Greece is the word.....

Sunday March 8, 2009

We got up early as normal for us and grabbed breakfast in the hotel restauraunt before heading out to the Acropolis. Our plan was to get there as soon as they opened since everything in Athens closes around 3pm this time of year. We walked by the Herodes Atticus Theatre on the way over to the entrance. At the entrace, we realized that the time we thought they opened was wrong and we still have 30 minutes to wait. While waiting, we watched the Evzone guards come out and get onto a bus, getting ready for the changing of the guard later on. The Acropolis finally opened and we went in. Luckily, all of the attractions were free on Sundays until the main tourism season starts up.

The Evzone guards leaving the Acropolis:

The first main part of the Acropolis was the Propylaia, which is the main entrance to the temples, with a steep staircase with columns leading up. Once you go past that, you get to the Parthenon, which is the major attraction. It was huge, with tons of columns and lots of details such as sculptures and reliefs. Also impressive was the Erechtheion, a temple that was dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. The statues were impressive, but unfortunately they were copies and we couldn't see the originals since the museum onsite was closed for renovations. After that, we walked back down the hill and over to the Dionysus Theatre. The chairs were inscribed with names of priests of Dionysus to reserve their place. This is where the plays of Sophocles and Euripedes were originally performed.

Tami and me at the Propylaia:


The Pantheon:

The Erechtheion:

We took a side exit from the Acropolis and headed over to the Temple of Zeus. Right at the beginning of the area, there was Hadrian's Arch which was erected to seperate Old Athens from New Athens (new being a relative term.) From the original 104 columns, all that remains are 16. Even with so little still standing, it was pretty impressive and large. There were some other ruins around in this area, but they were not nearly impressive. Afterwards, we walked up the street back towards Parliament, stopping only to see the remains of some Roman baths. Once we got to Parliament, we waited for the changing of the guard ceremony. They have one hourly every day, but they have a more formal version on Sundays at 10:30. When they finally showed up, they were accompanied by a band (unlike the British one, they didn't play 80's pop songs). For the guards that switched out, they have a very formal way of marching. They lift one leg perpendicular to the ground, point their toes in the air and hold it for awhile before taking their step. It takes a long time to get anywhere!

The Temple of Zeus:


The Evzones High-stepping it:

We then proceeded to the Syntagma Metro Station where old cemetaries had been found while they were excavating. They ended up displaying everything they found in the actual station, which was very interesting. We then walked through the National Gardens over to the Kollimarmaro Stadium, which was originally built 4th centry BC, and then was renovated and used in the first of the modern Olympics back in 1896. We snapped some pictures, then headed back to Plaka to see about getting some lunch. We found a place called Koouikor Grill House which was a bit touristy, but had good Greek food. Tami had Souvlaki and a glass of retsina (which tasted like drinking a tree) and I had a Gyro with a glass of Alpha beer. We then walked over to O'Bretto's, a store which makes and sells their own liquors. We both tried a small glass, Tami had banana and I had coffee. They were excellent, and we would have bought a bottle to take home if we had checked luggage. We then walked through the Plaka area, stopping in stores along the way if they caught our interest, until we made it over to Kerameikos which are the ruins of the old city wall. By this point, it was starting to rain, so we just looked at the main statues in the area before heading back into town. We tried to go to the Agora, but by the time we found the entrance, they had already closed. We could see most of the ruins from outside the gate though, so we were happy.

The Olympic rings at Kollimarmaro Stadium:

Kollimarmaro Stadium:


The colorful wall of Brettos:


The walls at Kerameikos

We walked back into Plaka and decided to stop at a Taverna and have a snack. We stopped at a place and Tami got a Banana Split and a tea while I got a Baklava and a Greek coffee. By this point, most everything was closed and our feet were sore, so we decided to take the bus back to the airport to wait for our flight back to London.