R&R Day 7 - Athens, Greece

The 6^th day of my R&R was a day at sea, where we basically just lounged around and did very little of anything. Highlights of our day were miniature golf and a wine tasting on board. The next morning (day 7) we pulled into Athens. Again we opted out of the cruise line provided tours, as we heard them announcing 35+ different tour groups and were happy we were not part of that throng. Wen and I set out on foot around the harbor to the train station where we caught a lightrail/subway out to the acropolis area. The entire area is dotted both with train stations and ancient ruins, so we just chose a stop and started walking.

Our first stop was the acropolis museum, a very modern looking building that was built on large concrete pilings with large archeological excavations underneath. No photographs were allowed in the museum, but that is where many of the ornamental carving from the original Parthenon are kept. Other exhibits include statues and the household items found in other digs around the Parthenon site.

We then entered the compound for the Parthenon and began the long hike up the hill. We passed a variety of other ancient ruins and amphitheaters, some left as is and some modified/reconstructed.

My honey sitting in the unimproved amphitheater.

Carvings along the back wall of the stage on this amphitheater.

One of the renovated and still utilized amphitheaters on the site.

Wen and I on the steps of the Parthenon, also known as the Propylaea, the flow of people through here was astonishing, tens of thousands tour the ruins every day.

Some of the building are being rebuilt, using the old marble found on the sites pieced together with new material to fill in missing pieces. The stark contrast in the colors is purposeful so people can see how much of the old buildings are still being used, that this ancient jig saw puzzle has been partially solved.

The Parthenon undergoing its own transformation.

This crane and its control really impressed me, I kept looking for a cab where the operator sat, then I saw he was just walking up on the steps with a large remote control. I had never seen a crane this large where it was controlled via remote.

A view from the Parthenon, overlooking the expanse of Athens’ apartment buildings as far as the eye can see.

Another view of the older amphitheater, with the acropolis museum in the background. It’s the dark glass, modern looking building.

The Temple of the Olympian Zeus, which can be seen from the acropolis, along with many other ancient ruins across the surrounding hills.

The back side of the Parthenon.

Another ruin of the Propylaea as we exited the top of the acropolis.

The waterwheel slot of an ancient grain mill, the water came from the Roman aquaduct system which supplied power to the mill before going to a basin further down the hill. The engineering marvel that the flow was harnessed from the bottom side of the waterwheel vs a gravity waterwheel was astonishing.

This series of statues were found in The Ancient Agora, and specifically in the building, the Stoa of Attalos. Beautifully reconstructed, the open air museum displayed a range of artifacts. Some of the floor you were not allowed to step on since it still had the mosaic tile floor.

For some reason, in many of these ancient ruins, there were turtles, eating away at the grass. We nicknamed them lawnmowers after seeing 3 or 4 of them.