Sightseeing in Athens

Athens is arranged so that antiquity stands not in a reserve but in the middle of a living city. The Acropolis is visible from balconies, from cafés and from the metro station; the Parthenon took fifteen years to build in the fifth century BC, and since then it has been a temple, a church, a mosque and a powder store. Below lie the Agora where Socrates walked, the Hephaisteion, better preserved than the Parthenon, and the Panathenaic stadium, made entirely of marble.

Around the hill lie Plaka and Monastiraki: narrow streets, antique shops, ruins in the courtyards of apartment blocks. Evening tours show the same things under floodlights, with tastings along the way; mythology quests lead through the city handing out tasks instead of a lecture.

From Athens people travel further, and that is half the programmes here. Delphi is the sanctuary the Greeks held to be the centre of the world, two and a half hours away. Meteora means monasteries on sheer rock, a full day or two with an overnight, reached by train. The Argolid holds Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio. Nearest of all is Cape Sounion with its temple of Poseidon above the cliff, visited for the sunset. Practical notes: the Acropolis has no shade and the marble is slippery — shoes with grip, water, and morning hours.