History and Mythology

Another amazing day in Greece! We started the day off right because we actually slept all night long. So thankful we are getting acclimated.

Breakfast was a ham and cheese pie we picked up at a nearby Greek bakery. It was so delicious! Then we set out on foot to see more of the ancient sites.

First was Hadrian’s Gate, which just hangs out on the side of a very busy road. Once upon a time it was the gateway between the old Athens and the new Athens.

Hadrian’s Gate was eclipsed by what was right next to it - the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Wow, the size of these columns! Absolutely huge. There’s not a ton left to see but one of the pillars had fallen many years ago so you see how they were made in big pieces and then stacked atop one another. Pretty cool.

Next was a little more walking until we reached the Panathenaic Stadium. We saw this briefly on the tour yesterday but today we took time to go in and do an audio tour. We learned so much with the audio tour! Originally built in 330 BC, it was later abandoned. It was revived in 1896 and was the host of the first modern Olympic Games. It’s also where the official handoff of the Olympic flame to the host country happens. That happens in just a few weeks for the 2020 Olympics (sadly, this never happened. COVID came and the Olympics were postponed). 

Brian particularly enjoyed these pieces in the middle of the grounds. One side had the face of an old man. One side had the face of a young man staring at the crowds of spectators. The other side had the face of an older man looking out on the field of play and recalling the days he would compete.

Brian and I walked all the way to the top and let me tell you, it was quite the climb! Some of the stairs were more like ladders, they were so steep. 

We also walked through the tunnel the participants would have walked through before entering the stadium. This was one of Brian's favorite views. The thought of gladiators once walking this hallways and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and imaging that, for many, it was the last thing they would ever see. It was sort of ominous but super cool! 

At the end was a little shop and Olympic torches dating back to at least 1936. 

Our next stop was about 2 miles away so Brian and I decided to rent some of the cute electric “lime” scooters we see outside all the tourist spots. We had a great time riding them for a while, especially while going uphill, but we hit some of the Greek streets and then it was all over. We either had to ride on the sidewalks, which are narrow and crowded, or in the streets where we have to dodge cars and scooters who have no regard for safety and who use all available space in a lane, regardless of lane lines. It was an experience, that’s for sure. But we are glad we finally tried them. No pictures because we were trying not to hit people or be hit by people. Lol

Up next was a visit to the National Archaeology Museum of Athens. 

We had a Rick Steves audio your we listened to as we walked through it all. There were some very neat pieces of history in there, including the Mask of Agamemnon. The vase with the octopus was probably my single favorite piece of pottery we saw this trip (and we saw A LOT!). The second vase is actually over 4 feet tall... it's huge and the drawings on it are so intricate for the times. 

There was an impressive statue of either Zeus or Poseidon (no one knows which)

This bronze statue of a horse and his jockey was pulled from the sea. The details on the horse, especially his face, are so impressive!

And there were plenty of other piece so Greek mythology in the museum, like the Minotaur and the statue of Pan trying to seduce Aphrodite.

We spent a long time in the museum and it was worth every moment. While it's out of the way, it was worth the trip and I highly recommend this to anyone visiting Athens. 

We tried to take a taxi next but he wanted to gouge us by charging 15€ for a 2 mile taxi ride. Things are really reasonably priced here in Greece, so 15€ is a lot! Thankfully our guide yesterday had warned us of cabbies who try to take advantage of tourists. Instead, we just decided to walk. We hit Syntagma Square, which was bustling with activity. This is the spot where Greeks like to come to protest so there were many police around. Brian had thrown a few challenge coins and patches in his pocket this morning and decided to hand them out to young police in the area. They were surprised and thankful. He shook their hands and walked away and you could see they were excited about receiving a goodie from an American officer. I wish I had gotten pictures of that.

We kept walking to the Plaka where there are streets of little shops selling food, jewelry and souvenirs. We stopped for ice cream and sweet waffles at one shop. It was sooooo good! Brian got a creamy caramel with whole almonds that he absolutely loved! My mint chocolate chip was great too.

A little bit of shopping in the Plaka and the purchase of an ornament for our collection, then we returned to our AirBNB where we kicked our feet up and watched the lights turn on at the Acropolis. A little dinner in and more rest to come, as we walked over 7 miles and climbed 21 flights of stairs today.