After a pleasant Sea Day, we arrive in Piraeus the port town of Athens. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, a gentle breeze and almost 70 degrees. Normally I would think 70 still a bit on the cool side but I have acclimated to cold European spring weather.
Athens, the capital of Greece is home to nearly half of Greece’s population. Greece 11 million, Athens 5 million. Athens, the city of 7 hills, also called the “birthplace of democracy” is truly an incredible place. Some 2,600 years ago Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle captivated their audiences with new ideas in the fields of science, philosophy and formal logic. The Acropolis Hill looms over the city reminding all of Athens great historical and architectural significance. It contains they remains of several ancient buildings, the most famous being the Parthenon. Other remains include the Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and so on. The remains of the Temple of Zeus are in the city, not on the Acropolis.
One can not do the city justice with just a two-day visit. I have been here before and each time I get a different impression and each time I see something new. The various ancient building are under constant restoration and new archeological sites are discovered as new construction takes place. You might want to call the city “the city of constant discovery” or an “archeologist’s dream” .
We had tours on both days, both tour guides were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides. And I will let the captions under the picture tell the rest of the story.
The Travelers in front of the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis
Leaving the port and heading to the Acropolis
Somewhat of a typical residential building
Approaching the Acropolis with the Parthenon in full view
Making our way up the Acropolis Hill from the parking lot. It is now a very easy series of steps and pathways. Used to be just a dirt path.
Getting closer to the stop, view to the old Theater and the city of Athens below
Another view of the old theater and the city of Athens below. Just a sea of houses and buildings.
Making our way to the grand entrance of the Acropolis, a mass of people everywhere all making their way up the final sets of marble stairs.
Looking back at the city, just an incredible view.
Temple of Athena Nike
The Parthenon is so huge you can not get a good view of it entirety. If you step away then all the masses of people obstruct the view.
The Erechtheion, named after the Demi-god Erechtheus. Its primary function was to house an ancient wooden cult statue of Athena, but it also houses shrines to several different deities such as Zeus and Poseidon. There are 6 caryatids (architectural column which is in the form of a standing female) holding up a section of this structure. While these are replicas the original are in the New Acropolis Museum and one is in a London Museum. The Greeks are trying to get her back.
These six ladies are not statues, but rather are columns. In order to provide the structural support, these ladies were given a headdress and long hair that would thicken the neck, as a normal neck would not provide the necessary strength to support the roof structure.
Old Theater
Back in the city we pass many beautiful buildings, this one is the Library and its entrance was flanked by a statue of Aristotle and Plato. Only caught a glimpse of Aristotle.
Inside the Event Hall at the “Zafiro” restaurant. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and a traditional Greek dance performance.
Our group got a bit rowdy and partook in the tradition of smashing plates to the ground and dancing in a circle. It really was a lot of fun. I too danced and broke a few plates.
Our host randomly selected people from our group and led them out of the room, we all wondered what they were up to. 15 minutes later they reappear in local dance costumes and put on a show for us. The crowd went wild. Does not take much to have fun in Greece. A lot of wine and music and you got yourself a party.
View from the Restaurant.
Back on the bus, we pass the “Dromeas” also called “The Runner”. It is a 24 foot glass and iron sculpture giving the illusion of a runner in motion. It consists of individual pieces of glass stacked upon another, and took 6 years to construct.
The New Olympic Stadium
View from the New Olympic Stadium to the Acropolis
Ongoing archeological excavations going on below the “New Acropolis Museum” completed in 2009.
The New Archeological Museum one of its kind, has glass floors, houses over 4,000 artifacts of the ancient city, is spaciously laid out, and offers a spectacular view to the actual Acropolis.
An aerial view of Athens, the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum, see bottom right hand corner. One of its many unique feature is that the upper level floor is not directly on top of the lower floor but rather at an angle as to mirror the Parthenon’s aspect.
One of the many exhibits. Pictures were only permitted in a few of the exhibit halls.
Five of the original Caryatids.
Exhibit depicting the various gods
Close up of the previous picture center portion. Everything is on such a grand scale, hard to get into one picture.
View of the Acropolis Hill from the second floor of the New Acropolis Museum.
Following our visit of this spectacular museum we have some free time to explore the Plaka District. It is supposed to have a village-like feel, laid back, cobblestone streets, with narrow pathways leading up the hill for more views of the Acropolis. Regrettably, we did not have enough time (only 25 minutest) all the little shops and restaurants were crowded with people (Orthodox Easter weekend) and we could not find a peaceful village-like feel. We did manage to find a little restaurant on the main drag where we rested our feet and enjoyed local beer. Surprisingly expensive, 11 Euros for two beers and a little bowl of chips that accompanied the beer. Not the Plaka district we remembered.
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