Nov. 30, 2013 Piraeus/Athens Greece (Acropolis)

Nov. 30, 2013  Piraeus/Athens, Greece

Wake-up call at 6:30.  16c and cloudy today.

We were already docked in Piraeus.  Our 6 hour excursion starts at 8:30.

Our tour guide is George. 

Our first stop was the changing of the guards at the Parliament Bldg.
Originally it served as a palace.  The current Hellenic Parliament building.

In the front façade, the Greek National

Guards (Greek: Evzones) standing 24 hours per day all the time, no matter the weather

or any kind of conditions they may encounter.

Love their little pom-poms. 

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Greek: Μνημείο του Αγνώστου Στρατιώτη), guarded round the clock by the Evzones of the Presidential Guard, is located in the formal forecourt of the building. Construction of the monument began in 1929 and it was inaugurated on March 25, 1932.

 The boulevards lined up with decorative, wild orange trees whose fruit is not to be eaten.  Not knowing this, I picked a few to take back to the ship.  Definitely not edible. 

The so-called "Trilogy" of neo-classical architecture in Athens: the National Library, the National University of Athens and the Academy of Athens

 Adrian's Arch.  131 AD

Huge succulent cactus.

Overlooking Athens

Propylaea of the Acropolis
In Greek, acro means high and polis means city. 
(High city = Hoogstad) Isn't that neat?
Must be Greek in our background.  

Theater of Herodes Atticus. It was built in 161 AD by the Athenian magnate Herodes Atticusin memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped amphitheater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of expensive, cedar of Lebanon timber. It was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000. It lasted intact until it was destroyed and turned into a ruin by the Heruli in 267 AD.

Theater of Herodes Atticus.

Theater of Herodes Atticus.

A great view from up high.

The National Observatory (left top) and St. Marina Orthodox church (red roof).

The National Observatory of Athens is a research institute in Athens,Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest research foundation in Greece. 

Engraved plaque containing Apostle Paul's sermon, 

at the Areopagus, Athens, Greece. (on the huge rock on the rght bottom)

Not a clear picture of the plaque. 

The Hill of Areopagus (Acts 17: 16-32) is then often associated with the apostle Paul, who in 52 AD preached the Christian message to the Athenians from atop the rock. Upon arriving in Athens, Paul had noticed that the Athenian people seemed to have an array of gods, and that they worshiped false idols.

Propylaea is any monumental gateway

that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. 

We climbed a million steps today.  Every ruin was on a hill. 

The Erectheion.

This building was constructed between 421 and 406 BCE 

The Erectheion was built to house the ancient wooden cult statue of Athena 

The Caryatides

Caryatid is the name given to an architectural column 

which takes the form of a standing female figure.

Looking up at the Parthenon

The Parthenon (Greek: Παρθενών) is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the maiden goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron deity. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC.

And this is what they are all looking at.  

A well preserved carving that survived all the destruction. In 1975, the Greek government began a concerted effort to restore the Parthenon and other Acropolis structures.  New Pentelic marble is being used from the original quarry. Ultimately, almost all major pieces of marble will be placed in the structure where they originally would have been, supported as needed by modern materials. While the repairs initially show as white against the weathered tan of original surfaces, they will become less prominent as they age.

Parthenon farther away, and showing the construction. The new marble can be clearly seen on the right of the structure.  

 Meaning of the word: Acropylis Acropolis is a Greek term, and refers generally to an elevated area in the centre of a city, acting as its focal point for cultural, religious, and civil activities. In particular, the term refers to the rocky hill at the centre of Athens, Greece, on which are located several ancient monuments, including the famous Parthenon, the temple for the Goddess Athena, constructed around 5th century BC. 

The Plaka of Athens.
Lycabettus Hill, also called Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in Athens

Also forgot the name of this place.

Picture taken from the Acropylis.
The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus is a major open-air theater and one of the earliest preserved in Athens. It could seat 17,000 spectators.

Theater of Herodes Atticus.
Picture taken from the Acropylis.

Sad looking lion...think he lost the fight!  And his teeth!!!
But then...he is 2000 years old. 

Blue Wing Birds 

Walking at the other side of the wall of the Theater of Herodes Atticus.
The arches were little shops. 

Picture taken from the entrance of the theater. 

The 'useless' fruits of the plane tree

Jennie bought his CD.  He was amazing. 
Walking in Plaka

Most of the roofs are made with red clay tiles.  

Marcel noticed the decorated ones.  

Plaka is the oldest historical neighborhood in Athens.  

It is clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the acropylis. It is known as the "Neighborhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.

Typical houses in Plaka.  Loved the stroll. 

Byzantine church of St. Catherine in Plaka.
11-12th century.

Good thing Marcel is leaning back!!

 I asked the waiter for a "typical" Greek food.
This is what he brought me.  Sausage and onion. 
It was delicious.

Marcel and Immy ordered chicken croquettes. 

Ah, yes, and Jennie ordered some kind of shrimp concoction. 

Makes me want to become a vegetarian!

Our Greek waiter. 

Back on the bus.  A stop at the Panathenaic Stadium.

Built  ca. 566 BC
Renovated  1869 (1870 & 1875 Olympics)
329 BC (rebuilt in marble)
1895–1896 (1896 Summer Olympics Games)
2000–2004 (2004 Summer Olympics)

Lord Byron statue

Departing Athens, Greece

After a great meal, we went to the theater like we now do every night for the 7:30 show.  "Yuri & Nato" - Eternal love.  Acrobatic performance.  My favorite show so far.

Cute towel ducky as we returned to our room. Another great day and so ready for a good night's sleep.

 Good night/Καλή νύχτα - Sweet dreams/γλυκά όνειρα