A visit to Athens during Covid-19
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
A visit to Athens during Covid-19

Explorer

Tareq Onu
28 October, 2020, 04:40 pm
Last modified: 28 October, 2020, 05:18 pm

Related News

  • What justifies China’s zero-Covid policy?
  • 22 Covid cases reported in 24hrs
  • China Junshi's potential Covid drug shows promise in small trial
  • Indonesia to drop outdoor mask mandate as Covid-19 infections drop
  • N Korean leader slams officials' 'immaturity' in response to Covid outbreak

A visit to Athens during Covid-19

There is no other city on earth that has so many archaeological ruins, all of which are around 3,000 years old.

Tareq Onu
28 October, 2020, 04:40 pm
Last modified: 28 October, 2020, 05:18 pm
The old temple of Athena has six iconic female figure-like columns which have been holding its ceiling for the last 2,500 years; Photo: Tareq Onu
The old temple of Athena has six iconic female figure-like columns which have been holding its ceiling for the last 2,500 years; Photo: Tareq Onu

The Greek authorities made a new law during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anybody entering Greece has to fill out a PLF form online, has to notify the authorities about the stay, a few information about their travel companion, and so on.

The problem is you have to do it at least 24 hours before your departure date, precisely before midnight.

Also, as we were flying from Spain, they asked for a Covid-19 test result – of course a negative one.

We had the test and everything was fine. We had a transit in Milan and there, before the flight, the airline said our PLF had not yet been accepted by the automatic system of the Greek authorities, and therefore, we could not take the flight!

This is how we faced the pandemic during our last travelling and got stuck in Milan for one night.

We bought a new flight ticket to Athens the next day and when the PLF confirmation came, we got on the flight the very next day.

Athens has been my city of wonder since my first visit almost a decade ago. There is no other city on earth that has so many archaeological ruins, all of which are around 3,000 years old.

An Aerial view of Athens; Photo: Tareq Onu
An Aerial view of Athens; Photo: Tareq Onu

You can feel the history in its air, and at the same the time, the beauty of the landscape and the taste of Greek cuisine will make your stay more enjoyable.

On the first Sunday of the month, all the historical ruins and museums are free to enter in Greece. Thus, you can easily save almost 100 euros if you select your date carefully. We chose a homestay at Monastiraki near the Acropolis Hill, and there is a direct metro from the airport.

The Acropolis Hill is the link crown of Athens. You can see it from almost anywhere both during the day and at night and wonder that it was built 3,000 years ago by master architects with supreme perfection.

Our journey towards history started early in the morning. We walked the slopes of the hill and entered the ancient area. Due to the pandemic, there was much less crowd than expected. But still a few hundred history lovers were roaming around the ancient temple which was built 2,500 years ago. The giant columns were spectacular.

From the top you can see the whole Athens, almost all the main ruins, and the Aegean Sea.

We were spotting the places we were going to visit after a while like the Roman Agora, the Greek Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian's Arch, etc.

Then we went to see the most famous of all Greek temples – the Erechtheion, widely known as the old temple of Athena.

It is mainly known to the world because of its "Porch of the Maidens", the iconic six female figure-like columns which have been holding the ceiling of the temple for the last 2,500 years.

It has long been a mystery how the narrow necks of the six statues could hold the weight for ages.

In 1979, five of the statues were replaced by exact replicas and they are now on display at the Acropolis Museum which we were going to visit later. The other statue is in the British Museum, taken by Lord Elgin long ago.

On the way down, we stopped by the famous Herodes Atticus, an arena or stadium built 2,000 years ago in memory of Aspasia, wife of Herodes who was a wealthy official of that era.

Herodes Atticus is an arena or stadium built 2,000 years ago in memory of Aspasia who was the wife of a wealthy official called Herodes; Photo: Tareq Onu
Herodes Atticus is an arena or stadium built 2,000 years ago in memory of Aspasia who was the wife of a wealthy official called Herodes; Photo: Tareq Onu

The arena has 5,000 seats and it is still in use, especially for opera or play. What a wonderful feeling it was to know that time has stopped here, and it is serving mankind for the purpose it was built.

These architectures are symbols of not only the glorious Greek past but also human civilisation. They still make us speechless by their perfect beauty and accuracy.

Our next destination was the Greek Agora, the place where the Greek met each other after everyday work in the foothills, and where the great philosopher Socrates preached to his disciples in that golden era. It occupied a bigger area in the past.

At one corner, there is the beautiful giant temple of Hephaestus. On the other, there is a museum which has a marvellous collection of historical artifacts and sculptures.

The neighbouring Roman Agora was much smaller. We found the Prison of Socrates by the forest.

The rooms there were built by making holes in the hill and might have been used as a prison, but there is no proof that Socrates spent his last days here. It got its name because of rumours.

After that, we went to visit the grandest of all architectures of ancient Greece – the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It took 638 years to build the temple which has 104 columns.

All those were 55.6 feet high, though only 21 are standing today and there is no ceiling at all. Still, this ruin will take your breath away by its colossal size.      

The place had crowd but much less than normal times in Athens. Security officials were strict about putting face masks on and maintaining social distance.

During the next few days, we visited several museums, a few famous ruins, and the Piraeus port. We also discovered Bangla street! On that street, almost all shop owners are Bangladeshis and they named it "Bangla Goli" (alleyway).

We were delighted to find some Bengali restaurants which have excellent food at a much cheaper price. They were selling milk tea with "shingara" and samosa.

Among all the museums, my most favourite is the National Archaeological Museum which has many masterpieces and the golden death mask of Agamemnon.

The mask was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in Troy, and is believed to have belonged to Agamemnon, the great king of united Greece.

But later, the mask was proved to be 3,700 years old, a few centuries older than the Trojan War.

We were amazed to see the 2,000-year-old sculpture of Plato and Aristotle, which were replicated from original Greek sculptures.

The museum has thousands of artifacts and it took us one whole day to explore it. That was also the case when we visited the Benaki Museum that offers a wide collection.

Among all the pandemic safety measures, the change of the guards wearing pom pom shoes in front of the Greek parliament remainsed the same. Every hour, the show was going on, which drew tourists.

One late evening, we went to see the only marble stadium of our planet, which was used in 2004 Summer Olympics. However, it had been used in ancient Olympic Games.

I would love to spend a few weeks in Athens any time just to sit in any of the cafés, looking at the Acropolis and breathing in the history. Though a few things had changed due to Covid-19, it still kept us wondering about its exquisiteness.  

But alas, we had to catch a flight to the dream island named Santorini. So, we had to say goodbye to Athens this time.

Features / Top News

Athens / Covid -19 / Tareq Onu

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • PID photo
    PM asks for region-based appropriate development planning
  • Photo: Collected
    BSEC seeks explanation from Shakib Al Hasan on gold venture 
  • Court sends Haji Salim to jail rejecting bail plea
    Court sends Haji Salim to jail rejecting bail plea

MOST VIEWED

  • I did not go there in search of God, nor am I trying to achieve nirvana. All I wanted was complete solitude in this secluded wonder of the world. Photos: Salehin Arshady
    Alone in the Himalayas
  • Dubai. Photo: Collected
    4 tour packages for the holiday season
  • The author Farid Farabi (centre) with his team of travellers. Photo: Courtesy
    Scaling the Dumlong peak
  • Dominica
    Dominica: A tropical paradise
  • A long queue of hikers in Sonaichaari trail. Photo: Masum Billah
    How the Sonaichhari trail hikers changed Joynal's life
  • The only indigenous tea field in all of Europe Porto Formoso
    Azores islands: Like walking into a landscape painting

Related News

  • What justifies China’s zero-Covid policy?
  • 22 Covid cases reported in 24hrs
  • China Junshi's potential Covid drug shows promise in small trial
  • Indonesia to drop outdoor mask mandate as Covid-19 infections drop
  • N Korean leader slams officials' 'immaturity' in response to Covid outbreak

Features

Why everybody wants to be like TikTok

Why everybody wants to be like TikTok

3h | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

How the ban on porn sites spawned a local cybersex industry

6h | Panorama
3 best affordable sunscreens for all

3 best affordable sunscreens for all

6h | Mode
Warah uses three types of khadi material: a sheer and light one, a medium count and a thicker one.

Warah: Embroidered with culture and womanhood

8h | Mode

More Videos from TBS

CV or Resume: Which one to create for job application

CV or Resume: Which one to create for job application

7h | Videos
Wheat prices double in India

Wheat prices double in India

21h | Videos
Is Washington-Moscow agreement possible?

Is Washington-Moscow agreement possible?

22h | Videos
Pigeon exhibition for the first time in Gazipur

Pigeon exhibition for the first time in Gazipur

1d | Videos

Most Read

1
Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge
Bangladesh

Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge

2
A packet of US five-dollar bills is inspected at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington March 26, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron
Banking

Dollar hits Tk100 mark in open market

3
The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter
Industry

The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter

4
PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire
Crime

PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire

5
BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies
Stocks

BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies

6
The reception is a volumetric box-shaped room that has two glass walls on both the front and back ends and the other two walls are adorned with interior plants, wood and aluminium screens. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Habitat

The United House: Living and working inside nature

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab