So much history
“Do not touch the marble” (unless you are Venetian)
Goodbye cruise ship, it’s time to go out on our own. Athens is a financial and historical city, generally not known for producing any hard goods. We disembarked and met our driver for a private tour June booked with George’s Taxi.
We conferred with our driver and later the guide as to what we should do with our time today. With our group of 9, we mainly wanted to see the essential accessible city sites of Athens, the main one being the Acropolis. The contribution to mankind it represents has not been minuscule, to make an understatement.
After seeing winding long lines (probably from the 6 cruise ships at port), we decided to first go to the Ancient Agora, sit in the shade to talk and learn about what we’d be doing today first as it would be hot on top the Acropolis.
The Ancient Agora was a Roman built forum to hang out, commune and learn from others. It’s been leveled almost entirely to the ground throughout the years but has a rebuilt structure (pictured) including a museum so you could get a feel for what it was like in the past.
Here is the 3000 year old body of a young girl. (museum)
If I understood our guide correctly, the Ancient Agora was made of 4 pillared buildings like that shown above arranged in a square.
One of the 4 buildings was located where the metro passes through. Remember this is 2500 years before today!
Ostracism
What you might call an unpopularity contest. Names were inscribed inside pottery. If that name was scratched out, you had one vote against you. At 6000 votes you get sent away. All men 18 and over were allowed to vote.
Since we had a car, we mostly drove around in a Sprinter van and walked the rest. Today was pretty hot.
We drove past the Panathenaic Stadium, home of the first modern Olympics in 1896, the ancient one being in Olympia, which is 4 hours out of Athens.
The hourly changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Grabbing some nuts
We also went to see the remains of the Temple of Zeus, built by the Romans in what once was grand Roman style. That is before earthquakes took it down.
Towering above the city stands the Parthenon of Athens. Although it was built before the Temple of Zeus, this structure had withstood the force of nature. Unfortunately not human nature.
The Acropolis
Perched up on a limestone hill overlooking the city, the Acropolis is the rock topped by the Parthenon, which was once a marble place of worship.
Here’s the entryway
The pathways are slippery. Marble that’s been smoothed out by countless footsteps. Watch your step!
The lighter sections are restorative marble patching. What a pleasure it’s been to visit and see this in person!
Below the Acropolis you can see one stadium, still in use for entertainment.
…And one way older stadium currently not in use
To kill our last hour we decided to stroll about town in the Plaka, just below the Acropolis. It’s a nicely preserved several hundred year old residential neighborhood turned Airbnbs and restaurants.
Bye for now Athens, we’ll see you in around a week after we go to…
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