#53 Encounters with the Riots
I then reached the base of the hill again and crossed the road to visit the Acropolis museum. The Acropolis museum had the largest collection of Greek statues I had ever seen and a lot of the old friezes that were torn off the Parthenon during the Byzantine and Ottoman eras. I then walked towards the temple of Zeus. However, once I reached there, I realized it was same place as the Olympic grounds I visited on Friday night. It had been long day and I grabbed a pork gyro for lunch. The gyro would have tasted good if it was not for the mayonnaise like sauce that made it taste terrible.
I turned around to go hike around the national park adjacent to the Acropolis. It contained a forest filled with authentic Greek plant life and some nice hiking trails along cliff top views of the city. Historical sites in the area included the prison cell of Socrates, and old Greek theater, an observatory the hill of the muses with a philosopher’s monument, and the Pynx the world’s first monument to democracy and common meeting place for Greek politicians. I hiked there for an hour while listening to some jazz and R&B on my iPod.
Since the day was not over I realized I had time to hike Mount Lycabettus (technically a hill only 980 ft.), which I saw at the dead end. It stood on the other side of town so I was able tour the outer neighborhoods of the city along the way. I got lost a few times, but I finally reached the base of the hill. I took the short cut of steep path that cut through pieces of the longer path that encircles the hill. I was able to climb up the mountain quickly, but speeding through the climb wore me out. The summit was white marble cap with an Eastern Orthodox shrine, a bell tower, a massive Greek flag, and a trendy restaurant slightly below. After shooting some pictures I sat at the summit and watched the sun set behind the Acropolis. There is something about hiking that gives you a sense of accomplishment. I like the feeling of being on top of the world that I get when looking down at the scenery below from a high place. Similar to the view from an airplane, the world looks like a much more peaceful place as the chaos below is disguised by the altitude.
Beginning my descent to dinner, I walked down the less risky path to avoid tripping in the dark. I reached the city, but something was odd. The only people on the street were policemen. This was not like your normal police. It was like an army equipped with gas masks, large shields, and a cavalry of large armored vehicles patrolling the streets. This large police presence made me feel uneasy and I when walked towards the center of town, it turned into a war zone. I saw bus stops and trash cans torn down, broken glass over the sidewalk and the university building filled with anarchist symbols and graffiti on the columns that spelled out the word ‘resist’. I felt I thrust into a war zone. I then saw the police confront a gang with emo like garb and one of the cops was suspicious of me as a member of the gang. I ran to the other side of the street to get out of the scene. I then took some pictures, but the police then came to interrogate me. I found out that it is illegal to photograph the police, so I deleted pictures with them in it and went on my way. As I left the scene, I felt a little less tense, but what kind of country lets it capital city deteriorate to a state of regular riots, trash on the streets, a stray dog problem, and crumbling buildings. It is Mediterranean Mexico.
After returning to the hostel, I first tried to write my blog post. I grew tired of staring at the screen and wrote some a summary on my note pad. I then decided to spend my last night in Athens back at the rooftop bar. I met a UC Berkeley alum named Vikas. We chatted about travel and other stuff and then I went up at the rooftop bar and talked to some new hostel mates. The strange thing about hostels are that 90%+ of guests are from Anglosphere countries (US, Canada, UK, Aussies, etc.). I then went to get a midnight snack a Greek place with the group. I tried some Greek feta cheese and it was delicious, but the Greek kebab was terrible. Greek food is probably the most unhealthy tasting food in the world. I feel like I am giving myself a future heart attack when I take a bite of a gyro or a souvlaki I then left to get some sleep. The next morning I woke up, checked out and wrote this massive post. As soon I finished writing, it was time to go to the airport and I returned to Milan.
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