Athens, 17 August - The Acropolis

The local officials control access to the Acropolis with timed tickets – the first entry of the day is allowed at 7:45 (for the 8-9 group).  The line stretched from the entry point back out on the street and almost back to the Acropolis Museum entrance… but it moved quickly.

the tours gather at the edge

The biggest challenge was the walking tours.  You’d be going along at your own pace but then get stopped by 12-20 people blocking the path upwards as they crowded around to hear what the guide was saying.  (Most had transmitters, so they didn’t need to be right next to the guide.)  I learned a little about the history from the guides, though, so it wasn’t too bad until we got up to the real choke points.

Theater of Dionysos - right below the Parthenon

heading up

The earliest evidence of habitation on the naturally fortified hill of the Acropolis of Athens dates to the Middle neolithic period (5000-4000 BC). During the Mycenaean period (1600-1100 BC) it served as the seat of the local ruler and, in the 13th century, it was reinforced with strong fortification. 

As you leave the south entrance, near the museum, you go past a couple of small amphitheaters, and parts of the working area that served the Acropolis.  You are traveling upward on a perimeter road.

foundry

Odeion of Herodes Atticus 

Odeion - indications are it is still used for live performances

top of the Odeion

In the 6th century BC, the Acropolis acquired its first monumental temples. The buildings that dominate today the sacred rock, the propylaea, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike, were erected in the aftermath of the Persian destruction that occurred in 480 BC, on the initiative of Perikles.

 

the Propylea

 

At the west end, you reach the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the sanctuary of the Acropolis.  Of course, the crowds tightened since there was only one way up.  Being tall, I was able to get some pictures over the heads of others, but you are never alone on the Acropolis. 

the Temple of Athena Nike ("Victorious")

Atop the right hand side is a small, elegant Ionic temple - the temple of Athena Nike.  Built between 427-424 BC, replacing an earlier, smaller temple. The frieze of the temple depicts battle scenes between Greeks, combats between the Greeks and the Persians.

the steps up the Propylea

towering columns

finally the Parthenon appearas

You exit the Propylea steps onto the plateau, just west of the Parthenon – the largest structure on the Acropolis.  North of the Parthenon is the Erechtheion – named for the mythical king of Athens. Construction began around  430 BC and was completed in 406 BC following an interruption caused by the Peloponnesian War. 

The Erechtheion

Off to the east of the buildings, in the approximate position of the sanctuary of Zeus, is a flag pole that many crowd to to look down on mosern Athens below.  I like the photo because you can see that the ground is rough, littered with marble.  It is dangerous.  There are no sidewalks...and many, many people going all different directions. 

That takes care of all of the buildings except for the "Crown Jewel" - the Parthenon.  It is a temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos, and is considered the perfect Doric temple of classical antiquity due to its proportions, architectural refinements and masterful construction. 

It was built between 447-438 BC, while its white marble sculptural decoration was completed in 432 BC. The temple is defined by an outer colonnade that consists of 8 columns on either narrow side and 17 columns that run along each of its long sides.  Much work has been done to stabilize and preserve the temple, and we are lucky that the scaffolding was taken down in 2025 so we could actually see the columns.

I started at the north side and walked around it, clockwise.

top of the columns, north face

north side

NE corner

SE corner

     

top of SE corner

East face

Spare parts - lying around ready for restoration work

I am now on the south side of the building (the side we have been looking at from our apartment).  I turn around for a look.

Philopappos Monument, nearby, and the sea beyond

Looking over the roof of the Acropolis Museum, I could see the awning of our porch,

the Theater of Dionysis from above

further out into the city,
remains of a temple to Zeus

Bsck to the Parthenon, this is the south side, the most famous, most photographed side,  

the SW corner

the west face

That completes the tour of the Parthenon.  It is time to head down - back out through the Propylaea gates and away from the Acropolis.

the ceiling of the Propylaea

the Propylaea columns remain in the shade

To the south side of the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike still stands.

Athena Nike

It had take 48 minutes to climb to the top, but it would take over an hour to get down, because you now have others in the 8-9 am group you started with who are going down, and you have the 9-10 am group still climbing.  The Propylaea steps show how crowded it becomes.

Odeion - halfway down

the Parthenon from the lower trail

statues at ground level -

Made it!!!!

Athens, 16 August

We left the ship shortly after breakfast, only to get into a long queue for the taxis.  There must not have been anything else going on in Athens that morning, because every taxi seemed to have gathered in the port of Piraeus.  Finally made it to the apartment around 9:30.  We had a fifth floor penthouse, overlooking the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis itself. 

After a week onboard without access to a washing machine, laundry was the first task.  How glamorous is it when you spend your time doing laundry?  Somebody has to do it.  The place had a washer, but the good old fashioned laundry rack was out on the porch under the Greek sun.  

a museum with a built in "dig"

a city existed outside the Acropolis

Since the museum was across the street, I had arranged for tickets around lunch time.   We started in the excavation area at the bottom of the museum, then worked our way up.  There were many artifacts, and excellent explanations.

Two of Athens most famous citizen scholars were highlighted:  Aristotle and Plato.  (Plato, we had learned, had been a champion boxer at the Olympics.)

Aristotle statue

Plato

throughout the city - jars

I got about halfway through before one of the docents pointed out to me that there was no photography allowed.  Caught a few good pictures before I was stopped.

Hercules, battling the Hydra

four horses

Parthenon from the museum cafe

We had lunch at the museum café.  The best sandwich we had had for a week.  (Scott had an ongoing discussion with the restaurant manager on the ship about no place to go to make a good old fashioned sandwich.)

Afterwards, it was siesta time.  I did go out and scope out the neighborhood.  Without knowing I had picked one of the nice areas in Athens, Makrygianni. (This area isn't all touristy, but a nice mix of old-school residential, extremely upmarket residential properties and pretty good restaurants.)  The restaurants have tables outside under the trees that line the streets, and there is a constant buzz from the streets while they are open.

The night finished looking up a the task for tomorrow – the Acropolis.