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A view of the Acropolis from the Greek Agora, i.e. what Socrates saw. We certainly couldn't sail past Athens without dropping by, so we parked ourselves in the nearby port of Piraeus and took the Metro to the world-famous Athenian Acropolis. We had read in our Lonely Planet guide that Athens and its subway are heavily infested with junkies, pickpockets, illegal aliens, Gypsies and various other forms of scum and villainy, so we took precautions by leaving wallets at home and stuffing cash in socks. For the most part it wasn't too bad, but we did our traveling by day and stayed away from what looked like gangs. The imposing entrance to the Acropolis. The Parthenon, complete with swarms of tourists and scaffolding. If we had a nickel for every monument we've seen covered with scaffolding... Temple of Athena, Poseidon, Erechtheus and other chthonic deities, ca 400 BC. The famous Temple Kouri. Note the knees thrust forward; Kouri were supposed to personify feminine beauty are usually depicted in graceful movement. The other, less busy, end of the Parthenon. It was pretty intact until the Ottomans used it as an arsenal and it was struck by a Venetian cannonball in 1687, causing a major explosion. This is a view to the south. The port of Pireaus is sort of behind the nearby hill. If you look real hard in the middle of the picture you'll see the island of Aigina. The island on the far right is Salamis, the site of the famous battle where the Greeks defeated the Persians in 480BC. Like many cities of the time, Athens was slightly inland to provide a bit of protection from direct naval assault. A view to the east and the Temple of Zeus. Theater of Dionysus, one of the most intact theaters we've seen, especially the proscenium, the wall behind the stage. Obviously, it's still in use today. The original Odeon. A more modern sentiment expressed by the current mob of Athens. The "A" below the brilliant slogan stands for "anarchist". Graffiti are the sorrow of Europe and Greece especially. The only reason the Acropolis is devoid of "street art" is because it is fenced off. Only in the Aegean is it held at bay, elsewhere it runs rampant. North of the Acropolis are the 2 agoras. This is the Roman Agora, i.e. forum built in about 11BC when the older Greek Agora became choked with buildings. The gate was a gift from Julius and Augustus. Remains of the portico and square, which also contained shops and storerooms. At the east end, the Tower of the Winds. The Winds around the top, showing rain, harvest, etc. It just wouldn't be former Islamic territory without a Fethiye (Conquest) mosque Moving on to the older Greek Agora, a view from the Temple of Haephestus. The long building is the beautifully restored Stoa of Attalos, rebuilt in the '50s by nice Americans. The Acropolis can be seen in the upper right. The Panathenic Way runs across from lower left diagonally across to the base of the Acropolis. The nearly complete Temple of Haephestus, the god of the forge. A slightly warped montage from the other end, complete with spoiled American college students.
This doesn't look like much, but it is the remains of the stoa where Socrates held forth. Unfortunately, the Greeks were not so culturally sensitive in the 1890s and cut a metro line through the stoa's foundations. Speaking of stoas, this is the portico to the restored Stoa of Attalos. This is the kind of place where philosophers kept their schools and "bidness" was transacted. The Stoa contains a museum of artifacts unearthed in the area. Here's an exquisite, if headless, Aphrodite. We found this 7th C BC burial piece interesting because of its swastika motif. A very interesting museum we had all to ourselves was the Museum of Byzantine and Christian Art.
This ancient and termite-chewed Madonna seemed both tender and modern.
This icon of St Michael was likewise modern, if one thinks all Eastern art is 2-dimensional. A major treat for us was the National Museum of Archeology, even if it was in a bad 'hood.
The most stunning statuary was bronze. Most Greek bronzes were melted down at some point. The survivors have all been pulled out of the sea or found buried under rubble. This is Poseidon, who must have been throwing his trident in this pose. It was found in a shipwreck.
This has to be the most incredible bronze statue we've ever seen. This full-sized horse & jockey was also fished out of the sea.
OK, it's a little blurred; the light was dim. But, the lifelike qualities of both horse and rider are stunning. OK, it's a little naughty, but perfect in execution. Note the eyes.
This head was found in the Sacred Lake at Delos. Like most bronzes, it had eyes of paste glass, so real as to be eerie.. OK, it's Naxian marble, but incredible, a real Aphrodite. This statue depicts Pan attempting to molest Aphrodite, while she threatens him with her sandal (all she can afford, apparently ) and a playful Eros tries to intervene. OK, as usual, we have zillions of museum pieces and never know how much our gentle reader can handle. So, we'll stop here. We might have wished we could spend more time in Athens but at over $100/day to stay in the marina, we had to move on. We do hope you'll visit our Aegean page as well as the places we visited west of the Isthmus, which you can find here. Thanks for looking!
Copyright © John & Vera Williams 2000-2020 All Rights Reserved
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