I didn’t know a great deal about Maria Callas before visiting this museum but I did know that my dad was a fan and since it was very close to the hotel where I was staying and had a very eye catching frontage I decided to pay a visit. (I’ve also since seen the film Maria with Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas which I’d recommend). The museum which is the first dedicated to the singer was opened in 2023 and can be found at 44 Mitropoleos Street, opposite Athens Cathedral.
I visited the National Garden three times during my visit to Athens, once to walk through on the way to the Panathenaic Stadium, once for some welcome shade to reapply my sunscreen before heading to the Benaki Museum and once to actually explore the gardens themselves. They are 38 acres (so I didn’t explore the whole thing) and up until 1974 were called the Royal Garden, which gives you the first hint about their origins.
After I’d visited the Benaki Museum I headed practically round the corner in order to go to the Museum of Cycladic Art. Cycladic refers to the islands of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea and the culture dates from roughly 3200 BCE to 1050 BCE. The collection was brought together by Nicholas Goulandris, a shipping magnate and his wife Dolly. It is one of the most complete collections of Cycladic art in the world.
The Benaki Museum started as the private collection of Antonis Benakis, a wealthy cotton merchant, and is housed in the family’s original neoclassical home. Antonis and his three sisters donated it to Greece in 1930. The museum contains thousands of exhibits tracing Greek culture from the prehistoric to the modern age.
After the Acropolis I would put the Panathenaic Stadium as my favourite site in Athens. I deliberately planned my visit for early in the morning to beat the heat (there is no shade) and apparently the crowds because it wasn’t at all busy while I was there, but a queue was starting to build up as I was leaving. An adult ticket cost €10 and included a very good audio guide that came in the form of an old style mobile phone. Note that you can only buy admission tickets in person from the entrance booth.
Kerameikos hadn’t been on my radar when I was researching things I might like to do in Athens but my hotel provided a handy map and list of things to do in the area that recommended the site so I decided to check it out and was very glad I did.
Taking advantage of the beautiful sunshine I ventured out to Holme Pierrepont Country Park recently to explore an area I hadn’t been to since I was a child. The park is home to the National Watersports Centre and British Canoeing and where many years ago I went on a school trip to try out kayaking. There are several walks around the site and I started by doing one that went through the woods but even though we haven’t had rain for a while it was surprisingly boggy so I recalibrated and went for a less muddy walk around the regatta lake instead.
I’d spotted a sign for the Ilias Lalaounis Jewellery Museum on my way from the Acropolis down to the Acropolis Museum and decided it was just the kind of place I’d like to visit that afternoon to keep out of the sun. I knew absolutely nothing about the museum and had never heard of Ilias Lalaounis but I found the museum to be excellent with many beautiful items on display.
The Acropolis Museum is an easy walk downhill from the Acropolis and it makes sense to do one after the other if you have the time. During the summer season (1 April – 31 October) tickets cost €15 and can be bought in advance but as I didn’t know how long I was going to be at the Acropolis I settled for buying when I was there. Do note that your bag goes through an x-ray scanner at the entrance and large bags will have to be placed in the cloakroom.
This Friday and Saturday saw the return of Nottingham Light Night for its 17th year. Usually it’s at the beginning of February and I’m not quite sure why the dates moved so much, but of course this did mean that it was still quite light when I visited some of these places. I never do everything on offer as there is simply too many places to visit so this is just a highlight – Light Night is a two day event and finishes tonight (1 March).
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