...greek odyssey 2008 part I, Athens

Hiya.

I've been trying to figure out the best/most organized way to share my Greek adventure with ya'll, and I think I've finally settled on an approach. Yeah-rah! :)

While killing sometime prior to a Pampered Chef dealy and over lunches (somewhat) and after work this week, I was able to get the Athens portion of pics all compared, uploaded, and captioned. (Woo-Hoo!!)

So I'll share the narrative here, along with a couple of key pics, and then I'll include a link to the Athens portion of the album. It the coming days, the process will be repeated for Mykonos and Santorini as well.

So, sit back and get comfy....

***FYI: there are apparently at least 9,628 different ways to spell greek words, so consider yourself warned***

Once upon a time two sisters, after some experiencing some kaka in their lives, decided to take off on an adventure. The debate raged on between Greece and Italy as a destination, throwing the Pacific US coast in there every once in a while when $$ worries clouded their vision. After some input from a trusted *friend*, Greece was declared the winner. The blonde sister (definitely denoting hair color, not smarts) used her travel agent connections and hooked us up with one honey of a deal.

So, in the afternoon on Wednesday, 26-Sep-2008, after sharing a nice meal with Leo & Judy, these two sisters hopped a 747 Amsterdam bound for the first leg of their trip. The flight there was rather uneventful except for the wisdom gained. Although there is more legroom in the bulkhead, if you sit on the aisle absolutely freaking EVERYONE will bump your shoulder on their way to/from the restroom.

The sistas arrived in Amsterdam ~ 7:30am local time and were intrigued by the group of Orthodox Jewish men donning their sacred robes and engaging in vigorous morning prayers at the empty gate next to them. They had something strapped to their foreheads--but the girls were too shy to inquire. Anywho, another 3-hour flight later and the chicas touched down in Athens--much hillier and browner than anticipated.

The driver was waiting to pick them up and take them to their hotel, the Titania, in downtown Athens, about a 40 minute drive from the airport. The chicas were pretty much quiet the whole car trip--just taking in their surroundings. The car stopped at a busy intersection en route and a few guys stepped out of the shadows with spraybottles and squegees in hand and approached the car--it was somewhat disconcerting, yet strangely comforting that some things are indeed universal. After checking in to the hotel, taking showers (no wash cloths provided), and enjoying a nice nap, the girls set out to grab some grub. They dined at Ideal, within walking distance of their hotel. They split an appetizer of zucchini croquettes and each had the special for dinner, pork tenderloin medallions with mushrooms, potatoes, with feta and oregano in a white wine sauce. Divine!

The next am the ladies were up bright and early--taking full advantage of the hotel's free breakfast buffet (yummy greek yogurt--altho blonde sister didn't like the aftertaste), before setting off on their guided tour of the town. The tour bus stopped at few other locations (including picking up 2 travelers from Brooklyn--painfully, loudly obvious to all within a 1/2 mile radius. There was a small amount of embarrassment in that these 2 were our fellow US reps abroad, but it quickly passed) before hitting our first destination, the Panathinaiko Stadium (aka Kallimarmaron or Kallimarmaro Stadium).

Panathinaiko Stadium
look closely and you can see the Olympic Rings dead center above the seats

The current stadium occupies the site of the orginal, built by Lykourgos in 330-329 BC. It was reconstructed during Hadrian's reign (117-138 AD) and then rebulit in white marble by Herodes Atticus for the Panathenaic Games in 144 AD. Neglected for many years, it was again rebuilt in white marble in 1895-1896 AD as a generous gift by Georgios Averof for the start of the first modern Olympic Games on 05-APR-1896. The current stadium is a faithful replica of Herodes Atticus's design and seats up to 60,000 souls.

The next stop on the tour brought the girls to the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Temple of Olympian Zeus
that is Nanner standing there at the corner of the base with the acropolis in the background

The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the largest in all of Greece (315ft X 130ft X >60ft). Work began on the structure in the 6th century BC, although it was not completed until 650 years later. The grounds surrounding the temple were a favorite teaching spot of Socrates.

The next stop on the tour brought the girls to the base of the Acropolis of Athens.

Map of the Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis of Athens rises 490ft above sea level perched over the city. As the sisters walked the path up to the top they saw many sights incluing the Odeon (Theatre) of Herodes Atticus--a memorial built by the great leader for his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla between 174 and 161 AD. The theatre holds 5,000 people and is still in use today as a popular venue for summer concerts and plays.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus (blue on the map)

Heading further up the path the girls encoutered the famous rock where St. Paul first preached Christianity to Greece, and then the Propylaea, or gateway to the acropolis. After you pass through the Propylaea the acropolis spreads out before you and the Parthenon is immediately to your right.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon is a fascinating building, especially if you are really geeky like me. It was built to honor the goddess Athena, the city's patron. She won the battle for patronage over the god Poseidon (who presented the citizens with a sea-water fountain) by presenting the citizens with an olive tree. Olive trees once totally surrounded the base of the acropolis--some can still be found today. Anywho, construction on the Parthenon started back in 447 BC and took nine years to complete. At the time the Greeks were striving for perfection and the crazy thing was they knew back then how to compensate for the imperfection of the human eye. Some of the 'tricks' employed to preserve the optical illusion of perfection included:


#1 The base of the Parthenon is ~ 12cm higher in the middle of its length than at the ends.
#2 The columns are not straight up and down, but actually lean inward.
#3 Each of the columns has a slight bulge in the middle (hmmm...wonder why my bulge in my middle doesn't make me look perfect...)


Ok, I won't bore you with any more nerd-o facts about the the building except to say the PBS NOVA show Secrets of the Parthenon (available to view online) is freaking AWESOME!

The back side of the Parthenon

Another intact building perched on the acropolis is the Erechtheion.

The famous Caryatids of the south porch of the Erechtheion

The Erechtheion was built between 421-406 BC and is considered the most sacred site on the acropolis--supposedly this is where Poseidon left marks in the rock with his trident during his battle with Athena over the city. The south porch is famous for its Caryatids. It was found out after departure that it also contained a ceremonial snake pit....nothing more need be said.

The last site the girls saw from atop the acropolis was the Theatre of Dionysus.

The Theatre of Dionysus (red on the map)

The Theatre of Dionysus is said to be humankind's first known theatre and is the birthplace of Greek tragedy. The plays of Aeschylus (ex: Agamemnon), Sophocles (ex: Oedipus Rex), Euripides (ex: Medea), and Aristophanes (ex: The Frogs) were all performed here.


The sisters next broke free from the tour and snuck down to the shops at the base of the acropolis where one found and purchased a lovely Opal (her birthstone) and silver ring. The tour bus then dropped the girls back off at their hotel, where after a pit stop, they took off on foot to explore the city.


The girls stopped to get a quick bite at a little pastry shop and then made their way to the rail car to take them up Lykavittos Hill, the highest point in the city at 910 feet above the city. The small whitewashed chapel of Agios Georgios sits perched atop the hill. The panoramic views are breathtaking.

View from atop Lykavittos Hill, looking towards the port town of Pyraeus and the Mediterranean--the Acropolis can be seen in the middle

The girls took the long way back to the hotel, trekking past the Presidential Palace, through the National Gardens, and past the Ancient Roman Baths unearthed when steam vents were being dug for the Metro.

At this point the tootsies were in need of a rest b4 din-din. After a short nap, the chicas dressed for dinner at The Olive Garden, atop their hotel where they split a roasted veggie salad and then enjoyed their chicken tagliatelle and duck & porcini risotto (so-so). The evening was rounded out taking pictures off the roof of the city at night.

View of the Acropolis at night from the Olive Garden Restaurant atop Hotel Titania

After an all-too-brief sleep the sistas took off the next morning on foot for the Ancient Agora, the central marketplace of Athens dating from 600BC. The agora is a fascinating place filled with the ruins of many old buildings as well as salvaged architetural sculpture. It is the site of the state prison where Socrates was indicted and executed. The planning for drainage and sewers back then doesn't seem that far from what is still done toady. The Stoa of Attalos, restored with the help of John D Rockefeller Jr. between 1953 and 1956, now houses an extensive museum.

The Stoa of Attalos in the Ancient Agora

One of many salvaged pieces on display at the Stoa of Attalos

After a quick stroll through the Ancient Agora the sisters had just enough time to stop and take a few pictures at the modern Greek marketplace..it a word bustling....before heading back to their hotel to be picked up for the next leg of their trip.

One stall along the modern Greek marketplace

Full Athens album (138 pictures).

To Be Continued....