armed from the "i suppose now haemorrhaging forehead" of Zeus "seems harder to swallow than the swallowing of mummy", In what, I suppose becomes a prototype of the modern C Section.

Athena inherited her mums mental abilities and became the goddess of wisdom (mum knew lots but obviously didnt think hubby would swallow her whilst pregnant, or any tme?)

Athena contested and won dominion over the land of Attica in a competition with Uncle Poseidon after offering its inhabitants the olive tree. Dumb old Poseidon offered them the oceans but, a bit like the old Jews choosing milk and honey over immense underground oil resources, the ancient Greeks went for the olive over the ocean!

From that time on as "Athena Polias" (polis =city) she looked after the city and its well being. She was also patron of victory "Athena Nike", handcrafts and weaving (Athena Ergane) the sick Athena Hygiae and horses (Athena Hippia, not to be confused with Athen Hippo, a largish ancient Greek girl who lived near the Acropolis). Athena was also the goddess of war or more correctly the Godess of War strategy, and with helmet, spear and shield was referred to as "Athena Parthenos" (virgin) It was to this aspect of Athena that he Parthenon was dedicated.

So in 1200 BC a fortification wall is built around the Acropolis. The Parthenon proper started building in 500 BC and finishes in 15 years just in time for persian invasion number one. The Most famous statue was was the gold and ivory statue of Athena by Pheidias. The statue tip was gold and its reflection from the sun could be seen miles out to sea.

Athena was the official divinity of Athens. Once a year in her honour there was a festival with athletic contests, horse races and competitions for music and poetry. Culminating in a festive procession leading to ritual sacrifice at the top of the acropolis. This becomes the idea behind the Olympic Games which pty rapidly, remove music and Poetry from the agenda.

Anyways, the first invasion by the Persians was won (surprisingly to even the Greeks) by the Greeks at the battle of marathon! Pheidippides (or omething like that) runs to tell the king the result of the battleand drops dead at the finish line. Thus begins the "Marathon mystique".

The first modern day Marathon was at Olympic games in Athens in 1896 essentially as a marketing event. The distance was standardized after the London Olympics of 1908 to fit in with the Royals watching the finish (or start or both) at Windsor Castle. This distance of 42.195km has become "the 'Marathon". These days more than 45000 start the NYC Mraathon each year.

Undeterred by the above and oblivious and uncaring of the history they were to create, the Persians tried again a bit later to beat the Greeks, and this time won comfortably.

The Partheonon does well till about 300AD when a big fire destroys a lot of it. It is repaired and then in 600AD is converted to Christian church. In 1458 the Turks (ottomans, not the armless couch type), convert it to a Mosque. 1687 a Venetian canonball ignites a Turkish gunpowder magazine stored in the Parthenon. Quite a bit of damage as you would expect. Then Lord Elgin the British ambassador to Constantinople removes (as the movie says, "violently kidnaps" a large portion of the sculptures for the British museum.

 

Kids worksheet - kept them busy for 2 hours!

 

 

 

 

Enough, off to Rome

Other than taking a long time for the bags to come out to baggage collection, Easyjet was fine.

Drew kept folks entertained as per the video below

 

 

Our driver was waiting for us - always wanted to get oicked up by a driver with one of those signs. He was a young man called Jean Luca. After a minor airport "discussion" with the police re: parking and blocking one of the 2 exit lanes, we headed to our apartment. We had a damn fine tour as we drove through Rome. Jean Luca took some detours to get us close up views of the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill and other big name Rome icons before we got to our apartment.

As an aside, the name JeanLuca reminds me a bit of one of my favourite Italian soccer player of the early 90s, Jeanluigi Lentini. He was unbelievable. Played for Italy on the wing and got transferred to Milan to become the worlds most expensive player. After one yr with Milan, he had a bad car accident and although he played again, was never quite the same.

Hard to list my best ever players but would include Zidane, Ronaldo (the incredible Portugese one, not the fail on the biggest stage, chubby Brazilion one), Ronaldhinio, Van Basten, Cantona, Beckham (for that Greece game), Platini and even though an awful person, Maradona. Best keepers - Dino Zoff, Ray Clements, Schmeichel. Apologies to my brother for zero Arsenal players and to Dr Shah for not including Van Persie or Japp Stam (close but...)

 

Our apartment is fantastic - go Airbnb! Superb location a few mins from Trevi Fountain and 5 mins from the Pantheon. It's in a lane behind a busy street but very quiet.

Green door opens to old elevator which the kids seem determined to push to its limits. One of those ones with inner and outer doors. Open the inner doors and the elevator stops! Not that hard to remember is it?

 

Zoe photoshopped this map for us

 

 

Apartment Monica

After putting down our stuff we headed off to see the Trevi fountain (round the corner) and get a bite to eat. A "few" other folk had similar ideas (a theme to be played out repetitively). There a about a bazillion tourists who stalk us as we make our way around the city. Different languages, some very awful fashion (predominantly from the Eastern Europeans) and camera phones moving and capturing in all directions.

 

 

 

We play a lot of I'll take your photo if you'll take mine

 

 

 

 

Love your work Jo