Athens - Part One

Even though I didn't have to get over jetlag (I flew from Istanbul to Athens), I decided to take a walk around the Acropolis the first evening to orient myself. I planned to get there when it first opened the next morning, and I wanted to see how long to allow for the walk.

The Acropolis

What I learned:
According to the brochure, the Acropolis has been a religious center since Neolithic times.

The Acropolis[*] was my primary destination in Athens. I arrived early and spent the morning.

Even here, it almost felt like I was on a Rick Steves tour. I was listening to the tour on my iPod and I noticed several people pausing at the same places I did. They were doing the same thing! Some were using the App, some were using the guidebook. (The app has four different tours in Athens - I followed all of them.)

The Parthenon

What I learned:
"Acropolis" refers to the whole area; The "Parthenon" is one of the buildings.
The Parthenon[*] is undergoing restoration. In the close-up, you can see that some of the marble is white. This is new marble and it will eventually turn the same color as the original pieces. Columns are wider at the bottom than at the top and they lean slightly toward the center, making it appear even larger than it really is.


These are replicas of part of the frieze that decorated the Parthenon. (Click on them to get a better idea of where they are located.) The originals are in the British Museum, where they are part of the "Elgin Marbles"[*]. A more complete set of replicas is in the Acropolis Museum.

The end of the Parthenon was decorated with a scene describing the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the devotion of the city. There is a small model of this in the Acropolis Museum, as well as a recreation of some parts of it. This one small portion is displayed in the original position.

The Erechtheion (Porch of the Caryatids)

The Erechtheion[*] was a rather unusual temple, with portions dedicate to both Athena and Poseidon (who both claimed to be the deity of Athens - as you can tell by the name of the city, Athena won).

These Caryatids are copies. Four of the originals are in the Acropolis Museum. (The other two are in museums in London and Paris.) However, they weren't on display. They were undergoing restoration.

This is a model of what the Acropolis might have looked like. (This model is in the Agora Museum in the Ancient Agora.)

View over Athens

The Acropolis is built on a hill right in the middle of Athens. It's not surprising they chose this as the location. The Acropolis was amazing, but I also enjoyed the views I got of the city. I was surprised how close the houses nestled around the base of the hill.

 
typical view of the city
I took a stroll through this
area when I came back to Athens.
The Plaka - my hotel is down there somewhere
(probably just off the top of the picture)
 
Temple of Olympian Zeus (see later this evening)
 
The flag flies proudly over the Acropolis
Theater of Dionysis with
the Acropolis Museum in the background
Mars Rock (where I stood to take
some of those pictures the first evening)

Crowds approaching, time to leave

I got there early, shortly after the Acropolis opened. I'm sure glad I did. It got more crowded as I was looking around. And as I was leaving, I passed several tour ship groups. Thanks, Mine, for teaching me so well about getting there early. I'm sure glad I listened!

(These people are all coming in as I was going out.)
Below the Acropolis is another large area of ruins. This seems to have been somewhat of an entertainment center, because among other things, there were two theaters.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is still used for performances. As I was walking around the first evening, I heard music and I followed my ears here. There was a concert going on here.

Theater of Dionysis

Of special interest in the Theater of Dionysis[*] are the carved seats for dignitaries, the mosaic floor, and the reliefs. Just walking through, I could imagine that an ancient Greek play was about to be performed. A group of schoolchildren were on a field trip exploring their heritage when I visited.

Some of the other pieces excavated in the area


Looking back at the Acropolis

Acropolis Museum

the Acropolis Museum, seen from the Acropolis
The top floor of the Acropolis Museum[*] has a full-sized recreation of the frieze around the Parthenon. There are a few originals, but most are in British Museum, where they are known as the "Elgin Marbles". (No photography was allowed inside.) The museum is built over the remains of an ancient village, currently being excavated.

Evzone Guards

The Evzone Guards[*] guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Parliament Building. Every hour, they have a ceremony - not a changing of the guards, because no new guards come out and these two return to their original places (or possibly they swap places). They move with a very slow, high-stepping pace and at one point they stand motionless for several seconds with one leg in the air. After it was over, there was a uniform inspection.

Athens Walk, part 1

After observing the ceremony, I began my walking tour of Athens. This tour is described in Rick Steves Athens guidebook, but I had downloaded it onto my iPod (using the app), so I could listen as I walked.

This is a typical view of one of the main shopping areas of Athens, full of stylish shops and restaurants. Then, right in the middle of an intersection (of two pedestrian streets) is the Kapnikarea Church[*].

A bit further on, I found the cathedral. It was interesting because it seemed to be in the middle of a major renovation (both inside and out), but it also seemed to be currently in use as a church.

Right outside the cathedral was a small church, Agios Eleftherios[*]. It is very interesting to look at. It has several different carvings around the outside, no two alike. There was a service going on, so I didn't get any interior pictures

Agios Eleftherios, with the cathedral
in the background

This area of Athens seems to be a center for the clergy of the Greek Orthodox Church. I saw several of them walking around and I found these shops (closed at this time of day) selling vestments and icons.

The final stop this day was to see the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Gate. This was only halfway through the walking tour, but since it was getting late and I was near my hotel, I decided to stop here and continue it later.

On the way home for the evening, I passed this rather interesting bar.