Tuesday 11 February 2014

Archaeology at the airport

Air travel is not on my list of favourite things, but a wait at Athens airport is ameliorated by a visit to the onsite museum. Excavations prior to the building of the airport, revealed a wonderful slice of Greek history and over 150 finds are displayed on a mezzanine floor above the check-in desks.  While waiting for your steel bird to carry you off into the sky, imagine the ghosts of the Neolithic first settlers, the Bronze age warriors in their fortified settlement,  the gold and ivory wielding Mycenaeans lying in  their chamber tombs, the affluent Atticans at the birth of democracy, Roman farmers enjoying their comfortable farmsteads and villas  provided by the ample vineyards and olive groves and Byzantine Christians worshiping in their tripart basilicas - all sharing the geography if not the time of your visit.  Such informed daydreams are a great way of forgetting that you are about to spend a few hours enclosed in a metal tube.  Non of the aforementioned would believe you if you told them it could fly.


11 comments:

  1. How civilized! Can't imagine a better way to fight the terrible boredom of being in a airport waiting to go home. Hope you're back in the comfort of your own home now.

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    1. I'm sure every airport must have some records of the archaeology under their foundations. It would be good to have it on show.

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  2. Beats Heathrow any day! What a super idea.

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    1. Athens airport beats Heathrow hands sown, mainly because it is very compact so easy to get around.

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  3. Gives a new meaning to duty free browsing. Marvellous!

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    1. Makes a change from duty free browsing any way.

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  4. I love when airports get creative and add exhibits and installations. What a great idea!

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    1. I didn't even see it the first couple of times I flew from Athens, so thought I should advertise.

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  5. . . quality distractions are all to rare, especially at transport hubs - a cerebral connection to the information super-highway!

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    1. Most brains switch off in airports so anything that keeps the imagination sparking is welcome.

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  6. Wonderful! I'd so much rather spend time in a museum than a duty-free shopping mall. I love your evocative description in this post.

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