Ancient Agora of Athens

Our tickets to the Acropolis was inclusive of entrance to the Ancient Agora of Athens. The Agora during its ancient days was a space might have been used as a market, or for an election, a dramatic performance, a religious procession, military drill, or athletic competition. Here administrative, political, judicial, commercial, social, cultural, and religious activities all found a place together in the heart of Athenians.

A Library Visit

Do libraries fascinate you? They do us -  just like museums and when we get the chance we'd pop into one at places we are visiting.

We walked down hill towards the Roman Agora in Athens after we said goodbye to the Acropolis. To the north of the Roman Agora is the Hadrian's Library. Yes...a bit in ruins but the achitecture that comes with it was overwhelming. 

The library was built on the site of Late Hellenistic and Early Roman housing.

The Library of Hadrian in Athens was constructed circa 132-134 CE as part of Roman Emperor Hadrian’s grand re-building plan for the city.

Hadrian (76-138 CE) was the fourteenth Emperor of Rome. Known for his building projects which was perhaps his most enduring legacy. Hadrian established cities throughout the Balkan Peninsula, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Greece.

Picture from Google

 

Library complex impressive entrance, located on the west side of the building, had a Corinthian columned porch also known as propylon

  

Columned façade with Corinthian columns in green Karystos marble

The main part of the building was opposite the entrance on the eastern side.

The library was the largest in Athens. It had columned façade and high surrounding walls, built to impress.  The building was used to store important literary works and legal and administrative documents as well as a place to hear lectures and host various philosophical schools.

A Corinthian capital from the north facade of the Library of Hardrian

  

Columns in the interior of Hadrian's Library

 

Mosaic pavements

Library of Hadrian East Wall - restoration work on going. 

  

During the Byzantine era a series of churches were built on the site.

Architectural elements still visible in the Library of Hadrian central courtyard area.

As we left the complex, we imagined what an important centre of learning and philosophy it would have been during its heyday with books, scrolls, documents and papyri housed in the Library.

Greece Adventure Day 2 - Climb The Acropolis Part 4

By the time we finished  doing the Parthenon, the winter sun was up. The warmth of sun made the walk pretty pleasant. In fact  it didn't feel like it was winter, felt more like spring. 

We decided to take a  break. Found an empty bench nearby and took out our packed sandwiches to fill up our already growling stomachs.  

Can't think of any better spot for a pit stop than this one looking right at the Parthenon

After refueling, Nissa did her signature jumps

 

And Abe started paparazzing....

After everyone was happy (read: kenyang...) we walked to another main highlight inside the Acropolis - the Erechtheion. This is a sanctuary  made prominent by the Porch of the Caryatids with the six maidens supporting the southern portico.

The Erechtheion - an ancient Greek temple constructed on the Acropolis between 421 and 406 BCE in the Golden Age of the city  to house the ancient wooden cult statue of Athena.

Porch of the Caryatids where the real stars of the Erechtheion are the Caryatids or korai as they were known to the ancient Greeks.

 

The caryatids are female figures that serve as the architectural support for the entablature of a building.

Gigantic columns on the eastern side of the Erechtheion.

The Erechtheion was definitely an intricate temple. Beautiful and captivating; photography can't do justice to its beauty.

We couldn't stay long as the sun was already piercing sharp. Time to go. Time to say adieu to the Acropolis. 

One last shadow play with her furry friend on the Acropolis

Bye bye...Athens from up above the Acropolis

Nike saying byes to (Temple of) Nike

His way of saying good bye

Our way in was also the way out.

The Acropolis was by far one of the grandest of sites that impressed us more than we expected. There is a spirituality to standing atop the Acropolis that neither time nor cynicism can destroy.

Definitely worth the climb...a must do if you are in Athens!  

Greece Adventure Day 2 - Climb The Acropolis Part 1

The Acropolis in Athens is a MUST see when you visit this city; even if it requires you to get up super early in order to beat the crowd and the striking sun. And that was what we did on our second day in Athens.

We actually slept very early the night before. Still jet lagged and the whole day walk about was enough to wear us down. But the body was still on Malaysian time and by 4am we were already wide awake (and hungry too..heh heh).

We settled for a very early breakfast and left the apartment by 7am. Took the Metro to the Airopoli Station and then walked up to the entrance on the Acropolis Hill.

The Akropoli Station - pretty deserted at 7am

The station is like a museum too. Findings of the ancient Athenians were discovered during the building of the metro station. They are displayed at the station. The Greeks have so much respects for these archaeological finds.

 

Frescoes on the Metro wall. The duo saying from W with Love. The "W" hand sign is the synonym to UW - Madison

The very wide walkway heading up to the Acropolis Hill.

Surprisingly winter in Athens was pretty mild. Temperatures range between 10C in the morning and by midday it got to around 20C. So it was really nice weather for walking.

Abe became a hit with the dogs that morning. Bill told us the day before that dogs in Athens are extra friendly with men who carried bag packs. Perhaps they thought that there was food in there. Many of these dogs were released by their owners. Times are bad and they can't afford to keep these dogs in their homes any longer. So they became strays - but very friendly strays.

He was huge! And he keep trailing Abe for quite some distance.

He was rather fierce. Kept barking at us.

Walking up towards the Acropolis Hill. We passed the garden with many olive trees.

 

These olive trees must have been there for a while

The uphill walkway leading up to the Acropolis Hill. Heavily guarded by the Greek Armed Forces

 

As we walked up we came to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus or the Herodeon. It was built in 161 AD by the Athenian magnate Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife.

This stone theatre structure is located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens.

It was originally a steep-sloped theater 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.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus - down looking up to the Acropolis Hill

To be continued...

Wednesday One Liner

 Wonder is the beginning of wisdom ~ Greek Proverb

Temple of Poseidon
Cape Sounion, Greece 
17.12.2016

Walking With Bill - Part 1

When Bill our walking guide shared stories about Athens - its people, the myths, culture and many more I was very thrilled. I am no history buff. Never excelled in history in school. Somehow history lessons to me was all about memorizing dates.

However now late in life, I actually regret my fooling around during those history lessons days. During my travels, I saw how the engagement with history of a certain country or ancient civilization would provide you with a better understanding of the people, culture and politics of the country. 

Before we started our walk with Bill, he explained the routes we were going to take. He said there was quite a bit of walking especially when we get to the Acropolis area. As there were only the 3 of us, Bill had more time to share stories about the places he took us - very much to our delight!

Our first stop was Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion, is a Greco-Roman temple in the center of Athens.

During the years of Greek democracy, the temple was left unfinished.The temple is made of fine marble brought from Mount Pentelus. Originally 104 Corinthian columns, each 17 meters high; 48 of these stood in triple rows under the pediments and 56 in double rows at the sides. Today, only 15 columns remain standing. 

Not far from the Olympian Zeus Temple, close to a Metro station we saw an excavated site that was believed to be the bath area of the ancient Athenians.

This ancient bath complex was uncovered during the building of subway in Athens in preparation for the Olympics.in 2000. This was a Roman bath actually - a well-preserved complex that can be viewed from above.  Clear view of the pillars that would have allowed the floors and rooms to be heated for a luxurious bathing experience.

The bath must have been quite a happening place I imagine. After a hard day at work, folks come here to chat and share latest gossips while they soak and relax. 

We continued with our walk until we arrived at the Zappeion.

The Zappeion - its architecture is in the neoclassical order, with a Corinthian portico. It was an exhibition hall and was the first building in the world to be constructed in order to serve Olympic needs.

The columns in Zappeion

From the exhibition hall the Zappeion, we passed its lush green gardens known as the Parrilissia and headed to the Panathenaic Stadium.

The home of the first modern day Olympic Games. 

Reconstructed from the remains of an ancient Greek stadium, the Panathenaic is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble from Mount Penteli and is one of the oldest in the world.

For museum souvenirs

to be continued....