European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 stars and stripes april 19 2007 Page 29 monuments Are timeless but the City has changed by Chris Welsch Mcclatchy newspapers in Athens you cant escape times Arrow not even in a shiny new sub Way station in the heart of the City do you know How Many Athens we Are standing on right now asked Despina Saidou As we walked Down the stairs into the syntax a Square subway station at least 6 cities when they dug up the subway system they brought into Light every old Athens Saidou is a native athenian who proudly Waves the Banner for All things greek she was leading four of us on a walking tour of the City our starting Point was the subway station the end would be the acropolis which to use the greek alphabet is the Alpha and Omega of ath ens the new subway seemed an Odd place to Start an examination of one of the worlds oldest cities the stations sleek surfaces Marble floors Metal railings a giant metallic clock sculpture sparkle under Large overhead lights on one Side of the station however a Glass Wall re Veals layers of the past directly where they lie signs Point out a Road bed thou Sands of years old a grave from 400 by wine vessels and Clay Drain pipes for the cites ancient sewage system among other things the layers speak of prehistory the glorious Greece of Pericles the Days of Rome the Christian Empire and the 400 years of turkish occupation the subway completed in 2000 became Athens most ambitious archaeology project Saidou said As Crews built three major lines and dozens of stations archaeologists excavated More than 2 million artefacts some of them Are on display in syntax a station Olive Oil lamps vases Combs and pieces of jewelry that once adorned the women of the greek capital the subway itself is an important artefact of modern Athens All athenians Are very proud of this subway system Saidou said it takes More than 800000 people in and out of the City daily you cant compare the traffic today to what it was even five years ago and that the least of it Athens has under gone tremendous change in a very Short time that i could see for myself i have been to Athens twice in 1988 Athens was a poor european Backwater few people spoke English traffic jammed the narrow streets yellow Gray Haze obscured the cites famous Hills just the same i fell in love with the City with its opinionated citizens its Smoky tavernas and the Way Athens Herk Jerky present awkwardly flowed around the ruins of its illustrious history Public buses belched diesel fumes a head of wingless Nike about the size of a Large thimble is on display in the agora museum at the ancient agora not 100 feet from the teetering columns of the Temple of olympian zeus for a drachma pinching Backpacker Athens was Ideal my hotel near the acropolis was a night for dollars a Day i ate Moussaka and stuffed grape leaves and sipped ouzo and murky greek Coffee i had to learn some greek to order food and get around it was my first trip to Europe As an adult and it was an Odyssey in the Best sense of the word in the Span of a few Days i fell in love i lost love and i be moaned cruel Fate in tears i sat on the Stone risers in the Moonlight at the the Ater of Dionysus the open Amphitheater on the Southern flank of the acropolis the venue for euripides greatest plays was the perfect place to Rue my personal drama even Small tragedies deserve a great stage this time around Athens was an Excel Lent reminder that when you travel you do so in time As Well As in space in other words the parochial Athens of 1988 was not the cosmopolitan Athens of 2006 a bargain hotel near the acropolis was is 00 euros a night the sit Down meals Cost at least s20 the soot stained shops on pedestrian Only Vermou Avenue had be come posh fashion houses and trendy cafes the smog Hast disappeared completely but for a couple of Days the sky was crystalline Blue and the subway with signage in English and greek made getting around simple Despina Saidou and our group boarded the train for the acropolis minutes later we stood at the base of the Steep Rocky Hill we walked up Dionysus ave nue past the ancient theater of my 24yearold Heartbreak we paused to Admire the acropolis still looming above us this is a Symbol of the photos by Minneapolis Star a tourist takes a photo with the Well preserved doric Temple of hephaestus behind him in the ancient agora or old Market area of Athens it was the heart of the City in the 6th Century by port a triangular pediment and 17 columns flank the sides if s the Model for thou Sands of Banks museums and government buildings the world Over but if s not simple at All the architect took Many Steps to play with our Atten Saidou said the columns not parallel if you lengthen them Long enough they form a Pyramid the columns Are also wider at the top and Bottom but you cant see it its an optical illusion that creates a fluidity of movement you cant take your eyes off it Saidou explained that the Parthenon is built on a foundation of gravel Sand and Straw the first anti seismic build ing in the world the Par thenon survived Many Earth quakes As a result Man not nature has posed the biggest threat to the building until 1687 the Parthenon was intact the whole Struc Ture it was so Beautiful that no one touched it she said then during a siege of the Kendrik agora Central Market hums with the kind of Energy one would have encountered 2500 years ago greek nation Saidou said this is our holy Rock talk of the past evaporated when we came around the Comer and confronted the facade of the Parthenon the Temple to Athena that crowns the acropolis it May be 2500 years old and partly in ruins but it retains the Power to strike Awe into its viewers its a very simple Structure on first glance eight White Marble columns sup Athens a venetian bomb destroyed the roof and knocked other parts of me Temple Down leaving it much As it is today that was where our guide left us mod Ern Athens spread out in All directions beneath our feet and rising above us the Parthenon proudly stood Vigil a fragment of Athens past that regally presides Over its present email Chris Welsch at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis at distributed by Mcclatchy Tribune information services trendsetters like to see and be seen in Athens popular cafes know go Vermou Avenue a pedestrian thoroughfare off syntax a Square is an artery of fashion and Flash the acropolis Start any tour of Athens on this historic Hill its main building the Parthenon originally a Temple dedicated to the cites namesake goddess Athena retains its awesome visual Impact and the views of Athens from the acropolis will set the stage for the rest of your visit the 12euro ticket includes admission to several other key ancient Sites youll pay More if you buy individual tickets a note officials began moving sculptures and artefacts from the old acropolis museum into Hie new acropolis museum Down the Hill in january the new museum is scheduled to open in septem Ber the Best preserved and most valuable of the friezes from the Parthenon known in England As the Elgin marbles remain in London British museum Greece continues herculean efforts to get them Back ancient Market the ancient greek agora or Market area occupies a Par like setting on the Low ground to the North of the acropolis there you can stroll Down avenues once trod by the likes of Pericles and Plato highlights the Well preserved doric Temple of hephaestus the blacksmithing god and the agora museum housed in a reconstruction of the Stoa of a Talos a spectacularly columnar Structure with foundations dating to 150 by these Sites Are on the multiparty acropolis modern Market an Earl morning visit to the Kendrik agora Central Market illustrates the kind of frenetic Energy one would have encountered 2500 years ago at the old one meat fish fruits vegetables cheeses Olive oils and olives abound along with chopping cleavers and vigorous bartering i had some of my Best meals Here nibbling on figs cheese bread and olives Pynx the Pynx greek for the place of on the shoulder of Phil Pappos Hill is the site of the ecclesia an Early democratic body a jail cell carved into the Limestone Hill once held Socrates and provides a vivid reminder of the hazards of truth telling even in a democracy the Park area is forested with winding trails sculptures and Many excellent views of the nearby acropolis National gardens near syntax a Square this Leafy elegant Park provides a less euristed Oasis with magnificent Cypress and bitter Orange Trees inspiring statuary and shaded benches archaeological museum Here youll find the Best and biggest collection of classic greek Art in the world my favorite is the Little jockey a life size Bronze of a boy on a galloping horse which was discovered in an ancient Shipwreck the work is so lifelike that i almost wanted to get out of the Way to avoid being trampled a i Turkey Greece 50 Miles stars and stripes regional delicacies modern athenians come from All Over Greece and every greek favors the cheese Olive Oil and Honey of Home they find them at Small shops specializing in the produce of the regions and is lands my favorite was the lesbos store near the Kendrik agora at no 33 All things Lesbie the greek Island sense of the word could be found Here from lesbian cheese Honey olives and sausage to lesbian soap and shampoo Mes Gaia Nikis 52 not far from the nation Al specializes in cretan goods cretan thyme Honey May Well have inspired the term ambrosial museum of Cyc Ladic Art a Short walk from syntax a Square this Small museum in a beautifully appointed Villa High lights the sacred prehistoric Art of the Cyc Ladic islands the icons of the collection Are highly stylized faceless human sculptures that inspired the work of modernists such As Modigliani these however were created 5000 years ago the museum usually has at least one interesting Tempo Rary and often contemporary exhibition  Village the olympic Village created when Athens hosted the games in 2004 has been turned into a Large and interesting housing project just beyond it at the terminal station of subway line 1 lies Kif Issa a prosperous suburb the subway lets out at wifi seas shop Ping Core with a mix of High end boutiques cafes and trendy Coffee shops if s a fascinating look at the world upper class greeks Are making for themselves now walking tour shun the bus Tours offered by nearly every hotel and spend a Day with Athens walking Tours groups Are limited to eight and trip themes Range from the must sees the acropolis to an intimate look at Greece markets past and present the Tours Are typically three to four hours and Cost 29 euros which at recent Exchange rates is still a bargain at most Tours meet at syntax a Square reservations Are advisable a Good hotel the Adrian hotel in the Plaka neighbourhood is one of the Best Small three Star hotels Ive patronized in Europe i found it while bargain shopping online at wow hotel Luscom my favorite lodging search the Bill last april was 100 euros a night the comfortable rooms All have Veran Das and breakfast is served on the roof with a Nice View of the acropolis you can Book it on a wide variety of web Sites Chris Welsch