Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with
more of the best of Europe.
This time,
it's all Greek to me.
And that's exactly
why we're here.
It's Athens.
Thanks for joining us.
♪
About five centuries
before Christ,
Athens was the center
of the Western world.
At a time when Rome
was just a village,
it was here
that the foundations
of our Western civilization
were laid.
And today, in the midst
of all this rich heritage,
the vibrant capital of Greece
still thrives.
We'll enjoy the magnificence
of ancient Athens,
marvel at the wonders
of the Acropolis,
savor some tasty Greek
street food,
and check out the premier
collection of ancient Greek art.
Then we'll poke around
the Plaka
before escaping
the big city
to consult an ancient oracle
and relax
on a classic Greek isle.
In the extreme south of Europe
is Greece.
Its capital is Athens.
From there, we side-trip
to the oracle of Delphi,
then cruise from Athens' port
of Piraeus
to the island of Hydra.
We'll start up there
at the historic
cultural and literal high point
of any trip to Athens --
the Acropolis.
Like other hilltop sites
in the ancient Greek world,
Athens' Acropolis,
or "high city,"
was both
a place of worship
and of refuge
when under attack.
Crowned by the mighty
Parthenon temple,
the Acropolis rises
above modern Athens,
a lasting testament to Greece's
glorious Golden Age
in the 5th century BC.
Grand processions followed
the Panathenaic Way,
which was a ceremonial path
connecting the town below
and the Acropolis.
They'd pass through
this imposing entryway
and up to the religious heart
of the city
in the Parthenon.
The Parthenon was perhaps
the finest temple
in the ancient world.
Valiantly battling the acidic
air of our modern world,
it still stands, with the help
of ongoing restoration work.
It was constructed
in the 5th century BC
and dedicated
to the virgin goddess Athena.
Seeing it today
is awe-inspiring,
but imagine how striking
it must have looked
when it was completed,
nearly 2,500 years ago,
in all its carved and
brilliantly painted splendor.
The adjacent erect
is famous
for its
Porch of the Caryatids --
six beautiful maidens
functioning as columns.
Dedicated to Athena
and Poseidon,
this was one
of the most important
religious buildings
on the Acropolis.
This, rather than
the Parthenon,
was the culmination
of the Panathenaic Procession.
At the foot
of the Acropolis,
the Ancient Agora,
or "marketplace,"
sprawls out
from its surviving temple.
This is where,
for 3,000 years,
Athenians gathered.
While the Acropolis was
the center
of ritual and ceremony,
the agora was the beating heart
of ancient Athens.
For some 800 years,
starting
in the 6th century BC,
this was the hub of commercial,
political, and social life.
Visitors wander the remains
of what was
the city's principal
shopping mall
and administrative center.
Exploring the agora,
it's fascinating to ponder
the world of Plato
and Aristotle
and the age which laid
the foundations
for =Western thinking
about economics, democracy,
logic, and more.
The Stoa of Attalos,
from the 2nd century BC,
was rebuilt in modern times
to house the agora's museum.
With so little of the agora
still standing,
this reconstruction
makes it easier to imagine
the site
in its original glory.
Crowds would gather
in shady porticos like this
to shop, socialize,
or listen to the great
philosophers of the age.
In fact, Socrates spent
much of his life right here,
preaching the virtues
of "nothing in excess"
and urging those around him
to "know thyself."
The temple of Hephaestus,
one of the best preserved
and most typical
of all Greek temples,
dates from about 400 BC.
Like the Parthenon,
it's constructed
in the simple Doric style.
It housed big, bronze statues
of Hephaestus --
the blacksmith god --
and Athena,
patroness of the city.
Greek architecture evolved
in stages.
The capitals, or tops,
of the columns,
were both functional
and decorative.
While just the tip
of the architectural iceberg,
these are handy indicators,
helping us identify
the three main architectural
"orders," or styles.
The earliest style,
Doric,
has flat, practical plates
as capitals.
In the next order, ionic,
the capitals are decorated
with understated scrolls.
The final order,
Corinthian,
popular later on
with the Romans,
features leafy capitals,
boldly decorative,
with no apologies necessary.
How to remember
all these?
As the orders evolve,
they gain syllables.
Doric,
Ionic,
Corinthian.
But for most travelers,
the agora
is more than
an architectural review.
Strolling in the footsteps
of Socrates
is your best opportunity
to commune
with the epic Greek past.
Like so many great
civilizations,
ancient Greece peaked
and then faded.
200 years ago,
Athens was just
a small town
surrounded by big ruins,
sitting on lots of history.
That 19th-century Athens
is today's Plaka.
The Plaka district
provides tourists
with a more intimate Athens --
no chaotic traffic,
lots of colorful restaurants,
and the best souvenir shopping
in all of Greece.
And for a quick,
inexpensive bite to eat,
drop by a corner
gyro and souvlaki stand.
Gyro means "turning,"
referring
to the slowly spinning
round of meat --
roasted pork or chicken --
shaved as needed.
And souvlaki
is meat on a skewer,
shish kebab style.
My favorite --
a gyro pita.
Slice up that meat,
toss in a little salad...
Tsatsiki -- a garlic
yogurt sauce -- and spices,
all wrapped in a handy cone
of toasted pita bread.
Energized by a tasty gyro,
hike to the top
of the Plaka
and explore the charming "village" of Anafiotika --
literally, "little Anafi."
It was built
in the 19th century
by people from the tiny
Cycladic island of Anafi.
They came here to the big city,
looking for work.
In this oasis
of tranquility
nestled beneath the walls
of the Acropolis,
the intensity of Athens
seems miles away.
Weave through narrow paths
lined with flowers
and dotted with cats
dozing in the sunshine.
Observe the peaceful rhythm
of daily life.
And with a little luck,
you can make a friend
and be invited in.
Or in this case,
up onto the roof
for a pleasant chat
and a cup
of strong Greek coffee.
[ bell ringing ]
Athens is getting
more and more people-friendly.
This elegant walkway is
a popular pedestrian boulevard
arcing around the back
of the Acropolis.
As the sun goes down,
it's busy with locals
and visitors alike.
At the end of the walk,
prime Acropolis-view real estate
is dedicated
to the fine art
of cafe-sitting.
Sipping a drink here
puts you right in the middle
of a lively Greek scene.
In Athens, it seems
all roads
pass through Syntagma Square.
Today, people pour
out of the city's busiest
subway station
into this cafe-filled square.
Shady trees make it
a breezy and restful spot.
200 years ago, Athens was just
a humble town of about 8,000,
huddled at the base
of the Acropolis.
But when the Greeks won
their independence
from the Ottoman Turks
in the early 1800s,
they chose little but historic
Athens to be their capital.
This stately square
was part of a grand project
designed to turn the town
into a suitable capital
for the new nation.
The original square
was essentially
a big front yard
for the new royal palace.
The country's leading families
built mansions here
to be close to the king.
These mansions
survive today
as grand old
hotels, embassies,
and museums.
In 1843, a riotous crowd
jammed this square,
demanding a syntagma,
or "constitution."
The king gave a speech
from this balcony,
granting his people --
whose ancestors
invented the concept --
democracy.
This place has been known
as constitution square,
or Syntagma Square,
ever since.
Today, the Royal Palace
houses the Greek Parliament.
The palace and the Tomb
of the Unknown Warrior
are guarded by the
much-photographed evzones --
these flamboyant soldiers
with their distinctive strut
change at the top of each hour.
They're clad in the traditional
pleated kilt and pompom shoes
made famous
by the evzones.
These mountain fighters
battled ferociously
in Greece's early-19th-century
War of Independence.
They claim the soldiers outfits
have 400 pleats --
one for each miserable year
of Turkish occupation.
And don't you forget it.
Buoyant after winning freedom
from its Turkish overlords,
the new capital city flourished.
Some of those first
government buildings,
built in the prevailing
Neoclassical style,
still survive today.
They stand amid today's
bustling metropolis.
In the 20th century,
with an influx of refugees
and industrialization luring
workers in from the countryside,
the population of Athens
exploded.
The flow of people into
the sprawling city continues.
And 4 million people --
roughly one
out of every three Greeks --
call Athens home.
And recently,
the city has curbed pollution,
cleaned up and pedestrianized
the streets,
spiffed up the museums,
and invested in one
of Europe's better
public transit systems.
Descend into Athens'
sleek and cool underground
and you'll enjoy
a transit system
as efficient
as anything in Europe.
With all its
traffic congestion above
and nearly a million Athenians
zipping smoothly underground
every day, the system
is a godsend.
Ermou Street, leading away
from Syntagma,
is a thriving pedestrian mall.
Just a few years ago,
this street was
a car-clogged mess.
Once again, when it was
first pedestrianized,
merchants were upset.
Now it's a hit with everyone.
The one must-see site
outside the central tourist zone
is the National Archaeological
Museum.
This extraordinary collection
lets you
follow the sweep of Greek
art history from 7000 BC
to 300 AD.
A trove of funerary art
from the royal tombs of Mycenae
shows treasures from a society
that thrived
around 1,000 years before
the days of Socrates and Plato.
You'll see
finely decorated weapons
and sheaths...
Exquisite golden jewelry...
And the delicate
Vaphio gold cups,
reminders
of the sophistication
of that 15th-century BC
civilization.
This warrior vase
from the 12th century BC
shows women gathered
to wave goodbye
to a group of warriors
heading off to war,
sporting fancy armor,
with duffel bags
hanging from their spears.
These Mycenaean soldiers,
with their yellow-ribbon moms,
are a timeless off-to-war scene
repeated every generation
in the 3,000 years since.
Ancient Greeks celebrated
the human body.
To them, it was the embodiment
of the order found in nature.
All the parts
were there --
in geometrical,
if not biological --
perfection.
No individual features.
Everything was idealized.
In fact,
these archaic statues
were named
simply kourous,
meaning "boy,"
or kore, meaning "girl."
Statues from this age,
around 600 BC,
all had the same
standard features:
weight spread evenly
on two feet,
arms rigid at the side,
stiff braided hair,
almond-shaped eyes,
high eyebrows,
and the same quirky
little grins.
Archaic statues
all look like cousins.
During the Archaic period,
all the parts were there,
but if it decided to walk,
it would walk like a monster,
stiffly, with no understanding
of the subtle interplay
between hips and shoulders.
But Greek art evolved
with its society.
The 80-year period from about
480 to 400 BC
Was known as the Golden Age
of Greece,
the age of Socrates
and Pericles,
and Athens was
the center.
During this time,
the golden mean
was "nothing in excess."
In both life and art,
everything was to be in balance.
Golden Age sculptors shifted
weight more believably,
placing their statues
in a contrapposto pose --
that means relaxed, with hips
shifted realistically
and weight resting
on one foot.
Statues looked
more lifelike.
Ancient Greek treasures include
the Poseidon of Artemision.
This stunning bronze statue,
cast in 460 BC,
depicts the mighty god
of the sea
about to hurl his trident.
Once again, we see
that classic Greek balance
between stillness
and motion.
But in around 330 BC,
Athens was conquered
by the Macedonians
from the north.
Subjugation by the Macedonians
under Philip II
and his son,
Alexander the Great,
ushered in what's known
as the Hellenistic period.
The word "Hellenistic" refers
to Greek culture
after its political conquest.
Greek Hellenistic art,
like Greek Hellenistic
society in general,
evolved beyond the esthetics
of the Golden Age.
While less balanced
and composed,
it was a more
individualistic age,
with more exuberant
and emotional art.
The Horse and Jockey
of Artemision,
cast in the second
century BC,
is filled with this
Hellenistic energy.
The high-spirited detail
is astonishing,
right down to the horse's
dramatic head,
and the concerned look
on the young jockey's face.
The evolution of Greek art
from stiff to realistic
to emotional
would be echoed by Europe
2,000 years later,
from stiff Gothic
to realistic Renaissance
to emotional Baroque.
A two-hour drive northwest
of Athens takes us to Delphi,
one of the most important sites
in the ancient world.
Wherever you travel,
seeing the precious artifacts
in the big city museums first
helps you better appreciate
the historic sites
out in the countryside.
Ancient Delphi, perched high on
the slopes of Mount Parnassos,
was not a city.
It was the site
of the oracle of Apollo,
god of the sun.
People would journey here from
all over the known world,
to seek wisdom from the gods
on vital affairs of state.
Today, tourists zigzag up
the ancient Sacred Way
to the Temple of Apollo.
The path is flanked by
the remains
of Delphi's famous treasuries,
monuments erected by city-states
in gratitude
for the oracle's advice.
Local guides,
like Penny Kolomvotsou,
bring these ancient and mythic
events to life.
So, tell me why this place
was chosen for the oracle.
Zeus wanted to know where
the center of the world was.
He let two eagles fly from
the two opposite ends
of the universe, and this is
where they met, here in Delphi.
So he called this
basically
the bellybutton
of the world?
Yeah, the omphalos, yeah.
This wonderful place became
the center of the world.
Steves: The resulting Sanctuary
of Apollo
reached the height of its power
between the 6th
and the 4th centuries BC.
The oracle became
so influential
that no great leader would make
a major decision
without first sending emissaries
to consult the oracle.
Penny: There was a priestess
inside the Temple,
and right underneath it,
there was this room
where she was inhaling vapors
evaporating from the ground.
So she was in trance.
So she would babble,
and the priests would say,
"this is wisdom from the gods."
- Exactly.
Steves: Because the priests
debriefed those
seeking advice on
the state of their homelands,
Delphi became the database
of the ancient world.
Because of that,
the priests here
were actually able to astound
those who came
with their wise,
believably divine advice.
And, there was more to Delphi
than just the oracle.
So, people from all over
the Greek-speaking world
came here.
Correct, and apart from
coming here
to consult the oracle,
the other reason
was also because,
like in Olympia,
they had
the Olympic Games,
here in Delphi, we
had the Pythian Games.
Yeah, these were
competitions
concerning music,
poetry,
sport events,
as well.
So, a balance of things.
Music and sports.
Yeah. Everything
in moderation.
Know thyself --
the Golden Mean,
in everything, so
we've got the theater,
we've got the stadium...
Steves: During
those pan-Hellenic,
or "all-Greek," festivals,
Delphi filled its theater,
which seated 5,000.
And it packed as many as
7,000 sports fans
into its stadium.
I like being here
at the end of the day,
with the tourists gone,
cheers of the long-gone crowd
still ringing
in the cool mountain air.
And the starting block
all mine.
[ starting gun fires ]
As it was in ancient times,
Piraeus is still
the port of Athens.
From Piraeus, boats depart
for points throughout
the Aegean Sea.
Cruise ships await
their passengers,
and hydrofoils vie
with lumbering car ferries.
It's an exciting springboard
for the Greek Isles.
We're riding a Flying Dolphin,
one of the fleet of speedy
hydrofoils that zip from Athens
to the islands,
and from island to island.
It's fast but less scenic as
the passengers are stuck inside.
I like to hang out in
the windy doorway.
After a 90-minute ride,
Athens is a world away,
and we pull into
the isle of Hydra.
Its main town,
also called Hydra,
is home to about 90% of
the island's 3,000 residents.
After the noise of Athens,
Hydra's traffic-free tranquility
is a delight.
I'm glad I'm packing light
as I hike up to my hotel.
Hydra is one of the prettiest
towns in Greece.
Its superb harbor
is surrounded
by an amphitheater
of rocky hills.
There's an easy blend
of work-a-day commerce,
fancy yachts,
and lazy tourists
on island time.
Donkeys rather
than cars,
the shady awnings
of well-worn cafes,
and memorable seaside views
all combine to make it clear,
you've found your Greek isle.
Hydra was a Greek
naval power,
famous for its shipbuilders.
The harbor, with twin ports
and plenty of cannon,
housed and protected the fleet
of 130 ships, as the Greeks
battled the Turks
in their early 19th-century
War of Independence.
The town stretches away
from the harbor,
a maze of narrow,
cobbled streets
flanked
by whitewashed homes.
In the 1960s,
the island became a favorite
retreat for artists and writers,
who still draw inspiration
from its idyllic surroundings.
One of the island's greatest
attractions is its total absence
of cars and motorbikes.
Instead, donkeys do
the heavy hauling today,
just as they have
through the centuries.
And I suppose for just as long,
they've treated children
to rides as well.
At the top of the town,
the humble Taverna Leonidas
has been around so long,
it doesn't need a sign.
The island's oldest and most
traditional taverna
was the hangout of the local
sponge divers a century ago.
These days,
Leonidas and Paneota
feed guests
as if they're family.
And tonight, the place
is all ours,
as our enthusiastic cook
welcomes us into his kitchen.
So, what are we
cooking?
Cook lamb
with roast potatoes.
Grilled shrimps with
an oil lemon sauce.
Calamari
with a garlic sauce.
Very good.
Spanakopita --
spinach pie.
Eggplant
and then beets.
Steves: and before
we know it,
Leonidas has us all
sitting at the table,
and he starts bringing in
wave after wave
of his fabulous dishes.
Here we go, the shrimp.
Grilled shrimps
with the oil lemon sauce.
Yasous.
A fleet of taxis shuttle people
to outlying hamlets and beaches.
We're catching one for a windy
survey of the island,
and to be dropped off
for a scenic hike
back into town.
Hydra is popular with walkers,
who come to explore
the network of ancient paths
that link the island's
outlying settlements,
churches, and monasteries.
And in springtime, hikes come
with fields of wildflowers.
A delightful way to cap the day
is to follow the coastal path
to the village of Kaminia.
Its pocket-sized harbor shelters
the community's fishing boats.
Here, with a glass of ouzo
and today's catch,
as the sun slowly sinks
into the sea
and boats become
silhouettes,
you drink to the beauties
of a Greek Island escape.
Perhaps nowhere else does
the historic
and cultural timeline of Europe
reach so far back
while being so vibrant today.
I hope you've enjoyed our look
at Athens,
the oracle of Delphi,
and the romantic isle of Hydra.
I'm Rick Steves.
Until next time,
keep on travelin'.
Avrio.
