Hello dear readers!
I know that there are a few of you that will be visiting Athens soon - this is the blog for you!
1. the Uber app works for taxis - they are cheap and plentiful
2. 12-15,000 steps is an easy day in this amazing city
3. both the Acropolis and the National Archeological Museums are worth the time
4. Buy the combo ticket - you will save money & skip some lines.
5. Always order the Greek Salad, and yes, Gyros can be eaten every day!
Now, on to our adventures....
In the Acropolis Museum you learn all about the Acropolis and its buildings. These (original) ladies are standing in the Museum -
They originally stood here as part of the Erechtheion. They moved the originals to the museum and replaced them with these stone copies.
These three dudes were part of the relics from the Acropolis that now live in the museum. They seemed happy to be there out of the heat!
Under the museum they found a "neighborhood" from the 4th Century A.D. So, they elevated the building and have the ruins of the neighborhood as an exhibit. I wonder if any of our houses will be so interesting in 1600 years?!?
We spent the whole afternoon on Sunday in the museum learning about the Acropolis. In the evening, Carsten and I walked to the ticket office to figure out how to use the elevator to get Hilmer up to the top of the acropolis. Once we had this figured out we were set for Monday.
With Hilmer and Roslyn on the elevator - Carsten and I walked up to the Acropolis. It was a great day with clear skies and views that showed us all of Athens and it's six million residents.
This is the Erechtheion up on the Acropolis.
The Parthenon built in about 450 B.C.:
More of the Parthenon with the lion's head down-spout. There is one in the museum as well.
This is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre... looking down from the Acropolis. They have concerts here - we heard music Sunday night walking around. You can also see part of Athens stretching out to the Aegean Sea.
Temple of Athena (on the Acropolis)
On Tuesday we explored Ancient Agora. This is the Temple of Hephaestus built around 450 B.C.
This is the wall, built by the Romans, using the materials scavenged from ruins of ancient Greek buildings/structures.
We felt sorry for this guy - his description said "it probably served as a fence post". Ugh.
This is the discus thrower - he stands outside the Olympic Stadium.
Panathenaic Stadium was originally built in 330 BC and was later used for the 1896 and 2004 Olympics. It is completely made of marble (over 1,000,000 cu.ft.) and seats 60,000 people (no suites... LOL)
Hadrian's Library (you know I love a library) was built in 132 A.D. and once housed 17,000 books.
This is Hadrian's Arch (Hadrian was a Roman Emperor from 117-138 A.D.) built in 131 A.D. You can see the Parthenon in the distance behind it.
This is the Temple of Zeus. It originally had 104 columns. One fell over in a storm and has been left where it fell. (Sheri for scale.)
It was built in the 5th Century B.C.
The details in the marble are incredible.
Next stop was the National Archeological Museum. It is considered one of the top museums in the world!
These, they think, are frying pans.
There were so many vases. These were from the 15th Century B.C. - folks, that is 3,500 years ago! It starts to just be crazy! We would see something from the 2nd Century and be like "meh"....
Bronze statue of Zeus found in the Sea of Artemision, in northern Euboea (an island east of Athens). The god holds a lightening bolt in his right hand. 460 B.C.
Mask of Agememnon is the name given to a gold funeral mask discovered at the ancient Greek site of Mycenae. Created 15th Century B.C. This was the only thing I had for sure heard of in the entire museum ... LOL - he looks like a cross between Danny DeVito and Kim Jong Un!
There were lots of grave things - this one was most likely a wealthy couple - circa 450 B.C.
Aphrodite, Pan and Eros estimated to be circa 100 B.C. Aphrodite holds her sandal in her hand about to fend off Pan who makes erotic advances as the god Eros comes to her aid (sista got this....).
Ouzo is the national drink of Greece (don't check that ... I made it up) - nevertheless this is what happens if you drink that many bottles of Ouzo! Carsten ordered one at lunch, expecting a shot - he got a 72oz. Big Gulp y'all! It was a MAN sized drink!!! Happily, wheelchair duty helped Carsten stay upright and awake at the museum! LMAO!
Athens was amazing and worth every minute! It was hot and we were tired at the end of each day - a sure sign of a day well-spent!
Tomorrow we send Hilmer and Roslyn on a long plane ride to Houston, while Carsten and I go to Oslo to visit Andreas (our "Norwegian son") and his family. We are looking forward to a few days of relaxing!
Take care!
Sheri & Carsten
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