3 Days in and Around Athens

After our 1st day discovering Anciet Athens, we spent some time checking out what modern Athens has to offer...

Like a black light in our hotel room.

NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

We spent a day at the National Archaeological Museum and saw the following things (all from before Christ existed)...

an ancient funeral monument


a bronze statue of a boy on a horese

theatre masks

a hearth (finally I actually know what one is)

gold used in Mycenae to cover the dead body of an infant in its grave

the mask of Agamemnon (not actually his, since the king didn't exist for another 400 years)

Neolithic statues

a frying pan

THE TEMPLE OF POSEIDON

We spent 2 hours on the bus to get ourselves to the Temple of Poseidon. The most worthwhile part of the trip was the view on the way there...and there.

the temple (it's designed in the exact same fashion as every other temple in Greece.)

This one is only partially standing...and take about 10 minutes to see....20 if you contemplate life at the same time.

but the reason we went is because this temple is built on a cliff overlooking the Aegean sea.


DAY TRIP TO AEGINA (an island)

the view of Athens' pier from the ferry.

we loved the turquiose water...and the warm sun

we spent the day at the beach learning about the 'typical (????)' Greek approach to women...that is of the teenage boy of course. In a not so cute way a group of 5 boys spent the day accosting a group of American girls...luckily they could have cared less about them and the boys soon disapperared. Interesting to watch...sort of. We then found our way to a restaurant, where we stared at ourselves (not really) in a shiny piece (technical terms don't really matter in Greece) on a motorcycle.

THE ORCLE OF DELPHI
Delphi, best known for the Oracle that plenty of Greek consulted for both major and minor life decisions, is also considered the centre of the world (Zeus sent 2 eagles in separate directions and where they collided, he put a stone, which apparently French men like to pose with). It is also the birth place of the god Apollo...so really, kind of important.

a model reconstruction of Delphi (not just a place to see a priestess)

The Treasury of Athens.

Basically, cities would build a treasury at Delphi, where they would leave valuables like Gold, statues, etc. to show their appreciation for the oracle. I say bribery. They did get preferential oracling from the deal.

a Doric?? column

the centre of all attention...the Temple of Apollo.

Mat (finally wearing a new shirt---brand new he wants me to specify) got buff at Apollo's temple.

at the theatre

and the stadium. He looks so impressed doesn't he? But he actually was---I think he was secretly tuckered by the hike up the very big hill.

the sphynx in the Delphi museum

bronze from a full sized bull

this is all that remains of the statue of Apollo that once decorated his temple.

We're getting ready for an early morning ferry to Paros, our first overnight trip to a Greek island. Just steps away from the beach, we'll spend 3 days with our new sunscreen before heading to Santorini.

Off to bed

Ancient Athens: Day 1

ATHENS

Capital of Greece

Named after the goddess Athena

Centre of Demoncracy

A city full of history

We've planned for 4 days in Athens, with 2 meant for day trips. Our first day was spent discovering ancient Athens. There are so many sites and so much to know about each. While we didn't see it all, or know it all, we did enjoy all of what we did see, and we even learnt a little too.

THE ROMAN AGORA
An Agora is a marketplace...or shall we say, the downtown area. Most buildings of importance were found in the agora.

the gate
The Tower of the Winds.
It is decorated with 8 'winds', with an object on top that would point in the direction that the wind was blowing in. The building is very important because it also has a sun clock to tell the time and a water clock used for the same purpose (but only if it was night time, or if it was cloudy).

the 'winds'

THE ANCIENT AGORA
The largest agora in Athens.

view from the Acropolis

The temple or Ares (the god of war), intact after all these years.

THE ACROPOLIS

The Acropolis is the highest part of the city. The Acropolis of Athens is the most well known Acropolis in the world...it's known as THE Acropolis.

view from below

The Theatre/Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Propylaea (its the main gate)

and it's under construction

THE PARTHENON (on the Acropolis)

The most famous area of the Acropolis, the Parthenon is a temple dedicated to Athena (the goddess of war and wisdom---and the namesake of Athens).

Originally there would have been a giant statue of Athena inside, covered in marble and ivory.

It was taken to Constantinople (Istanbul) and no one knows where it is now.

reliefs decorated below the roof

speaking of relief...we learned that marble remains cool in the blistering Athens sun.

they also have pottable water. Yay!!!

The wonderful view of Athens below

The temple of Athena Nike

HADRIAN'S ARCH
Built by Hadrian, this arch combines the Greek column and the Roman arch.

THE TEMPLE OF OLYMPIAN ZEUS

The biggest temple in Greece, this temple would have had 104 marble columns...only 15 remain.

THE PANATHINAIC OLYMPIC STADIUM (MODERN OLYMPIC STADIUM)

Now closed to the public, this stadium is where the first modern Olympic games were held in 1896.

THE REPUBLIC GUARDS

This is the house of the President

These are his guards.

I'm not so scared.

Maybe it's the tutu,

maybe the really slow and funny walk they do.

THE NATIONAL GARDENS

Gorgeous park, beautiful sun

and a handsome man, happy with a slushee. Life is good!

Well Ancient Athens is just part of what modern Athens has to offer. We still have the National Archaeological Museum, the ancient Oracle of Delphi, and some time chilling on the beach.

Till then

XOXOXO