Scorching heat wave closes Acropolis early

Page last updated at 05:12 GMT, Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - 10:12 EST

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Ozone levels were elevated in Athens on Monday, Jul. 16, 2012.

The Acropolis, the most important archaeological site and tourist attraction in Athens, will close early on Monday due to the scorching heat.

The monument will close at 14:00 on Monday, while the issue of tickets will stop half an hour earlier, at 13:30, "to protect visitors and employees alike" from the current heatwave, which will peak at 41-42 degrees Centigrade on Monday.

The decision was taken unanimously at an emergency meeting of the Panhellenic Association of Antiquities Guards' executive committee and briefing of the culture and tourism ministry.

Municipal authorities in Greek cities are on alert, providing air-conditioned halls for the public, while the government’s Civil Protection Agency advised elderly Greeks to remain indoors until evening hours.

The Greek Health Ministry has advised citizens and visitors in Athens to remain indoors for as long as possible during the hottest part of the day on Monday, due to a high concentration of ozone in the atmosphere.

Some information for this report was provided by AMNA, Associated Press, eKathimerini

Watch from Reuters:

Watch from Skai (in Greek) - Κλειστή η Ακρόπολη λόγω... καύσωνα

Comments

How ridiculous!

July 17, 2012 by Jim Adams (United States ), 43 weeks 5 days ago

How ridiculous! Tourists are paying money to go see the Acropolis and Greek public servants want to take the day off because it's too hot for them to work? They'd rather be sipping their frappe somewhere? Travelers payed top bucks to be in Athens for the day - a lot of them just to see the Acropolis - and this is the respect they get from the people that take their money? Why would anybody pay their hard earned money to go visit Greece thesedays is beyond me.

Re: How ridiculous!

July 17, 2012 by Pnyx (United Kingdom ), 43 weeks 4 days ago

@Jim Adams:

What angers me, from half-a-world away, is that they are shooting themselves on the foot when it comes to tourism while begging with open hands for aid from Europe. It seems that they are doing everything possible to inconvenience and alienate tourists who want to SPEND MONEY.

While planning for our August holiday a few months ago, Greece was under consideration but not knowing who'd be on strike then and for how long, we decided on the Caribbean instead. A huge disappointment for us but we couldn't afford to take the chance of being stranded. It turned out to be cheaper, too.

Re: How ridiculous!

July 18, 2012 by Jim Adams (United States ), 43 weeks 4 days ago

Pnyx wrote:

we decided on the Caribbean instead. A huge disappointment for us but we couldn't afford to take the chance of being stranded. It turned out to be cheaper, too.

I'm 100% with you on this.

Am I missing something?

July 18, 2012 by Irlandos (United Kingdom ), 43 weeks 4 days ago

@Jim Adams:
What I don't understand is: if they are closing off the Acropolis due to the heatwave, why keep it open at noon and close it at 2:00pm? Isn't the worst of the day's high temperature over by then?

Why not just keep it closed between 12:00 - 2:00pm and open the rest of the day?

Re: Am I missing something?

July 18, 2012 by Jim Adams (United States ), 43 weeks 4 days ago

@Irlandos:
The hottest part of the day seem to depend on geography and season (I had to look things up). But for summer in the region that Greece is in, it appears that the hottest part is between 2-4 PM.

But regardless, you don't shut down a monument that thousands of people have payed top bucks to visit unless it's a national emergency. A war or disaster so to speak. There are working hours and schedules and Greeks need to stick by them.