Marco and I had a great visit to Athens Greece. We stayed in a suburb by the name of Kifisia. It is north of Athens in an area where the wealthy Athenians used to vacation in the summer because of the cooler temperatures. We had an easy commute to Athens by train.
Our first stop was to the Monastiraki Market. We walked out of the train station and were over whelmed by the smell of the fruit stands! Marco bought a bag of cherries and they were some of the best I have ever had!
The market was very crowded! At most of the shops, an old woman would sit in the doorway and try to draw you in.
The shop owners made it very clear that they could sell you what ever you wanted for a better price than what was on the item... and then, always haggle.
We then made our way to Ancient Agora. This was the heart of ancient Athens and dates back to the 6th-century BC!
Remains of the west gate into the Roman Forum... In 49 AD St. Paul came to Athens to win converts to Christianity.
Cats love ancient ruins... I'm not sure why but they do.
This is the best preserved temple in Greece - Temple of Hephaestus (god of the forge).
We found this great little garden restaurant and enjoyed some yummy Greek food.
Greek salad!! (I let Marco have all the cheese)... Wish I had gotten a picture of the Chicken Souvlaki before it was gone! ;-P
Some entertainment at another restaurant... they were very good!
It was a long climb up but we made it to the top of Acropolis. Acropolis was first inhabited between 4000-3000 BC.
Below is the Theatre of Herodes Atticus with the city of Athens behind and the Agean Sea.
The Parthenon!! It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the goddess of Athens.
The Parthenon was completed in 438 BC. There were/are 8 columns at both ends and 17 down each side. The columns are slightly curved to give the illusion of being straight (2 parallel lines appear to bow when side by side).
Next to the Parthenon is The Erechtheion which was built in 420 BC. The inside was divided into 2 sections in which Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus were worshipped.
On the side of The Erechtheion was a porch. The roof is supported by 6 columns carved as maidens. The porch is called the Porch is the Caryatids.
(I know... we look like tourists with our white legs!!)
This is the Greek Parliament building. In front is The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
We missed the changing of the guards by 10 minutes. The guards uniform is based on the klephts - the mountain fighters of the War of Independence. I was glad to see they had some shade because it was very warm and the sun reflecting off the marble made it feel even warmer.
This is Hadrian's Arch. It was built in AD 132. It was built to divide the ancient and the Roman cities. (That is Marco standing at the lower left corner.)
The Temple of Olympian Zeus! It took 700 years to build and was completed in AD 131 (by Hadrian). There were 104 Corinthian columns - 15 remain standing.
Tourists....
From here, you can see Acropolis....
I thought the Romans were crazy drivers but I do believe the Athenians have them beat! They will also park any where they can! This is not a valet parking lot! I feel bad for anyone at this end that needs to get out early! We also saw cars parked in the centre of round-abouts...
We saw a lot of stray dogs and they just broke my heart! There were water bowls through out the city so they could drink and they found shady spots to stay cool. I was also told that the stray dogs that had collars on, where vaccinated with the rabies shot by the government.
I will miss the fragrant air! The smell of Jasmine....
Pine & Juniper....
I do have to admit that I have always tried to have some basics when travelling but I failed to do so this time... Besides not being able to read Greek and I went without knowing a word! I do have a few words added to my vocabulary now....
yes - ne
no - ohi (pronounced o-he)
Good morning - kalimera
Good evening - kalispera
Good-bye - andio
We had a great time and I hope you have enjoyed this post!
