Summer Destination: Philippines

I've been to the PH four times already, but I haven't visited any major sites or landmarks. Since the country tries its best to promote its tourism, with a motto "It's more fun in the Philippines" I decided to ask my cousins to help me visit some interesting sites in Manila.

I travelled about eight hours to reach Manila from Ilocos Sur. It has been a long and tiring trip, but definitely worth it. The picture above was taken at Fort Santiago, Intramuros. It is one of the oldest Hispanic stone fortresses in the country. I heard that it was originally the site of Rajah Soliman's fort, and was used by the Spaniards under various governor generals who continued to modernise it.

To be honest, I did not expect a lot from this fort. This is mainly due to the fact that I grew up in Greece where ruins and ancient buildings can be found almost everywhere. However, I was fascinated by it, not because of the architecture but rather due to its aura. It looks very old, but preserved. The carvings at the front reminded me of the ruins built by the Mayans in South America.

As you can see it was raining during my visit and it was completely empty. I was so glad that we had the whole area for ourselves.

TTFN

The Benaki Museum in Athens

Asian Dictator of Taste Visits the Benaki Museum in Athens

  
     The Benaki Museum was founded in 1930 by Antonis Benakis whom it took its very name. The museum was initially Benakis’ paternal home which was converted into the first private museum in Greece. According to the museum’s pamphlet, Antonis Benakis started collecting the collections in the museum when he was still in Egypt and donated them to the Greek State in 1926, when he settled in Athens permanently. The Benaki Museum houses important artifacts that reflect Greek history through the ages, beginning from the Pre Historic Ages until the declaration of the Greek Independence or the modern times. Benaki’s initiative brought immediate response by the public. The constant increase of benefactors and donors led to the increase of important collections or works of art which filled the gaps and made it easier for the visitor to further understand Greek culture and history.

The interior of the museum is marvelous and it is no doubt one of the most sophisticated neoclassical buildings in Athens. The museum is a three-floor building that is divided in to thirty- six galleries. Every gallery represents a particular period of time and as the visitor ascends into the floor building, the more he or she goes closer to the modern times. This mainly contributes to the overall organization of the museum. With this wide range of time it is evident that the Greek culture and history is rich.The galleries that can be found at the ground floor introduces the visitor to the early times of Greek History from the Neolithic period (6500 – 3200 B.C.), the Bronze Age, the Geometric period, the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Period until the Roman and Byzantine Period. The first floor on the other hand is interesting since it differs from the ground floor. If pots, marbles, primitive tools jewelries and other forms of artifacts that were excavated can be seen at the ground floor, one can see Greece’s secular art during the period of foreign occupation, costumes, embroideries, jewelries, ceramics, wood carvings and paintings at the first floor. This is really interesting because every visitor can see the culture in different parts of Greece through the costumes and many other objects that reflect their daily lives. Moreover, one can see the influences that the foreign occupation brought to Greece from the 17^th to 19^th centuries. The S. & E. Kostopolos Gallery can be found in the second floor. Although this floor mainly does not have the same importance for the understanding of Greek history, this gallery exhibits Greek important artists. Moving up to the third floor, one is introduced to the modern times in which the Greeks struggled for independence and the formation of the Modern Greek state. In this floor, every visitor will be able to learn about the important Greek figures that contributed to the Modern Greek thinking and those who contributed to the formation of the Modern Greek State. Generally, I enjoyed visiting this museum because it really encompasses the whole history of Greece throughout the ages.  

The National Archeological Museum

Asian Dictator of Taste Visits the National Archaeological Museum

  
  
     The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is considered one of the best museums in the world. It is also the largest archaeological museum in Greece. According to the pamphlet of the museum, it was founded at the end of the 19^th century to house and protect antiquities from all over Greece. The Museum can be found at 44 Patission St. which is a bit far from Syntagma Square. The plot was first donated by Eleni Tositsa and its construction was based on the designs of the architects L. Lange and P. Kalkos. As the museum adopted changes until the 20^th century, its galleries houses and shows the evolution of ancient Greek culture. The Museum’s collections could be divided into the Prehistoric Sculpture, Vases and Minor Arts, Bronze and Egyptian Antiquities.
     The Prehistoric Collection includes objects from the Aegean during the Neolithic period and Bronze Age. It also includes objects and treasures from the royal tombs of the Mycenaean Civilization and Cycladic marble figurines. The Sculpture Collection contains some of the most exquisite Greek sculpture during the Archaic and Classical period. The most important are the series of Classical grave relief and Kouroi (male sculptures). In addition, it houses some of the largest groups of original sculptures in the world. The Collection of Vases and Minor Arts contains cases and sculpture that highlights the great quality of the Geometric Period. The Bronze collection on the other hand, is famous for its rich collection of Bronze statues of the two most important Greek Gods, Zeus and Poseidon, the jockey from Artemision and many others such as figurines and vases. Lastly, the Egyptian Collection which shows Egyptian civilization from the early Pre-dynastic period until the time of the Roman Empire is one of the most famous in the world. Among the objects that can be found in this particular gallery are pots, statues, jewelries, mummies, sarcophagi and many other fascinating Egyptian objects.

Visiting the museum thrilled me a lot. Since high school I always loved history and archaeology. It is really interesting to learn the people of the past and how they lived. Since I had high expectations from this museum I really raised the standards of what I think were the essential criteria for a museum to be successful. I believe that other than the artifacts, pots, jewelries, vases, sculpture etc. the organization and the way they explain each and every thing in a clear way are important. And to be honest at some point I got confused and disappointed. The museum was huge with really high ceilings, wide spaces and it gives you a feeling of emptiness. However, when I saw certain sculptures and objects which I longed and desired to see in person, my mind ignored every bit of details that bothered me. This was no other than the Mask of Agamemnon which can be found in the Mycenaean gallery and the huge bronze statue of Zeus and Poseidon.

The Acropolis Museum

Asian Dictator of Taste Visits the New Acropolis Museum

  
  
    Of all the museums in Athens, the Acropolis Museum is definitely one of the most important and breathtaking museums, due to its architectural location, organization, design and of course the magnificent collections that it houses.

    The Museum is located in the historic Makryianni district situated 300 meters south of the Acropolis. It is conveniently located next to the Acropolis Metro Station which makes it easily accessible by tourists. According to its pamphlet, the museum was founded to exhibit all the significant finds from the Sacred Rock and its foothills. It was designed by architect Bernard Tschumi with Michael Photiadis. One can say that the museum is still new and modern since it was inaugurated in the summer of 2009. It covers a total area of 25,000 square meters in which over 14,000 square meters is exhibition space. Through the transparent glass outer walls of the museum, one can have the visual link between the collections exhibited in the Museum and the monument from which they once originated. Located on the ground floor is the Gallery of the slopes of Acropolis. Moving to the first floor is the nine meter high “Archaic Gallery” which hosts magnificent sculptures such as the beautiful archaic korai (female sculptures). Another interesting architectural feature of the museum can be found at the third floor. This is also known as the Parthenon Gallery. It is a rectangular, solid concrete core that was built to the exact dimensions and orientation as the Parthenon. It was especially designed to receive and display the entire temple frieze. After the Parthenon Gallery, a visitor can return back to the first floor and continue the journey and see works from the Propylaia, the temple of Athena Niki and the Erechtheion. Finally, one can notice that the floors are mostly made of glass which matches the transparency of its walls. The very base of the museum also is transparent, making it appear as if the museum was floating. As the museum’s pamphlet notes, it is supported by more than 100 concrete pillars which provide an impressive shelter for the site’s archaeological excavation.

     Compared to the other museums I visited here in Athens, I found this particular museum the most organized. Every corner of the museum is filled with workers who are really strict on regulating the museum’s rules and regulation. Although the museum is large, a lot of useful maps and signs guide every visitor to follow the right track until the very exit. This helps every visitor to understand and appreciate the collections better in an organized way. Lastly, I think the Greek government or the official in charge of this museum did a remarkable job since they were able to portray the grandeur of the Acropolis to the whole world. Who knows? The museum might earn back the other pieces from other museums world wide, such as the very well known Elgin Marbles.