We wanted to visit Athens because of its historic significance. While most of the important places to see in this capital city of Greece are ruins, these landmarks tell the story of why Athens is, to quote wikipedia, "referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy." The great thing about Athens is that there are so many places of interest all within walking distance of each other.
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| The Parthenon |
The first place we visited was the Acropolis. History.com describes tells us that this UNESCO world heritage site has been "a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious center and a tourist attraction."
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| The Acropolis |
Several ancient monuments can be found here including the Parthenon, which was a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena.
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| Me at the Parthenon |
The Erechtheion is also quite memorable for its caryatids, which are female sculptures that serve as columns.
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| Caryatids at the Erechtheion |
The Acropolis provides visitors with excellent views of the city.
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| View of Athens from the Acropolis |
On the southwest slope of the hill on which the Acropolis stands, you can find the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, which was an ancient Roman theater. It continues to be used for concerts and theater productions. (Yanni's Live at the Acropolis was performed here.)
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| Odeon of Herodes Atticus |
The Theater of Dionysus sits on the southeast slope of the Acropolis. According to Vision Roma, "the first row of seats was reserved for those spectators who, by decree of the assembly, enjoyed the right of proedria, i.e. the right to sit in the front row during the contests of tragedies."
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| Theater of Dionysus |
Our next stop was the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was named as such because it was dedicated to the Greek God Zeus who was the king of the Olympian gods. In ancient times, this was the largest temple in Greece. Only a few of its original 104 columns remain, but they were still quite a sight to behold.
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| Columns at the Temple of Olympian Zeus |
We then visited the Panathenaic Stadium. It is important for two main reasons. First, it continues to be the only stadium in the world that is built entirely out of marble. Second, this is where the first modern Olympic games were held back in 1896. Despite my inappropriate attire, I couldn't help but do this lame but fun pose for a photo op inside the stadium hahaha.
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| Me at the Panathenaic Stadium |
Finally, we made our way to the Ancient Agora of Athens. An agora is a public space for community assemblies and markets. There are many ancient buildings and ruins here, including the remains of the Odeon of Agrippa...
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| Odeon of Agrippa |
...and the Temple of Hephaestus.
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| Temple of Hephaestus |
Next: Experiences and Memories in Athens
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