On Thursday, Nov. 3rd, we arrived in the Port of Piraeus in the greater Athens area. It is the largest passenger port in Europe and the 2nd largest in the world. It adjoins Athens as one big metropolitan area with over 3 million people. We met our tour bus for the day as soon as we disembarked from the ship. We had such a good experience in Olympia that we signed up for a day in Athens with the same excursion company. It is a very busy city with lots of congestion, so we were happy that we did.
We first drove to the colossal ruined temple dedicated to Zeus King of the Olympian gods.
Here we stand in front of the Olympic stadium in Athens. The first modern day Olympic games were held here in 1896. Athens also hosted the games recently in 2004.
Shortly after our visit to the Olympic stadium, we arrived in front of the Hellenic Parliament just a few moments before the changing of the guard ceremony called Evzones. Crowds had gathered and it was difficult for a short person like myself to actually see much.
However, after the actual change took place, I was able to get a couple of photos as the guards moved into their positions where they will stand absolutely still with no facial or eye movements for a solid hour. This special military unit ceremoniously guards the Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After the guards get into position, another military person fixes every detail of their uniform. The guards are chosen for their size, at least 6'3". Physical and mental criteria also apply.
Next we were taken to the Acropolis of Athens which is a citadel originally constructed for defense. The Parthenon sits on the top of the Acropolis and was continuously inhabited for 7000 years. This cultural achievement played the foundation for Western civilization with it's court system, democratic representation, etc.
Here is a theatre was saw on our way up to the top of the Acropolis. Greeks loved their theatre.
Crowds of people endured the many stairs to reach the top.
The Parthenon is being preserved and reconstructed.
There were various other structures on top of the Acropolis. Of course the view of Athens was spectacular.
A short walk from the Acropolis was Mars Hill or Arepogus. It was the place where Paul preached to the people on his 2nd mission as recorded in Acts 17:16-34. The highest court anciently took place at this site also. It was used to try accused murderers. It was also a traditional meeting place for men to discuss philosophy, religion and government. This may have been part of the reason Paul chose this place for his sermon. It was a place where the Athenians discussed new ideas and explored the meaning of life.
This is the view of the Acropolis from Mars Hill.
Back in the city, we saw the Parliament Bldg again across the plaza. We were re-routed as we drove to the "old city" because of a scheduled protest in front of Parliament which blocked traffic for miles.
It was fun to explore the shops, restaurants, etc. in the old city area. Our friends, the Hogge's went off to find and eat Greek salad. We explored on our own and ended up purchasing a few items, including Steve's well-loved and use fanny pack.
We were saddened by the graffiti on the walls of the area where people still live.
They were in the process of replacing the walk-ways with this gorgeous marble flooring. Wow! Impressive and beautiful!
We found ourselves checking out the local eateries and bakeries. We opted to purchase baklava which turned out to be the best we have ever eaten. It surely surpassed any other baklava we tasted on our trip. It was "out of this world yummy."
Cute little leather shops were abundant. I bought a couple of gifts. It was tempting to browse and find a new purse in this basement shop, but there was just too much to see so we moved on.
These last few photos were from the Acropolis and Mars Hill. Sorry I struggle getting these in the order I prefer.
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