Athens

In early May of 2014, I took a 16 day trip to Greece – the first eight days would be on the mainland and the last eight would be on a cruise of the Aegean. The tour would start and end in Athens.

Athens is one of the world’s oldest cities with evidence of human habitation dating back as far as somewhere between the 11^th and 7^th centuries BC and recorded history spanning 3,400 years. Named for the goddess Athena, classical Athens was a very powerful city-state. Eventually it became the leading city of all Greece.

Once I arrived in Athens, I was picked up by a driver at the airport. When we got to central Athens, the traffic was insane and the driver continually crossed himself as he drove. On the one hand, it was humorous, but on the other it was necessary. To keep from having multiple mini heart attacks, I kept my eyes on the driver and off of what the other drivers were doing. I also said several prayers.

Due to various delays in flights on the way, I didn’t get to the hotel (which was near the Acropolis) until a quarter to 6pm with the tour group meet and greet at 6pm. I basically just got into the room and opened my cases for the contents to breathe before I headed back downstairs.

Met Kathleen, Leslie and John during the gathering and Ivy and Heather after. All six of us walked to a nearby grocers to get some bottled water and snacks for dinner so we could spend our time getting ready for the following day and then get a good sleep. We wanted to be fully awake for our day in Athens.

We began our tour at a former palace (built in 1843) which became the Hellenic Parliament in 1934. In the square in from of the parliament is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb is guarded by the elite Presidential Guard. I love their uniforms, so I managed to shoot a quick photo out of the window of the tour coach.

The Academy of Arts & Sciences looks like an ancient Greek temple. We also took a look at Athens University and the National Library. Then we swung by the Acropolis. We found that the site was not yet open for business, so we visited nearby Mars Hill instead.

Mars Hill is the Roman name for the Hill of Ares; Ares being the Greek god of war and Mars the Roman version. This was the location of Ares’ trial by the other gods for the murder of one of Poseidon’s sons. It was also where Paul preached about the “unknown God”. It still has its ancient, original stairs in addition to a more modern staircase at another part of the hill. It also has some great views of the city.

Also viewed from Mars Hill (known in Greek as Areopagus) is the ancient agora (marketplace) of Classic Athens. The agora is a very large area with bits and pieces of various buildings and memorials, including a mint, an Odeon (theatre) and several temples.

Before returning to the Acropolis, we visited the Panathenaic Stadium, which was originally built in roughly 330 BC for the Panathenaic Games, which took place every four years. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely in marble. It was largely abandoned after the rise of Christianity in the 4^th century AD and finally excavated in 1869. For the first modern Olympics in 1896, it was used for the opening and closing ceremonies and for four of the nine events. It continues to be used as a stadium and as the place in Greece where the Olympic torch is handed over to the hosting nation of the Olympic Games for that year.

When we could finally visit the Acropolis, we gathered at the part of the base from which we could see the Temple of Athena Nike (427 – 424 BC) looming over us from above. Instead of the main entrance, we went up a narrow road with steps here and there that rose up towards the Temple of Athena Nike. Nike means victorious.

I really liked coming up an ancient road and steps from the side of the Acropolis instead of the main entrance. It was a different experience and allowed us to see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (161 BC) on our way up as we passed right next to it. We came off of the road just below the Temple of Athena Nike and so were able to enter through the Propylaia (the monumental gate, 437 – 432 BC). This gate controlled (and still controls) entrance to the Acropolis.

Evidence has been found of the existence of Mycenaean structures on the Acropolis in the late Bronze Age. Between then and when the current structures were built, numerous temples and other buildings were constructed.

From 460 to 430 BC, the Parthenon was constructed as a temple dedicated to Athena. It replaced an earlier temple that had been destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC. At the end of the 6^th century AD, it was converted to a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. During the Ottoman conquest in the 1460s, it was converted to a mosque. Its destruction came in 1687, when ammunition kept inside was ignited by Venetian bombardment during the Siege of the Acropolis. In the early 1800s, the Earl of Elgin carried much of the surviving sculptures away to Britain, supposedly with the permission of the ruling Ottomans. Restoration began in 1975.

Across the way was the Erectheion, built in 421 – 406 BC and dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. Mythology indicates that the structure enclosed both the mark in the rock made by Poseidon’s trident and the olive tree planted by Athena during the contest between them as to who would be the namesake of the city. A salt water well and tombs of some of the ancient kings were also on this site and enclosed within the building.

On the south side of the building is the Porch of the Caryatids. These are columns in the shape of women.  Five of the six originals are in the Acropolis Museum while the sixth was taken by Lord Elgin to decorate his home. It was said that the remaining five, when they were still in place at the Erectheion, would wail at night because they missed their sister.  Reproductions of all six Caryatids stand in place of the originals.

Over at the side where our hotel was located, we looked over the side to see our hotel, the Acropolis Museum, and the Theatre of Dionysius (6^th century BC) as well as some other ruins.

Next time — Marathon, Thebes, Mount Olympus, Meteora, and Thermopylae.

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