Here is Michele in front of Olympic Stadium.
City sites from a moving bus-man I love my canon!
Athens Academy
Our quick tour of downtown Athens from a moving bus.
Our quick tour of downtown Athens from a moving bus.
Another Where's Waldo moment as we headed up the VERY crowded steps to the Acropolis.
The view from the bottom.
Erechtheum of Acropolis-built between 420 and 406 BC-at one end of the temple there is an olive tree and on the other there is a mark of a trident-making this temple an homage to the great battle between Athena and Poseidon to determine who would earn the patronage. You can guess who won. But Poseidon was so mad that he made all kinds of watery trouble for Athens (earthquakes, floods, etc.) until they built him a temple too. This structure is probably most famous for the pillars on the porch, which are actually statues of women known as "Caryatids". One of the six is in the British Museum courtesy of Lord Elgin and his efforts to save the Greek marbles; the other 5 are in the National Museum for protection from damage.
The Parthenon! "It was very slick and hot, we even watched a guy fall down on the really hard rock and bash his camera. Congratulating myself on using my cell today and leaving my big bulky camera on the bus. In front of the Parthenon we stopped and our guide told us several stories--some I knew like the controversy of Elgin's Marbles and how Byron tried to buy them back for the Greeks but a broke Elgin sold them to the British Museum for far less money instead".
"The curves and angles of the Parthenon were new info however! The porch is actually slightly curved and the 2 outside columns are tilted in a bit. They are also slightly larger than the others-this is done because the Greeks realized the optical effects of the sun and they built to off-set these-the angles and curves create the appearance of it being straight and true".
After the Acropolis we had about 90 minutes to rush through the Archeological Museum. Our guide, Antonius, clearly was much more interested in the evolution of art and sculpture over the centuries than he was in the famous buildings we had just left!
This is a cemetary piece that depicts a dying mother saying good-bye to her infant child who is in the arms of a servant. Notice how the infant reaches out but the mother does not, possibly because she had the plague or some other illness that made her worried about infecting her baby.
Bronze statue of the riding boy.
For some reason we both were just not in the groove up on the Acropolis. It was hot, we were tired, there were a bazillion people, our guide was less than charismatic. It was amazing to see but honestly, it was here, in the cool air of the National Museum that we began to feel the love and less overwhelmed. Our guide came alive, the art was amazing, and it was almost lunch time! ;)
We ate lunch in the basement of a local 5 star hotel as part of our tour and then spent the last 2 1/2 hours shopping at the "Plaka". After some of the really relaxing and gratifying days we had in super beautiful ports, Athens was a big change. It was rushed, a bit stressful, and less clean than I expected. In the end, it was amazing and I wouldn't have missed it but I was glad it wasn't our last destination.
After the Acropolis we had about 90 minutes to rush through the Archeological Museum. Our guide, Antonius, clearly was much more interested in the evolution of art and sculpture over the centuries than he was in the famous buildings we had just left!
This is a cemetary piece that depicts a dying mother saying good-bye to her infant child who is in the arms of a servant. Notice how the infant reaches out but the mother does not, possibly because she had the plague or some other illness that made her worried about infecting her baby.
Bronze statue of the riding boy.
For some reason we both were just not in the groove up on the Acropolis. It was hot, we were tired, there were a bazillion people, our guide was less than charismatic. It was amazing to see but honestly, it was here, in the cool air of the National Museum that we began to feel the love and less overwhelmed. Our guide came alive, the art was amazing, and it was almost lunch time! ;)
We ate lunch in the basement of a local 5 star hotel as part of our tour and then spent the last 2 1/2 hours shopping at the "Plaka". After some of the really relaxing and gratifying days we had in super beautiful ports, Athens was a big change. It was rushed, a bit stressful, and less clean than I expected. In the end, it was amazing and I wouldn't have missed it but I was glad it wasn't our last destination.
"Back on board the ship, we worked out, ate at "Caribe Cafe", watched "The Bounty Hunter" at Movies Under the Stars. The popcorn was terrible and so was the movie but I was with Michele and I was in Greece. I saw the Parthenon today! Really, how amazing is this? I am so emotionally overwhelmed by all of it--the decadent luxury of our cruise experience, the amazing sites and historical experiences, and a friend who loves me unconditionally and I never feel insecure or in trouble; it doesn't get any better and I am blessed to see it while it is happening"!
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