Thursday, June 13, 2013
Today we caught the biggest Greek tourist attraction: the Acropolis. We also saw ruins of countless other major ancient projects and some modern sights.
Our first stop this morning was the bakery across the street for an on-the-go breakfast. Jeff had a Feta-bread (I can never remember the Greek names) and Ruth had a chocolate croissant and rolls. The Feta-bread tasted just like a grilled-cheese sandwich with tomato.
We passed and viewed the Panathenaic Stadium, first built about 566 BC but refurbished several times and used for the first modern Olympic Games. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of white marble.
We walked through the National Gardens, a big park. Then we went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliment building, where Greek soldiers stand at attention wearing very strange, ancient uniforms while tourists pose next to them for photos. They did a slow, high-stepping, marching ceremony at half-past.
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| Evzone Guards' Ceremony at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier |
Following the Rick Steve's City Walk route we strolled down the Ermou Street mall to the small Orthodox Church of Kapnikarea, sitting oddly in the middle of the mall. We looked around inside the beautiful 11th century Byzantine church. We found interesting the iconostasis, a screen which hides the altar from the congregation. Only the priests have access to the altar.
Our walk continued to more churches, touristy streets, and a street full of religious shops. We passed Hadrian's Arch, on which the ancient Greek Emperor stated proudly in 132 AD, "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus." The other side states "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus."
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| Arch of Hadrian |
We looked at the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, Lysicrates Monument, the Roman Forum, the Tower of the Winds, the Library of Hadrian, and other archealogical digs. Then we headed for the Acropolis.
We didn't know that the Acropolis was on a high plateau. On the way up the hill we passed Mars Hill, where the apostle Paul preached.
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| View of Acropolis from Mars Hill |
The gates to the Acropolis are colossal Ionic columns with a small temple to Athena on one side and a monument stand on the other. The Acropolis contains the huge Parthenon building, the smaller Erechtheion building (with attached Pandroseion), and a small stone observation platform with a flag. The buildings are impressive, the views panoramic, and the stories behind them interesting. The Parthenon was built in 450 BC and stood for thousands of years, used as a Greek temple, a Christian church, and a Muslim mosque until it was used in 1687 for hiding soldiers and gunpowder and was hit by a mortar shell. Now it is ruins.
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| The Parthenon |
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| The Erechtheion East Side |
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| The Erechtheion Southwest Corner |
The Greek flag on the Acropolis was ordered removed when the Nazis captured Greece. The Greek soldier reverently removed the flag, wrapped it around himself, and jumped off the Acropolis to his death. A modern Greek hero/martyr.
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| View from the Acropolis |
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| View from the Acropolis |
From the Acropolis we had a good view of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an amphitheater built in 161 AD and since rebuilt and used for modern concerts. Nearby that we toured the ruins of the ancient theater of Dionysus. Maybe someday that will be refurbished and used again. The Parthenon is being carefully reconstructed from the original pieces where possible, as are numerous other ancient buildings.
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| The Ancient Theater of Dionysus |
We ate supper on our tiny balcony: a "take-away" meal from a pizza joint that also sells various Greek dishes. Again, we selected from pictures and I don't remember their names, but Jeff had a rice dish like jumbalaya and Ruth had chicken chunks and onions with french fries.
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