Greece 2021

Sunday21November

Access to the Acropolis first requires going through the Ticket Office to obtain your right of passage for around ten euros (it is double in summer).

Acropolis means "high city", so we are going to rise 156 meters to reach the top of the hill.

At the foot of the hill, there are several monuments including the Theater of Dionysus. "The Theater of Dionysus is one of the theaters of ancient Greece, considered the first theater in the world, cradle of ancient Greek theater and tragedy." © Wikipedia

On the hillside, the fortification wall houses the monument of Thrasyllos. The monument, converted in the Byzantine era into a chapel named Panaghia Chrysopeliotissa, was destroyed by the Ottomans during the siege of Athens in 1827. A cave carved into the rock remains, which was decorated with a Doric frame 7.5 m long © Wikipedia

The theater of Herodes Atticus. "Roman theater built at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens in the year 161, by Herodes Atticus, in memory of his wife Regilla, who died in the year 160. Sacked nearly a hundred years after its completion, the building was then integrated into the fortifications of Athens. Rediscovered in modern times, it was excavated then restored between the middle of the 19th century and the middle of the following century." © Wikipedia

The Beulé Gate from the 3rd century allowed access to the main gate of the Acropolis, the Propylaea.

We are almost at the top and Athens reveals itself in its modern light with its sea of buildings... Athens and its agglomeration reach 4 million inhabitants on 428 km², or a third of the Greek population.

The Propylaea, name given to the last gate of access to the Acropolis.

In the distance, the port of Piraeus.

The Propylaea, East side. Its construction spanned from 437 to 432 BC.

On the side, the temple of Athena Nike. "The temple of Athena Nike was erected in the 5th century BC, in honor of the goddess of victory, Athena Victorious: Nike literally means 'victory' in ancient Greek.". © Wikipedia

And in front of us, the jewel of the Acropolis, the Parthenon. To the left, the small Erechtheion temple.

Generations of restorers have succeeded one another here. The first major restoration took place after an earthquake in 1893.

The Acropolis Museum which we will visit tomorrow.

The Theater of Dionysus seen from the Parthenon.

Detail of the East pediment.

On the left, the old museum which was abandoned in 2009 in favor of the new museum, built at the bottom of the hill.

We are at the East end of the hill where the Greek national flag proudly takes the light breeze of the day.

Lycabettus Hill which we will reach later with our little legs...  

The Saint George Chapel at the very top of Mount Lycabettus.

That's a lot of buildings... In 2021, the highest is only 103 meters, it is the Athens Tower '1' which is also the highest in the country. A 200-meter skyscraper is planned in the suburbs of Athens.

The Parthenon measures 70 meters long by 31 meters wide.

The temple was built in honor of Athena Parthenos, protector of the city and goddess of war and wisdom. In 438 BC, a chryselephantine statue representing the goddess Athena was installed there. Disappeared long ago, several small replicas from the beginning of our era have been found allowing to describe it. It was at least 11 meters high, "was helmeted and held a large round shield and a spear, placed on the ground to her left, next to her sacred serpent." © Wikipedia

The temple was built in honor of Athena Parthenos protector of the city and goddess of war and wisdom. In 438 BC, a chryselephantine statue representing the goddess Athena was thus installed there. Disappeared long ago, several small replicas from the beginning of our era have been found allowing to describe it. It was at least 11 meters high, "was helmeted and held a large round shield and a spear, placed on the ground to her left, next to her sacred serpent." © Wikipedia

In the 5th century, the Parthenon is transformed into a church, then in the 15th century into a mosque. The building was therefore entitled to a bell tower, itself transformed into a minaret. In 1687, the place becomes a gunpowder warehouse, which exploded a few months later following an attack, causing the collapse of the ceiling, walls and 21 columns. From there, the debris was reused for the construction of other buildings of the Acropolis.

The Caryatids of the Erechtheion. "A caryatid (from Ancient Greek ?a???t?de?, literally "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese), is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head". © Wikipedia

The statues are copies. Five of the original statues are in the Acropolis Museum and one in the British Museum. We will see the five tomorrow.

"The restorations in September 2012 highlight the restored stones by replacing them with white stones in order to distinguish them from the original elements. This is the solution adopted in Greece for the application of conservation - restoration doctrines and techniques recommended by the "Venice Charter"." © Wikipedia

Exit, like the entry, through the Propylaea.

We join the rock covered with tourists coming from the Acropolis, called Areopagus or "Hill of Ares".

The Acropolis seen from the Areopagus.

On the left, Mount Lycabettus. On the right, the National Observatory of Athens (an astronomical observatory founded open in 1847).

The Churches of the Holy Apostles and Panaghia Grigorousa.

Here we are on our way to Mount Lycabettus. We cross two Athenians draped in their himation (the large cloth serving as a coat), more anarchists than philosophers a priori...  

And let's go for a small ascent of Lycabettus on 400 meters of winding path.

Athens and in the distance the Saronic Gulf and the Aegean Sea.

The Acropolis on its rock bathed in the light of the setting sun. In the background, the port of Piraeus.

At the summit, the Saint George church awaits the tourist who came to admire the view of the capital. We are on the highest point of the city at 277 meters.

Open-air theaters are not only ancient. This one with 3000 seats was built in 1964 by Takis Zenetos.

Back in the center of Athens next to the Panathenaic Stadium which we will visit tomorrow.

For now, the attraction is this statue of the Finnish discus thrower, "the Discobolus" by Greek sculptor Konstantinos Dimitriadis (1879-1943). The inspiration comes from the famous statue of antiquity attributed to Myron, which reminds us that at the time the games were done entirely naked. This statue won the gold medal for sculpture at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games.

We pass by the presidential palace again, just to say a quick hello to the Evzones, and oh surprise, they have put on the ceremonial white uniform because it is Sunday!

The motivation must be enormous for these young volunteers, especially in winter or on heatwave days...

And straight in the eyes, he shows me the nails in his shoe. They are supposed to be 60 per sole... It's the crisis it seems...  

And like yesterday, the officer reviews the clothes to adjust them so that they fall perfectly... As for us, the day, well filled, ends. Tomorrow will be our last Greek day! On the program, museums and Panathenaic stadium!