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Sightseeing and Monuments
 The prospect of hosting the Olympic Games in 2004 led to major
reconstruction projects in Athens. The city has recently undergone a
multi-million-euro "face lift" with the expansion of parks and pedestrian
zones, the restoration of historic neoclassic buildings and the construction
of walkways that link its main archaeological sites.
The city's major ancient sites
are linked in a vast pedestrian network, a modern Panathenaic Way closed to
all vehicles but public transport, starting at the site of the new Acropolis
Museum and eventually reaching the ruins of ancient Eleusis 22 kilometres
away. A 1.7 kilometre stretch of tarmac from the Roman Arch of Hadrian to
the classical Dipylon Gate, paved in Cycladic marble and stone, is the
walkway in the heart of a web extending from the site of the first modern
Olympics to the overgrown foundation of Plato's Academy, four kilometres to
the west. Walkways link the Temple of Olympian Zeus with the Acropolis, the
Philopappos Hill, the ancient and Roman Agoras, Hadrian's Library and
Kerameikos cemetery with all six sites spruced up, the ancient structures
conserved and restored to a degree.
No trip to Athens would be
complete without a visit to the sacred rock of the Acropolis, an obvious
choice for a fortress and sanctuary in ancient times. Recently undergone
extensive restoration, the new Acropolis Museum hopes eventually to display
the collection of the 5th century BC Parthenon Marbles currently housed in
London's British Museum after they were removed from the Acropolis by Lord
Elgin in early 19th century.
The city boasts over 50
museums, the most important being the recently renovated National
Archaeological Museum that houses more masterpieces of ancient art than any
other in the world, with exhibits spanning some 7,000 years. The Benaki
Museum, the Byzantine Museum and the National Gallery are well worth a
visit.
 The Olympics have brought some
welcome improvements to Athens and the ancient capital has reclaimed much of
its former beauty. Thanks to an Olympic-related beautification program,
building facades are painted in fresh colours, ugly billboards were removed,
sidewalks were repaved, new pedestrian precincts were made, hundreds of
thousands of trees and flowers were planted, lighting was installed on all
historic buildings and the city's parks and squares were redeveloped.
Not far from the capital, there
are many attractions in Attica that are ideal destinations for leisurely day
trips. Popular destinations include the 11th-century Kaisariani Monastery,
the battleground, tomb and museum at Marathon, the archaeological site of
Ramnous and the splendid Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. |
