Day 2
Goddess Athena! We were so excited to hike up to the Acropolis!
Athena is the patron saint of Athens.
She was the goddess of battle strategy and wisdom. The Parthenon on the Acropolis is dedicated to her. |
Athens and the Acropolis"....and I am famous among the gods for wisdom, cunning wiles, too." - Athena, The Odyssey by Homer According to mythology, Athena and Poseidon vied for control of Athens.
On the Acropolis hill, Poseidon struck the rock with his trident and produced a spring of salt water which was of no good use. But, Athena touched the ground with her spear and brought forth an olive tree. She was named the victor and Athens was named in her honour. |
The Acropolis Buildings
The Erechtheion The Erechtheion was specially built in order to avoid disturbing several sacred sites on its grounds.
These sites included the saltwater well (that Poseiden created with his trident) known as the Erechtheion Sea, and the sacred olive tree (created by Athena). The east end of the Temple was dedicated to the worship of Athena Polias. The west end of the temple was dedicated to Poseidon-Erechtheus. |
Porch of the Caryatids (Maidens) at the Erechtheion
A Caryatid is a name given to a column in the form of a standing female figure.
The most famous Caryatids are from the Erechtheion. At the south porch of the Erechtheion, the roof was supported by six statues of maidens known as the Caryatids. Initially, there were six maiden statues but today there are only five as one of the Caryatids was removed by Lord Elgin in 1801 and is today located in the British Museum. The Caryatids at the Erechtheum are actually copies. The five remaining originals are in the Acropolis Museum to ensure the protection, conservation, and restoration of these amazing artifacts. |
The Temple of Athena Nike
And...... The Magnificent Parthenon!
The glorious Parthenon is one of the best known architectural symbols of any civilization. The Parthenon was built to be the chief shrine to Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin.) Its massive foundations were made of limestone, and the columns were made of Pentelic marble. What a majestic temple! |
|
The Acropolis Museum
This state-of-the-art museum houses over 3,000 ancient archeological findings from the Acropolis site. |
|
Exploring more of Athens!
Mount Lycabettus Funicular
The Lycabettus Funicular is a railway to the top of Mount Lycabettus.
It's not strictly a path - but we had to go!
We joined our friends, Sharlene and Eric, for a hair-raising -but skillfully driven -
taxi ride through complicated one-way streets. We climbed aboard the funicular for the short, steep ride up the hill. No, I didn't hike this path! On the top of the hill we explored the Church of Agios Georgios. It is a small whitewashed, single-aisle, domed basilica. Lycabettus Hill provides an amazing view over Athens which we enjoyed with a cool Aperol! |
A perfect end to a great day! The food .... was.... DELICIOUS! Mani Mani restaurant, Athens |