Athens

My main reason to come to Athens is due the cheap flights from here to Australia. Like always plans keep changing, this time its not different. Besides that is Athens one of my top 3 still to visit cities in Europe, especially the historical aspect. 

After a very good, intense and tiring week I had some time to power up again in Athens. The first night I only relaxed and die absolutely nothing except scoring some food at the Big fat wolf. I had 3 full days time to explore all the beauty of this city. After a lazy morning I met Jesus from mexico for a coffee and walk in the city, we met as well his friend Ricky. I met Jesus in Capadocia in Turkey with his girlfriend. It was ment to be that we would be the same time in Athens and meet again. The rest of the day I spend with Ricky walking around the city and visiting the Panatheneic stadium and temple of Zeus.

The original Panathenic stadium was built in 330 BC. Later renovated by Herodus Atticus with place for 50.000 people. The first (old) Olympic games were held here. Later in 1896 this was the place for the first modern Olympics with 80.000 visitors. In 2011 was here the opening of the special Olympic world summer games. 

Close-by here is the temple of Zeus. He was the head of the Olympian gods. The finished temple never had a really important influence due attacks and later using the materials for other buildings. For this time the temple was impressive and one of the biggest building at that moment in the world. 

Like I mentioned before is having an (old) student card has a lot of (financial) benefits. Nowhere else than Athens so far has the best system for (European) students. By showing my card I save like 20€ by Acropolis and 10€ by Acropolis museum and so on. Namely all museums are for free in Athens and the rest of Greece for European students. 

Acropolis is an ancient citadel site located on a rocky outcrop of Athens and contain the remains of several ancient buildings. The Parthenon is the most famous and former temple of the greek goddes Athena. This is the most important survival building of the classical Greece period and finished in 438 BC. Now seen as the biggest and most famous greek monuments. During the christian period this temple was a church and during the ottoman occupation they used the temple as a mosque. Nowadays the reconstruction of this building is still going on. This site has a really interesting and moving history by the time and I recommend you doing some research or taking a guide. If not this just looks as some beautiful old Greek buildings. 

One more day left and I had two options. Visit an Island and the beach for a daytrip or going to an abandoned airport and old Olympic stadiums. Probably 95% of the people would go to the island but my choice was very easy, the abandoned places. Together with Jesus we took the Metro to the suburbs from Athens looking for these places in the area Elliniko. From the subway we walked to the airport that was easy reachable. We visited the parking, the entrance, some small towers but not inside the main building. Everything was locked and blocked and there seem to be some guards around having regards to the scooters. This part of the airport seemed to be still active for private jets due the active moving radar from the flight tower and presence of some small airplanes. We walked via the gate and high walls around the airport and found some huge old Olympic airplanes. Flat tires, Olympic signs visible but clearly long unused, expires and abandoned airplanes. Besides that still cool to see off course. After more pictures we moved to the main road to take the bus to the other side of the airport. 

Arrived on the other side of the airport we saw immediately security in a car by the main gate.  We just passed them by on the public street and walked around the old Olympic airport. We found an opening in the fence and moved quickly inside the building. This old airport used in 2001 seemed to be out of work after the Olympics. Fallen walls, broken ceilings, damaged signs and a lot of green took the place over. Nice to see the entrance, check in, boarding gates, international and domestic flights, toilets, lots of signs and all the other needs an airport have. 

Behind this airport we had to cross an open area to reach the abandoned Olympic stadiums in this area. Luckely the security didn’t see us passing this area. First we reached the training complex for hockey in front and around the official stadium. After this we walk in via the front entrance of the stadium.The UN refugee agency housed here many people in these stadiums. Tents, sleepingbags and many other object we still found everywhere in and outside. The stadium had one huge stand on the long side and three smaller ones. We climbed on the huge stand and had a good view over this and some other stadiums. After a while we saw via the top of the stand some people got caught by the security. They drove behind them till they left at the official exit. We were already far away from there and just relaxed and explored the rest of the stadium. They were as well the only people we saw there during our visit.

After this we moved on via some fences to the kanoe and rafting stadium. Very interesting to see because this is different from all the stadiums I’ve seen ever before in my life. Walking over the stand and after that in the artificial river with her obatructions. After a lot of pictures and videos we moved to the top of the track. A car started honking and driving towards the fence. A security guard stepped out of the car and started shouting from distance to us. We slowly walked away and decided to be good guys and walk towards the  security car. Arriving there we saw no people around and moved towards an other exit (fence). We jumped over and a guy came from the other side with a golf cart. He opened the fence and we moved our ass quickly in the suburb. He seemed to follow us for a bit, he came in the same direction but we moved quickly around some corners and never saw him again. I dont know if he was looking for us or that just felt like that for us because we entered this area... 

Crazy to see all these places where they spend a lot of money and than leave for nothing, a huge waste of money if you ask me. 

For me this felt like a really acopalypse feeling from a movie. The silence, the broken and abandoned things, left overs and signs from humans and way more.  If your interested in this I would definitely recommend you giving this area a try.

Athens, a nice city for one really intensive day exploring I would say. 3 days was for me way to long. If I didn’t relax and do some random things this would we way to long. I was looking forward to take my flight to Indonesia, I turned off my alarm and woke up in a rush. All the way to the airport with the metro and eveything I felt the pressure of getting my plane. Luckely I arrived on time and didnt miss my flight. Now on the way to Indonesia for a new adventure with Mariana.