Athens, Greece or Αθήνα, Ελλάδα

Hi all! In the middle of October Derek and I decided to take one of our

longer holiday breaks to Athens and then sail around some of the Greek Isles.

This first part of the blog is just of Athens. We did Athens in a one day whirlwind

tour and beware viewer - there are loads of ruins in these shots!

We landed in Athens just in time to see the sunset. This was taken

from outside our hotel with a fabulous view of Hadrian's Arch.

The next day we were up bright and early to explore Athens. Stop

#1 - the Acropolis. This was taken as we were ascending to the top.

You can just make out the Parthenon peaking over the hill.

Here is a great photo of the Acropolis, which symbolizes Greece's Golden Age.

Towering above the modern city of Athens the Acropolis will literally stop

you in your tracks. Acropolis means "high city" and was commissioned in

the 5th century BC by Pericles.

This is a view of Herodes Atticus Theater from above on the hill. It was built

in AD 160 by Herodes Atticus as a tribute to his wife. This theater

still hosts music, dance and theatrical events today.

Another view from on top of the ieros vrachos (sacred rock)
down to the Roman Agora and the Tower of the Winds.

One of the ancient columns on the Acropolis. This one does not
look so steady anymore!

This is The Erechtheion. It is a prime example of the Ionic order. It is much smaller

than the Parthenon and remained Athena's holiest shrine: legend has it that on this
spot Poseidon plunged his trident into the rock producing a spring of water, whereas
Athena created a simple olive tree, whose produce remains a main staple of Greek
society. A panel of judges declared her the winner and the city was named Athena.
Yes, there is still an olive tree that you can see in this photo and there are said to
be marks from Poseidon's trident on a rock near the north porch. The Erechtheion
was completed in 406 BC and was divided into two Ionic sanctuaries.

The most interesting feature of The Erechtheion is the Caryatid Porch.
The porch is supported by the six heads of maidens (caryatids) each wearing
delicately draped Ionian garments. The ladies all have different outfits and
different hairstyles. The second one from the left is what Frederic A. Bartholdi
fashioned the Statue of Liberty after. These are all copies. All of the originals are in
the new Acropolis Museum (a must do) except this one which is in The British Museum.

Pretty view of the Greek flag at the top of the Acropolis.

And finally, the Parthenon. It stands at the highest point of the Acropolis
and is dedicated to Athena. It was conceived by Pericles and built between
447 and 438 BC. It not only raised the bar in terms of sheer size but also in the
perfection of its proportions and is a masterpiece of Doric architecture.

Derek needed a photo by himself. Another life long goal to check off the
list. One of the features of the Parthenon is that the architects tapered the
columns and slightly swelled them so that they could hold more weight. The
Architects knew that a straight line looks curved, and vice versa, so they
cleverly built the temple with all the horizontal lines somewhat curved. The
columns all lean inward and if they were to continue into space they would meet to
create a huge pyramid.

Here is the Theater of Dionysus. It was on this spot in the 6th century BC
that the Dionyssia festivals took place and a century later dramas such as
Oedipus Rex and Medea were performed. You can still see the foundations
of the stage and the lower levels of seats with labeled chairs for dignitaries and
priests. In the middle of the orchestra stood the altar to Dionysus.

This is a view of the Temple of Olympian Zeus from the Acropolis.
It was commissioned in the 6th century BC and finished by Hadrian in

AD 132. Only 15 of the original Corinthian columns remain.

Another view of the Parthenon. They are currently doing a massive
renovation that will be amazing when finished. The reason that the roof
is missing is that it was used for gunpowder storage and exploded in 1687
when it was hit with a mortar shell. Today the Parthenon is famous for its "missing"
marbles. These are the legendary statues from the temple frieze and the east

and west pediments (the triangular section above the horizontal structure).
One of the most graphic sculpted friezes The Procession of Panathenaia was
524 ft long, depicted a parade of 400 people and 200 animals. This was very daring
to show ordinary people at this time. Lord Egin, the British ambassador to Constantinople,
was given permission to remove stones with inscriptions from the Acropolis. He took this to mean he could dismantle shiploads of sculptures. Many historians say he was neither ethical
nor delicate in removing two thirds of the famous friezes and half of the marble statues in
the first decade of the 19th century. On the other hand, many say that all would have been
destroyed if allowed to remain on site. Today, Greece wants the treasures returned so that
they can be appreciated in their original context. The new Acropolis Museum was built with
areas that are vacant awaiting their arrival. (Don't hold your breath) So far, if you want to see them you have to go to the British Museum.

This is the Ayii Apostoloi found in the Agora. It is the only one of the nine
churches to survive and is over 1,000 years old.

Ancient Agora was the commercial hub of Ancient Athens. The
Agora's showpiece was the Stoa of Attalos II pictured above. Socrates
once lectured here and tried to convince the youth of Athens to adopt his
progressive ideas on mortality and morality. It was first designed as a retail
complex and was erected in the 2nd century BC. In 1953-1956 it was rebuilt
from marble and limestone from the original structure.

A view of the Acropolis above Ancient Agora. The Agora was once lined with
statues and expensive shops, the favorite strolling ground of fashionable Athenians
as well as mecca for merchants and students. Here Socrates discussed matters with
Plato and Zeno explained his philosophy.

This is the world famous Tower of the Winds (Aerides) because it is the
most well preserved of the Roman monuments of Athens since the 1st century BC.

The Tower of the Winds was originally a sundial, water clock and
weather vane topped by a bronze Triton with a metal rod in his
hand, which followed the direction of the wind.

Hadrian's arch was built as a marble gateway in AD 131 and was
intended to honor the emperor Hadrian and to separate the ancient and imperial
sections of Athens. On the side facing the Acropolis (seen through the arch) reads
"This is Athens, the Ancient City of Theseus", but the side facing the Temple of
Olympian Zeus (the way the photo was taken) reads "This is the City of Hadrian
and not Theseus".

Here is an up-close shot of some of the columns of the Temple of Olympian

Zeus.

Yeah - the Panathinaiko Stadium. This is where the 1896 Summer
Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were
held. Greece was the birthplace of the Olympics and Athens was the
appropriate choice to host the first modern games. This stadium was the first big
stadium in the modern world.

For those of you who know me I am a HUGE fan of the
Olympics and was much more interested in seeing this.
I am still trying to figure out how I can get into one of the
games - I can still dream!

And my second favorite thing of the day - Greek food!
Pita, dolmathes and tzadziki. Mmmmmm. After all that history
I really worked up an appetite and the need to take a rest!

Derek and I chillin' after a very long day of site seeing in

one of Athens pretty outdoor tavernas. Next stop - the boat!
Stay tuned!!