Athens, Greece -April 21/22
On our 1st day in Athens in 22 years, we took a morning panoramic Athens city tour from our port in Piraeus. We stopped in the Plaka area, an inviting cluster of historic buildings, shops, and cafes on the slopes of Acropolis Hill. We visited the National Archeological Museum, one of the world's great museums. With more than 11,000 exhibits, it provides a panorama of Greek civilization from the beginnings of prehistory to Late Antiquity.
In the center of historic Athens, we saw the Hellenic Parliament and Syntagma (Constitution) Square, as well as the distinctively uniformed Presidential Guard, or "Evzones," at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Our scenic drive also inluded the Panathenaic Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. Near the Plaka area stands the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch.
Later in the day we visited the Acropolis, built almost 500 years before Christ.
Athens has been called the "birthplace of democracy." Its legacy looms large from atop Acropolis Hill, the pinnacle of ancient Greece. This open air museum is an astonishing repository of once-mighty structures. From its colonnaded Parthenon, revered Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle formulated new ideas of government and debated its role in civic life to captivated audiences. Remnants of spiritual life are also here in the several temples to Athena and Zeus.
Day 2 of Athens we went on our own from a shuttle bus to walk the hills around the Acropolis, with 360° views of Athens.
We climbed to the Temple of the Muses and also the Mount Aeropagus near the Acropolis, where St. Paul preached to and converted many Athenians. We watched the Evzones at the Changing of the Guard at Tomb of Unknown Soldier hourly ceremony and meandered through the Plaka and National Garden.
Wonderful weather and wonderful times in Athens.
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