Athens day 2 - a quick recap
The Acropolis. Battle of Salamis
Above: Statue of Athena in the Parthenon, as recreated in Nashville, TN. (FAL), one of four replications of Athena on the Acropolis.
We began our first full day in Athens with a motor tour of the city’s core, including Parliament, the Olympic Stadium, and the various important government and cultural buildings that make it a world class city. The traffic was light on Sunday morning and we were able to get a good feel for the size and scope of this important city, by far the largest in Greece and home to half its population. Our Brilliant Guide (licensed) Jenny Malikouti (jennyM.guide@gmail.com) kept the teenagers engaged. The resident Sargeant at the Presidential Palace gave them marching instructions. I’ll post the pic soon.
The Acropolis is the focal point of any visit to Athens. Three million people climb this rocky limestone mount each year, a number that continues to go up. Visitors are limited to 2000 people per hour by a timed entry system, so be sure to book your time in advance on line.
We sat under the olive trees and collected ourselves before assaulting the hill, cooled by an easterly breeze despite the building heat. Our Brilliant Guide Jen slipped us past the lines and right in at our entry time and soon we were climbing up the path to the grand entrance.
It’s hard to exaggerate the importance of this site, not just to Athens and Greece, but also to our understanding of the past. The occupation of the site goes back over 3000 years. The Persians destroyed most of the buildings during the second Persian War in 480 BCE. After their defeat at the naval Battle of Salamis the Athenians, under Pericles, determined to rebuild, and they did it in style.
My favorite building is the Erechtion, with its iconic Porch of the Maidens, shown above. CC. The originals of these maidens (Caryatids) are in the Acropolis museum, except for the one stolen by the British (more on that later).
Athens was originally called Akti, after its first king, Aktaios. The name was changed to Kekropia after another king, King Cecrops, or Kekropas. According to legend, Cecrops decided to have a contest to see which god should be selected to name the city after.
There were two candidates, Poseidon and Athena. Each god was invited to give a gift to the city.
Poseidon took his staff and made a hole in the rock of the Acropolis. Water came from the hole, forming the Erechthion Sea.
Then it was Athena’s turn. She planted a seed in the hole and an olive tree grew.
The king looked around and saw salt water everywhere, but no fresh water. He decided that the gift of Athena was more valuable and named the city after Athena.
Above: olive tree at the Erechtion.
Athena rules here. There were four statues of her, the most amazing that housed in the Parthenon. The opening photo shows what the largest, in the Parthenon, must have looked like.
Credit CC
The crowning achievement here is the Parthenon, the perfect symbol of the classic era. It housed the statue of Athena. Its design, proportions, construction and preservation are the symbol of the Greek Classical era.
I want to update my last post on the Temple of Poseidon with some more information.
The Persians had destroyed the temple to Poseidon at Cape Sounion, which lies a bit further south and east from this map. After the battle of Salamis, in which the Greeks defeated the Persians, the Greeks placed an entire enemy trireme (a sailing ship with three banks of oars) on Cape Sounion near the Persian-destroyed temple to Poseidon as an offering, saying, “Look here Poseidon, the Persians destroyed your temple but we have destroyed the Persians!”
Both the Greeks and the Persians had Triremes, which carried three levels of oars for propulsion if there was no wind. A triremes could attack the enemy directly upwind.
Above: The Porch of the Maidens.
We had a great day today, which I will cover soon. We are heading to the ferry and Naxos early tomorrow. I’m hoping I will have more time to write about the incredible visit in Athens. Lots more to share.
Thank You Sonya Yassi of Dream Vacations and Jennifer Malikouti~! Beyond our expectations!
So great. Love Athens. When last there it was a full moon. We found, by luck, this amazing restaurant with an upstairs deck (3rd floor) crowded -way crowded - all floors. We told the waiter we'd wait for the roof, and man, so glad we did. It was a warm night (of course-summer) and were waited on by the neatest waiter, Josef, an older fellow, very laid back and neat. We lingered and lingered, long after others had gone(we'd been seated late) and the moon was rising, right above the Acropolis! It was simply incredible. He stood at the balcony wall, smoking a cigarette, watching it, and we watched it too. It was stunning. When we came back through, we found the restaurant again, and Josef was there, but we could not exactly recreate that glorious moment. Plus it was Sept 1, and the summer vibe had changed. Thanks for letting me re-live a wonderful memory David.
In May 2004 Olympic stadium was still being constructed when I arrived in Athens.
The Karyotids were being removed because of acidification and replaced by fiberglass copies.
Yes, the originals are in museums. Greece was trying to trying to preserve the marble pillars that have been eroded by time, pollution. To a trip to Lacavitos a mountain with 3 restaurants and a church. A director /Producer, Demitrius my fried and me for an interview. I agree. and I am part of Travel Channel program. Thought I was a star in the making. The show was aired the first week of August in Los Angeles. His web site: Demitrius Anagnostopoulos, dir/producer"Ultimate Guide to Greece '04. Video-net. GR This is just FYI. Have a
Dionysian experience. Have Greek wine. Excellant.