Construction around Parthenon

[sondrad]

Is there much construction (and scaffolding) around the Parthenon currently?

[cruisemom42]

There is always some construction and scaffolding. Athens is in the midst of restoring the Parthenon; basically they are having to re-do a restoration project from several decades ago that used unsuitable materials (and caused more damage than it fixed). Now they are doing a more correct restoration.

 

That said, if you are clever with your camera and angles, there are ways to get photos that either minimize the scaffolding or block most or all of it out.

[Vrilissia]

It is a lot les than it used to be - currently around the eastern? side of the Propylae.

[sondrad]

Thanks :)

[pcur]

We were there last Thursday, 5/19, and the Parthenon was CLOSED!! We stood outside the entrance gate for 30 minutes with about 500 people before we finally gave up and left. The tour operators couldn't figure out what was going on, either. One I talked to said he was there the day before with no problem. There were no announcements made by the "gate keeper". All we could figure out was because of the number of ships in port they were doing crowd control.

 

The views from below are impossible to avoid scaffolding and the HUGE CRANE in your pictures. Very disappointing to my husband for his first trip to see it.

[CruiserBruce]

Was it an extremely hot day? On our last cruise, they shut it for about 2 hours, from 11-1, because of crowds and the very high temps. We got there about 1:30 (our guide was aware of the closure) and it was not crowded. Very warm (100 degs F, around 80 or 85% humidity), but not crowded.

[pcur]

Was it an extremely hot day? On our last cruise, they shut it for about 2 hours, from 11-1, because of crowds and the very high temps. We got there about 1:30 (our guide was aware of the closure) and it was not crowded. Very warm (100 degs F, around 80 or 85% humidity), but not crowded.

 

No, it was about 10AM in the morning last Thursday. Around 75 degrees. There was even a large military academy group and their officer couldn't get them to open up, either!

 

We could see people walking around up there, so it was obvious they had let some people in, but they weren't announcing anything. The people kept coming up the hill, and we were all jammed in from the entrance gate down the hill side.

[tech40]

Peggy,

 

Sorry to hear you didn't get to make it up. I was there the same day and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a crowd control measure. I believe we came down just after ten. We didn't spend much time since it was so crowded. It didn't help that there were 2 huge dogs lounging in the middle of 2 steps on the way up.

 

There is also a kind of "construction trailer" behind the Caryatid statues.

[pcur]

Peggy,

 

Sorry to hear you didn't get to make it up. I was there the same day and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a crowd control measure. I believe we came down just after ten. We didn't spend much time since it was so crowded. It didn't help that there were 2 huge dogs lounging in the middle of 2 steps on the way up.

 

There is also a kind of "construction trailer" behind the Caryatid statues.

 

You were lucky: you got there pretty much when they opened. I just wish they had announced SOMETHING, anything. There were a lot of elderly people hiking up that hillside.

 

Personally, I don't think Athens is worth the 1% enjoyment you get seeing (parts of) the Parthenon, and 99% dealing with the worst traffic in Europe, weeds, and grafiti.

 

If anyone has the chance to overnight in Athens pre or post-cruise, or is on a cruise staying overnight, then Delphi is the place to go. I've been there and I've raved about it. That's the up close and personal ancient Greece place to go, and the setting is magnificent.

 

We will never bother with Athens. If we ever end up there again, we will go outside the city.

[4774Papa]

Are you sure it wasn't another strike by the government arch. workers. There was a half day strike the day we were in Athens, and after lunch when they opened the gates it was a real zoo.

[cruisemom42]

Personally, I don't think Athens is worth the 1% enjoyment you get seeing (parts of) the Parthenon, and 99% dealing with the worst traffic in Europe, weeds, and grafiti.

 

If anyone has the chance to overnight in Athens pre or post-cruise, or is on a cruise staying overnight, then Delphi is the place to go. I've been there and I've raved about it. That's the up close and personal ancient Greece place to go, and the setting is magnificent.

 

We will never bother with Athens. If we ever end up there again, we will go outside the city.

 

I'm sorry you did not enjoy Athens. I had a different experience and really enjoyed the several days I spent there last October after sailing on the Westerdam. The one day I'd spent there previously on a cruise just left me wanting more.

 

On this visit I spent an entire day just visiting the Acropolis and Greek forum, a long half day (about 6 hours) in the National Museum, another 4 hours in the Acropolis Museum, and then there was the Roman Forum with the fascinating Tower of the Winds, the Temple of Zeus, theatre of Dionysus, and more. But I really loved Athens at night -- whether it was eating good food in a taverna, walking around Syntagma square after dinner, or on a rooftop terrace bar with a view of the Acropolis, Athens seemed a different place at night.

 

I did visit Delphi, and I greatly enjoyed that as well, but Athens is a place I could visit many times. Once at Delphi is probably sufficient.

[pcur]

I'm sorry you did not enjoy Athens. I had a different experience and really enjoyed the several days I spent there last October after sailing on the Westerdam. The one day I'd spent there previously on a cruise just left me wanting more.

 

On this visit I spent an entire day just visiting the Acropolis and Greek forum, a long half day (about 6 hours) in the National Museum, another 4 hours in the Acropolis Museum, and then there was the Roman Forum with the fascinating Tower of the Winds, the Temple of Zeus, theatre of Dionysus, and more. But I really loved Athens at night -- whether it was eating good food in a taverna, walking around Syntagma square after dinner, or on a rooftop terrace bar with a view of the Acropolis, Athens seemed a different place at night.

 

I did visit Delphi, and I greatly enjoyed that as well, but Athens is a place I could visit many times. Once at Delphi is probably sufficient.

 

This was my second visit to Athens. Like you I spent 4 days there the first time, and went all around. This was 11 years ago, and I was medium impressed by it. Then, I went to Delphi on the last day.

 

The difference? Athens is a huge, over-crowded, noisy city. You have to "block out" all of it to get into the ancient monuments and artifacts. You were always in a "sanitized" environment, and don't even get me started on the Parthenon. Being 6 feet away from it didn't do any more for me than seeing a really good video about it.

 

 

Delphi was up in the mountains, overlooking 5 million olive trees, quiet, beautiful, and you could get up close and really get into the artifacts. I remember being shoulder to shoulder with my then 15 yo son, with our noses practically up against an inscribed stone, saying, "son, that's 3,000 year-old writing there".

 

Fast forward to last week: the city is more crowded, dirty, grafiti filled, and weeds everywhere. The Plaka was still very nice to browse through. I agree: the food is fantastic.

 

I'm not trying to argue, but the negatives outweigh the positives in Athens. To me it's like going to Pompei and then going to Ephesus. One is a shadow of the other. Ephesus has still got it's marble, and many more interesting things to see. Pompei is a ruin with a lot less to see.

 

I'm just more into the asthetics of places I visit. My reviews from my long trips the last few years are mostly about the visual impressions I got.

 

Anyway, to each his own..............................

[luv1another4ever]

"There is always some construction and scaffolding. Athens is in the midst of restoring the Parthenon; basically they are having to re-do a restoration project from several decades ago that used unsuitable materials (and caused more damage than it fixed). Now they are doing a more correct restoration.

 

That said, if you are clever with your camera and angles, there are ways to get photos that either minimize the scaffolding or block most or all of it out."

__________________

Cynthia

 

Cynthia -

I love a good challenge, a picture without scaffolding!! We can't wait until our first visit to Athens in Nov. '11.

[pcur]

"There is always some construction and scaffolding. Athens is in the midst of restoring the Parthenon; basically they are having to re-do a restoration project from several decades ago that used unsuitable materials (and caused more damage than it fixed). Now they are doing a more correct restoration.

 

That said, if you are clever with your camera and angles, there are ways to get photos that either minimize the scaffolding or block most or all of it out."

__________________

Cynthia

 

Cynthia -

I love a good challenge, a picture without scaffolding!! We can't wait until our first visit to Athens in Nov. '11.

 

Yes, but it's hard to not get the HUGE CRANE in the middle of the Parthenon in the picture, too. Can you say "Photoshop"? :D

[bobalink]

pcur -

 

I appreciate your candid comments, and I LOVE your tag line prayer!

 

Dear God: All I ask for this year is a big, fat bank account and a slim body. Please don’t mix these up like you did last year. Amen.

 

Very funny.:D

 

We will be going to Athens in July. I know it's going to be hot, and we are traveling with a friend with some mobility issues. I sure hope we don't make the trek up the hillside only to find the Parthenon closed.

 

How difficult is the hike up the hill to the Parthenon?

[pcur]

pcur -

 

I appreciate your candid comments, and I LOVE your tag line prayer!

 

Dear God: All I ask for this year is a big, fat bank account and a slim body. Please don’t mix these up like you did last year. Amen.

 

Very funny.:D

 

We will be going to Athens in July. I know it's going to be hot, and we are traveling with a friend with some mobility issues. I sure hope we don't make the trek up the hillside only to find the Parthenon closed.

 

How difficult is the hike up the hill to the Parthenon?

 

Glad you like that line! My friend sent it to me. I also love the one I have about hooking up with my dreams later on..................

 

OK, my honest opinion is anyone with mobility issues will have problems getting up to the entrance, and then the hike up to the Parthenon is worse. Getting up to the gate is a paved and graduated walkway, but unless they've paved the hillside, the walk up to the Parthenon is very rocky.

 

Read this article; it gives you a lot of information:

 

http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/acropolis.html

[bobalink]

 

Read this article; it gives you a lot of information:

 

http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/acropolis.html

 

Thanks for the link!

[cruisemom42]

"There is always some construction and scaffolding. Athens is in the midst of restoring the Parthenon; basically they are having to re-do a restoration project from several decades ago that used unsuitable materials (and caused more damage than it fixed). Now they are doing a more correct restoration.

 

That said, if you are clever with your camera and angles, there are ways to get photos that either minimize the scaffolding or block most or all of it out."

__________________

Cynthia

 

Cynthia -

I love a good challenge, a picture without scaffolding!! We can't wait until our first visit to Athens in Nov. '11.

 

 

Best of luck. Here's a shot I took in October, with minimal scaffolding showing (and no photoshopping):

 

 



 

[bobalink]

Best of luck. Here's a shot I took in October, with minimal scaffolding showing (and no photoshopping):

 

Wow! What a fantastic photograph. What time of day? Where were all the tourists?

Thanks for sharing.

Bobbie

[cruisemom42]

Wow! What a fantastic photograph. What time of day? Where were all the tourists?

Thanks for sharing.

Bobbie

 

Early morning in October. I was waiting at the gate with my ticket when it opened. In fact, I was early enough to watch a detachment of guards arrive in a military truck, march inside and raise the (huge) flag that flies from the back of the Acropolis, then march out and leave. After that, the gate opened for tourists.

 

There were very few of us there for the first hour.

[CruisinManiac]

We sure were lucky that same day! :) Our private guide had us to the gate just when they opened. I think that one or two other couples beat us to the hill. We arrived just as it started sprinkling rain. I did not think that the climb was as bad as I had heard about. I read where there were 150 steps, but I honestly do not remember climbing that many. They were slippery, though. I do remember the two large dogs, and took their photos on the way back to our van. :D

 

As I recall, there was a huge crane inside the Parthenon. It was over near the scaffolding in the above photo. I took many photos, but have yet to look at them.

 

We felt the same about Athens. Acropolis was great to see, the views of Athens from the top of the cable car were fantastic, the Plaka was fun - had lunch at the base of Acropolis, but the city was too big and crowded. Been there, done that. If we by chance go back, we will take the advice to go to Delphi.

[cruisemom42]

Athens can be crowded and hectic, yes, but there are places in the city that are well worth visiting and lack the crowds you will always find in the Plaka or atop the Acropolis.

 

(As an aside, not sure why people always seem surprised that Athens is in the middle of a big city -- yes, it is, and so is Rome's ancient center, and Istanbul's and Jerusalem's........)

 

At any rate, the ancient Agora is a place that should be on every visitor to Athens' list, yet somehow it seems to get neglected. Even more the heart of ancient Athens than the Roman Forum was to Rome, this was the birthplace of some of Athens' greatest achievements, including democracy and philosophy.

 

There is an incomparable temple on a low hill that is as beautiful as (and more complete than) the ever-crowded Parthenon:

 

 

 

There is a wonderful small museum that houses, among other things, some of the earliest artifacts related to democracy, including an inscription praising democracy and condemning tyrants, and ostraka (pottery fragments) on which Athenians scratched their votes for who to exile (i.e., who was becoming too powerful and was a danger to the democracy):

 

 

The museum is housed in a building that has been painstakingly reconstructed to look like an ancient stoa, of the type where Athenian philosophers loved to meet with their students and converse:

 

 

(Notice how there are hardly any people around? This was taken around 11:00 am; the Acropolis was absolutely teeming when I had left it about 30 minutes before.....)

 

The Agora also contains some lovely ruins that, while not complete, are nonetheless very interesting and have a beauty of their own:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, the whole area is very natural and green (for Athens), with nice flora and fauna that make for good photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope others will visit the Agora and find out how enjoyable it can be away from the bustle.

[bobalink]

At any rate, the ancient Agora is a place that should be on every visitor to Athens' list, yet somehow it seems to get neglected. Even more the heart of ancient Athens than the Roman Forum was to Rome, this was the birthplace of some of Athens' greatest achievements, including democracy and philosophy.

 

(Notice how there are hardly any people around? This was taken around 11:00 am; the Acropolis was absolutely teeming when I had left it about 30 minutes before.....)

 

And finally, the whole area is very natural and green (for Athens), with nice flora and fauna that make for good photos:

 

I hope others will visit the Agora and find out how enjoyable it can be away from the bustle.

 

Cynthia,

As always, you provide great suggestions. I will make a point of visiting the Agora next month when I am in Athens.

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Bobbie

[Texasbloom]

I have a question about going up to the Parthenon. Can a person see the ruins without actually climbing to the top? We will have a 6 month old baby and my husband has a bum knee.

 

I guess what I'm asking is how difficult is the climb and should we consider doing something else?

 

1) Can you still see the Parthenon without climbing up there.

 

2) Are all the other ruins up on the hill as well?

 

I'm just trying to sort this all out before we get there. I keep reading that there are slippery spots (is it because of the marble)?

[cruisemom42]

I have a question about going up to the Parthenon. Can a person see the ruins without actually climbing to the top? We will have a 6 month old baby and my husband has a bum knee.

 

I guess what I'm asking is how difficult is the climb and should we consider doing something else?

 

1) Can you still see the Parthenon without climbing up there.

 

2) Are all the other ruins up on the hill as well?

 

I'm just trying to sort this all out before we get there. I keep reading that there are slippery spots (is it because of the marble)?

 

You can see the Parthenon from many vantage points around the Acropolis; of course you won't get very close to it. If just seeing it from a distance is enough (and it is awe-inspiring even at a distance), then you should be fine.

 

Getting to the top does involve a lot of steps, but not all of them are difficult. There are two approaches to the ticket booth, both of which involve some climbing but really not too strenuous. From the ticket booth, you will have only one upward path with steps that are made of marble. Because they are old and have been polished by centuries of use, they can be slippery even when dry (and more so when it is wet).

 

As for "all the ruins", there are ruins all around Athens. If you look at my post with the photos just above, these were all taken in the ancient Greek agora, which is right next to the Acropolis but at the foot of the hill and on mostly level ground.

 

Also, the old Roman forum with its unusual Tower of the Winds is just a few steps beyond the Greek agora in the Roman forum:

 

 

 

 

 

In a different direction, you will find the huge ruins of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's arch (both completed by the Roman emperor Hadrian), also on flat ground.

 

Unfortunately, though, if you don't climb up to the Acropolis, you won't be able to see the Erechtheion with the very well-known "Porch of the Caryatids":

 

 

Although the Caryatids above are copies (the pollution in Athens was doing a number on the originals), they look best here where they were intended to be placed. The originals (well, 5 of them) are in the new Acropolis Museum.

 

Speaking of which, this new museum is very accessible, gives a lot of background on the Acropolis and the Parthenon, has great views of the Parthenon from the top floor -- and is air conditioned. A great place to visit in Athens.

 

I would suggest bringing some sort of front or back pack for your 6-month old. A stroller doesn't work that well in a lot of places in the Med -- lots of steps, cobblestones, uneven pavements, etc.

 

Hope this helps.