Yes, if one hasn't been to Athens in 20 years, then I suppose one would once again visit the Acropolis. It is the city's most well-known landmark anyway, and so even though I absolutely remember visiting it in 2005, I made it a point to visit it again this time.
It was a weekday, and one of those days which I took the time off of work to explore the city. I don't remember how exactly the visit was back then, and nowadays we were worried that we would not be able to enter as we didn't procure online tickets, but when we showed up at the entrance, the queues were very short, and we definitely found our way behind the gates soon enough.
We entered through the South Entrance, just a few steps from the metro station. We were greeted by these broken statues, as they were housed in a little shed right near the entrance. We spent some time checking them out, yet there's more interesting things that await us.
We climbed up, as the hill was rather imposing and towering above us. Thankfully, it was winter, so the sun wasn't super intense as it would be during the summer. We slowly made our way, passing by an ancient auditorium, the Theatre of Dionysus.
A better-preserved theatre is just a few metres away, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. This was a fantastic well-preserved structure. As we climbed up, it emerged on our left, and it was I should say, in a state that sometimes it takes your breath away. We spent some time gazing at this place, and I wonder what it was like to see a show in this theatre back in the days.
Then it was time to enter. We went through the Propylaea, the symbolic gateway of the Acropolis. It was a magnificent feeling to enter this place, but unfortunately there were quite a few people so the magic is diminished somewhat. I remember my feelings from 20 years ago when one emerges on the other side, as one sees the Parthenon emerging before one's eyes. This was one of those magical moments.
We went around the Parthenon. We explored everything we can explore, all its corners, admiring its pillars, going around it. It's a fantastic building, after all, and definitely worth checking out. I definitely remember the moments I had exploring this place back in 2005. I even took perhaps the same pictures. And for one of them, I even recreated my pose.
We also explored the Erechtheion, which is the building on the other side of the hill, across the avenue cutting the plateau. We saw the Porch of the Maidens, with the Caryatids acting as pillars holding the ceiling. And of course, we eventually descended, and explored the surrounding walkways, before eventually going for lunch.
Back in 2005, there was an attached museum, the Acropolis Museum. This was housed in a building behind the Parthenon. But nowadays, this museum has moved, to a different building. It's nearby, but we decided to visit it one other day.
