
We were on a Mediterranean cruise and at first we were disappointed that we didn’t have more time to spend in Athens. I’m an antiquities nut and the thought of rummaging about Athens - THE ATHENS – gave me goose bumps.
We knew the timing would be tight, so we prepared to leave the huge Celebrity Solstice cruise ship as soon as we were allowed. We flagged a cab and asked him to head for the Acropolis as fast as he could.

We arrived a few minutes before the site opened and I was pleased to see that the hoards of tourists had not
yet finished their coffees in the cafes below. We weren’t alone, but I didn’t feel like I was in a Tokyo subway car either. We walked through various ruins, I have no idea what they were, intent on reaching our objective, the Parthenon. Finally, as we emerged from the last set of stairs there it was, the ancient temple in all of its glory. And a lot of scaffolding. And cranes.



I should probably mention that my partner is not as enamored by ancient things as I am. He has a pretty low tolerance for them actually and our travels through the Mediterranean was stretching his travel patience to the limit. I couldn’t visit Athens though without a stop at the National Archaeological Museum.

I was nervous as we entered the stately building, glancing at Scott to see how he was managing. I knew his attention span wouldn’t last long and so I set out to see the highlights of the museum. It really is an impressive place and demonstrates the amazing and impressive history of Greece.
After an hour, Scott threw in the towel and I agreed. There’s only so much marble you can look at before losing all interest. We popped in to the gift shop to purchase a set of coasters in the design of the Phaistos Disc and left.
We finished our time in Athens walking around, trying to get a feel for the city. And to a large part we succeeded, we just really didn’t like that feel. As a city it doesn’t have the same intangible “something” that Rome or Paris has. It was dirty, crowded and at times dangerous. It’s not at all what I expected, what I hoped for.
I’m of course thankful for the opportunity to visit Athens and witness firsthand remnants of the amazing accomplishments of Greek society. But I felt guilty that I didn’t like the city. I felt as if I was supposed to like it, and because I didn’t I must have missed something or done something wrong.
But I didn’t. I wouldn’t change anything about the way we toured the city, the fact is that I just don’t like Athens and that’s ok. Travel is a huge commitment for most of us, both financially and in time. We want everything to be great and perfect, but that’s not possible. I don’t regret visiting Athens, it provided experiences I will always remember, I just don’t ever want to return. Not everything will be great when we travel, but it’s what we take away from those experiences that matters. Rather than learn anything about Athens, my takeaway from the city adventure was that even some of the most iconic, most visited places in the world can suck. It’s just a part of the travel experience.
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