Greetings from Athens
Athenian ruins
Well, I’ve finished my first full day in Athens, and I have lots to write about. Unfortunately, it’s past 11 pm here, and I have to get up shortly after 5 tomorrow morning to catch a train to the port where I’ll be heading out on a cruise to the islands of Aegina, Poros, and Hydra. Today was Athens day, and I got to visit the Acropolis, Parthenon, ancient Agora, and other parts of Athens. I’ll write more about that later.
For now, I’m posting a few photos. These are photos just from my day in Athens. I’ll update the blog as soon as I can get to it, hopefully within the next day or two. Below is around 50,000 words-worth of photos that should get things started.
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- Grabbing a quick breakfast at the Giraffe Cafe in Heathrow.
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- Terminal 5 in Heathrow is quite the glitzy place. Exotic cars, flashy displays, trendy restaurants.
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- Straight from the airport to the Wednesday night prayer meeting.
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- Various nuts for sale outside the meat market.
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- Meat market. Nothing was refrigerated! gulp.
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- Sheep’s head, anyone?
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- The meat market is huge, and rather… gory.
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- Selling nuts.
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- Athens has many pleasant shady areas.
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- A shady part of the platka (tourist market) uh, no, they don’t sell tourists. just junk to tourists.
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- Ruins from the ancient agora (I think). This would be the market.
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- Um, more ruins.
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- Athenian ruins
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- Our route to the Acropolis brought us by some inauspicious alleys.
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- Typical old bell towers have the bell exposed.
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- Looking down towards the Temple of Hephaistos
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- Mars Hill where Paul preached about the unknown god.
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- Approaching the Acropolis
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- Viewing the Acropolis from the top of Mars Hill.
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- Temple of Hephaistos.
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- Herodes Atticus Theater
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- Herodes Atticus Theater
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- Approaching the entrance to the Acropolis
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- The famous Parthenon, minus its roof and part of its outer wall thanks to the Turks who in the 1680’s, moronically decided to store their explosives in a 2,500-year-old cultural monument.
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- Herodes Atticus Theater
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- What little remains of the Temple of Zeus.
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- Surveying the Parthenon and its reconstruction
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- Looking down on Athenian rooftops.
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- Parthenon
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- Erechtheion
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- Some of the columns at the entrance to the Acropolis look a bit unstable.
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- At the entrance to the Acropolis.
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- Red poppies and other wildflowers make for a pleasant walk through the ruins beneath the Acropolis.
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- An ancient Greek Orthodox church.
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- The temple of Hephaistos is, in my opinion, the most scenically situated.
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- Crown details on a Corinthian column
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- Looking back up at the Acropolis and the Parthenon.
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- Up close at the temple of Hephaistos
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- Temple of Hephaistos
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- more columns that look like they’re ready for the next earthquake.
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- An interesting platera
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- dining on delicious souvlaki and the best tzatziki I’ve ever had. Oh, and the best feta cheese too! Wish there were some way for me to bring this back to the states with me.
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- pigeons!
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- The Greek changing of the guard is the most unique spectacle I’ve ever seen. You’ll see why in the next photos…
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- pom-poms on their toes? Mini-skirts and tights? and a rather comical goose-step kinda made it hard to take these guys seriously. Wonder what the history is behind their odd motions and garb.
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- Changing of the guard
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- Comical Symmetry
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- Getting treated to free ice cream and sodas (a guy from the church works here and paid our bill for us!)
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- Back at the Lawson’s house in the countryside. I love the ivy-covered walls, flowers, and lovely, quiet setting.
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- The Lawson family (and dog). Brent, Vanessa, Cassandra, Andrew, and Bear. Wonderful hosts who made my visit to Greece exponentially better.
May 16th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Love the ruins, but I’m still freaked out about the sheep heads. C’mon! Really?
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:24 am
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