Ancient Athens

According to history Poseidon, god of the sea and Athena, goddess of wisdom had a contest over who would be patron of the city. Athena was declared the victor and the city of Athens was named for her. There are now 11 million people who live here in Athens, Greece.
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After getting off our ship in the port of Piraeus we walked 20 minutes or so to the train station and bought an all day ticket for 4 euro. The train was not crowded at all and we easily made it to the Acropolis where we began the 80 steps to the top.

The Theater of Herodes is one of the largest surviving classical Greek theaters. It was dedicated to his wife in 161 A.D. It is still used today for concerts and seats 5000. The marble seats have been restored and cushions cover the seats for comfort.

Propylaea is the "gateway to Athens". It has the same proportions as the colums of the Parthenon but is not as large.

Erectheion and the Porch of the Maidens which are copies. Four of the original maidens are in the Acropolis museum.

The Parthenon was completed in 438 B.C. It has served through the years as a temple, church, mosque and storage for Turkish gunpowder from which it blew up and was badly damaged. It is being restored today.

Huge columns!

Two that lost their heads.

From the top of the Acropolis we could see across to Lycobettes Hill which is the highest point in Athens. There is a railway that goes up to a chapel, theater and restaurant.











On our walk back down we saw a hill which
is where Paul spoke to the Athenians.
I believe this is referred to in the bible as Areopagus
or "hill of Ares".

At the bottom we found a sidewalk cafe where we had souvlaki with rice and bread and the Acropolis in the background! Although we walked back to our ship we did see a hop on hop off bus which would be a good option also. This was our warmest day, in fact it was hot.
Tomorrow is a day at sea and then only one more day of this fantastic cruise!