Athens, Greece

Piraeus,       (Gateway to Athens)                             April 3 and 4, 2017

 Larry and I had enjoyed a day in Athens back in 2013. We hiked to the cities hottest spot, the Acropolis and spent the day climbing over the old ruins of the Parthenon  and the majestic Porch of the Caryatids….the statues of the beautiful maidens holding a libation  bowl in one hand and their drawn up dresses in the other….it was just an awesome sight for us both.

 For the next two days we enjoyed the  surrounding areas of the Acropolis that we had not been able to explore during our last visits…..so……

We boarded the Sights of Athens bus that picked us up right next to the ship to see one of the most ancient cities of the modern world…Athens….capital of Greece.

We drove through the city of Piraeus (where our ship had docked) and started enjoying the scenic marina views. Wow! What Yachts!

It was interesting to see the Acropolis was still under renovation....this was going on in 2013....this must be a slow tedious process.

 After passing the modern New Acropolis Museum, we boarded another bus that took us to see the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the largest ancient temple in Greece started in the 6^th century BC and was completed in 131 AD …. 700 years later by Hadrian, a Roman emperor.  The temple is impressive for the shear size of its 104 Corinthian columns of which 15 remain standing today.  The one fallen column was bown down in a gale in 1852.

We walked by Hadrian’s Arch….built to commemorate the Temple of Zeus in 132 AD…. made of Pentelic marble. Amazing!

Parliament...an old Palace.

 We stopped at the Parliament in time to see the changing of the guard at the tomb for the Greek Unknown Warrior at Syntagma Square, one of the oldest and most historically significant squares of the city. What a show….

The presidential guard’s uniforms of short kilts and pom-pom shoes is based on the attire worn  by the mountain  fighters of the War of Independence.

Our bus took us to some stunning pieces of architecture...... the National Library, the National Archaeological Museum and others.

Greek Orthodox Churches were scattered throughout our ride through the city.

We hiked around the flea market and shopping areas at Monastiraki,  a well established area to soak up the sun and people watch while taking in the sights of the Parthenon and Acropolis (4^th century BC) sitting high up on top of the mountain, crowning the city.

From everywhere we went, we had outstanding views of the Acropolis. 

                                                      Pigeons were everywhere.

Ancient ruins were all around us and we enjoyed hiking about this area for the afternoon taking in views of the ancient sites.

There are so many archeological areas here, that there is not enough money and not enough professionals to take care of investigation and restoration.

Statues were everywhere.

Evening lights are stunning in Athens.

What a day! It was utterly amazing day of Roman/Greek History!

The second day we enjoyed walking around the old marble Panathenaic Stadium. It was originally built in the 4^th century BC as a venue for the Panathenaic athletic contests.

It’s said that at Hadrian’s inauguration in 120 AD, a thousand wild animals were sacrificed in the arena.  Herodes Atticus had  the  seats rebuilt in Pentelic marble. The stadium was completely restored in 1895 to  host the first modern Olympic games in 1896….and was used again for the 2004 Olympics. It boasts seating for 70,000 spectators although it does not look as big as the Virginia Tech Stadium.

We walked by the National Gardens and then by the area where the Olympic Games of 2004 took place.

We had our final walk through the Plaka, a historical neighborhood with winding streets and interesting  architecture.  

One of the most alarming parts of Athens was amount of graffiti  that was displayed....even the historical buildings were marred.

We will never forget the orange trees that lined the streets  loaded with fragrant blooms….Their smell was a pure delight  as we roamed through this remarkable city.

The musical sounds that greeted us on the streets and the chimes from the churches were phenomenal.

 Athens is an incredible place. Historically, it is one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back 7000 years….that much history can be really over whelming. Larry and I just touched the tip of the iceberg….our thinking is “ we’ll just have to  save what we missed for the next time”.

These little wild poppies were a delight!