Wrapping Up Greece Part 2

Be warned, there are no pictures this time. Which is a bit annoying for me, and I'll tell you for why. When we got back to Athens on our final afternoon the coach driver offered to drop off anyone who wanted to go to the National Archaeological Museum at the door there rather than the hotel. Since we were quite keen to go, mainly because all the exhibits from the sites we had visited during the week had been vacuumed into the all consuming maw of the National Museum ( and I wonder what that reminds me of?) we took advantage of this opportunity.

 

And we had a great time. We started off with lunch in the café which was busy but efficient and possibly the nicest food we had in Greece all week. The only downside for me there was the visiting pigeon which of course alarmed and upset me. (I may not have mentioned this previously. I am seriously phobic when it comes to pigeons, but embarrassed generally to admit it). However it got shooshed away and I bolted the rest of my lunch before it could gather sufficient wit to return.

 

Then we took to the galleries, and spent most of our time where the artefacts from Mycenae were displayed. It was so beautiful. Obviously I adored the jewellery, but was surprised to be also captivated by the pottery. I've done my fill of walking, glassy eyed, past cabinets and cabinets of Roman pottery lamps and vases in museums from Italy to Portugal - they must have been produced by the million - so I've never really thought myself a fan of ancient pottery. But these were glorious; beautifully shaped and  balanced, in warm earthy colours; really I'd have been happy to have some of the jugs in my cupboards.

 

And all the way round, rather than take photographs, which was allowed, I was planning what to buy postcards of at the shop. I knew there was a shop and I sort of assumed that there would be racks of postcards of all this beautiful stuff. And a good book in English about the site of Mycenae.

 

Well, how wrong can you be? The shop was large, dark, and badly stocked. The book section was very limited, even in Greek, let along in foreign languages, and there were no postcards to be seen. And not just because it was dark. It was because there were none.

 

I won't expand on that. Except to say they are missing a trick, which in my experience is unusual in a museum.