And that was the off-season…

05.04.2024

Yesterday our soul was pampered and our batteries were charged, today education and culture are on our agenda. Like thousands of other people. Although we cynically question whether it is really about education or just the next spine-twisting Instagram photo.

According to our research (and professional experience :-) ), the beginning of April is low season. Recently studied blogs suggest that the rush hour is over after 1:00 p.m. and Google even claims that the Acropolis is currently under-used. And yet it is jam-packed and the crowds are a little disconcerting. You should allow yourself at least four hours for the museum before climbing the mountain. Somewhat panicked, we suspect that we won't be able to stand an hour between groups of American pensioners and disinterested French teenagers. What must it be like here in high season when it's 40 degrees in the shade?!?!

Thank God there is a small gods rally for children, which focuses on statues and reliefs that are not in demand in the ultra-modern and, according to the rankings, one of the most attractive museums in the world. So we fight our way through the three floors, are fascinated by the exhibits and animations and try to imagine what the brightly painted marble must have looked like back then. We don't really succeed, we have to go out into the sun to experience the dimensions.

The Acropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is absolutely justified. The size of the temples is unbelievably impressive and we are very sorry that you are not allowed to enter the Parthenon due to construction work. And we are even more sorry about the centuries of destruction by various conquerors. Starting with the Persians, the Ottomans, the Venetians and the British, who not only fired cannons at the temples but also took everything they could. In children's terms: everything was stolen and plundered in the name of the British crown and the treasures never had to be returned.

We're done by 4 p.m. The sun is getting to us and we don't want to look at any more stones, no matter how pretty and old they are.

Lars tries his best to find us a little oasis to rest, but Ida and I are (typically women) undecided and dissatisfied. Around 1037 of the almost 16,000 steps for the day are spent looking for a café. In the end we manage to get a coveted table in a popular café with Greek sweets and bad-tempered service. For once there is no tip, but the account is still much emptier, the mood is at least a little lifted (thanks to sugar) and another decision is finally possible: we want time for ourselves. Armed with a bottle of wine, a few salted nuts and our books, we sit on the hotel roof terrace and let the evening come to an end.

Tomorrow we go back to Frankfurt.

So we leave our terrace refuge and go to the tavern one last time for a typical Greek meal. On the way there, three police motorcycles sweep past us, escorting a car with sirens and flashing blue lights. We are confused and obviously show it clearly. A Greek couple explains it to us: probably a pregnant woman who needs to get to the hospital quickly. Crazy, but effective.

As is often the case after city trips, we are torn between melancholy and longing for home.

Was the trip to Athens worth it? Absolutely!!! We were impressed by the different faces of the city, the lively center and the historical sites. We will definitely miss the gyros. There isn't a decent one to be found anywhere in Frankfurt.

Will we visit the city again? Probably not. Not because there isn't still a lot to discover or because we didn't like it overall. But we unanimously voted the island trip the highlight of our short trip. Maybe we have to admit that Lars and I are now too old and Ida is still too young to appreciate the hustle and bustle of the big city. Who knows whether that will change. And if it does, then I'm sure that the list of places we still want to discover is long.