More than fifty years after studying ancient Greece as a college freshman, here I was, standing on the Athens Acropolis beside the Parthenon (I learned later that there were Acropolises in ither ancient Greek cities, hence the title of this blog post does not have more words than needed).
It was our grandchildren’s first day after joining us in Athens, so again we started slowly; it took them a while to get breakfast. We headed out for a late morning’s visit to the National Gardens south of the Greek Parliament building – the children climbed trees, looked at ducks and geese (as well as small collection of other birds) and enjoyed the playground.
After lunch at the Oinos Restaurant along Odos Kidatheneon (nothing remarkable about this place), grandson Abe fell asleep for most of the afternoon; in the meantime, Nafisa’s best friend since high school, Martina, showed up for a surprise visit. We sat on the apartment’s balcony, watching a hailstorm followed but a crashing thunderstorm. But the weather cleared and we were determined to get to the Acropolis, so off we went, leaving at around 5:30 and getting to the ticket office shortly before 6:30. The closing time was impending, and not only did strollers have to be checked at the entrance, but the check-in location was going to close at 7:30. OI was worried that we wouldn’t have enough time to see this key site.
But it was OK. On the was toward the Acropolis proper, we paused to look down at the Odeon of Herodotus Atticus, a venue for musical performances in ancient times as well as in the present.
There were musicians warming up for a performance that very evening,
We proceeded up to the Propylaea, the grand entrance to the Acropolis, and climbed the steps through rows of Doric columns.
The Ionic style Temple of Athena Nike was on our right,
(quite a shock to be reminded that the Greek pronunciation is Nee-kee, not Nie-kee)
and the Pinakoteke or painting gallery, as well as the pedestal for the former Monument to Agrippa was on our left
Clearing the Propylaea, there was the Parthenon in all its glory.... albeit covered with scaffolding on ts west end facing the Propylaea
Again, a Rick Steves audio guide was an excellent aid; we listened as he described not only what we were seeing but reminded us of the cultural and historical background – the use of illusions to make the columns appear straight, the manner in which the columns had been raised, consisting of rounded drums rather than solid columns of stone. These views are of the south side of the Parthenon
here the replica statue of Dionysus is all that remains of a pediment scene showing a feast of the gods)
Now on to the Erecthyon with its porch of the Caryathids
This is the east face of the Erecthyon
And here is the south porch of the Erecthyon that is visible from the city below
and the olive tree in the location where Athena is said to have planted such a tree in her battle for naming rights of the city
And finally, the sweeping views out over the city below, from the Theatre of Dionysus at the foot of the cliffs,
here the Arch of Hadrian and Temple of Zeus Poseidon to the northeast
In the foreground, the restaurant where we dined two nights before, and were going to dine that evening
and here the Aeropagus (a/k/a Mars Hill) on the right
Sam and Nafisa headed back to pick up their stroller at the check-in location, while Nancy and I had another half-hour on the Acropolis.
Then, we descended to eat once more at the Cave of the Acropolis. This evening, among other dishes we tried the moussaka, the appetizer assortment; my roast goat in parchment had a spectacular presentation and was quite tasty besides.
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