Voyage to Crete: Athens
by Eti Bonn-Muller
July 17, 2009

I arrived in Athens only yesterday, but have already found it much changed since my last visit in 1997. It is a markedly “post-Olympic” city, with a new airport, a new currency (the Euro having replaced the drachma), and a new sense of how to manage visitors at its major tourist destinations, including marked paths to enter and exit the Acropolis. Unchanged is the proud Greek spirit and sweet mixture of chaos and calm that pervades every aspect of life.

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The sleek new Acropolis Museum--the flat rectangular structure just beyond the trees--opened in June 2009. In this photo, taken from the top of the Acropolis, the theater of Dionysus, god of wine, is visible in the foreground. The museum houses the sculptural and architectural marbles from the Parthenon and surrounding structures. See our September/October issue for a story on the museum by Jarrett Lobell.

This entry was posted by Eti Bonn-Muller on Friday, July 17, 2009. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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3 comments for "Voyage to Crete: Athens"

• Reply posted by Theo Dimson (August 20, 2009, 1:52 pm):

  The Glory That was/is Crete is parts of my ‘roots’ (Olive Tree roots of course!)

       


• Reply posted by Theo Dimson (August 27, 2009, 1:10 pm):

  The Glory that was and is Crete is part of my ancestral roots,(Olive Tree roots, of course.)

       


• Reply posted by Jane Dorman (January 1, 2010, 8:54 am):

  Oh, I just had to leave a comment. My partner and I visited Crete in October ’09 and it was truly AWESOME. We are desperate to return soon and see the many things that we couldnt cover in a week. We did, thankfully manage to visit the Leonardo Da Vinci exhitibition. Truly wonderful. Your writings and pictures have opened up a few places for us which we never knew existed. Thank you.