Catch-Up Adventures: The Rest of Athens

So…I realized it might be a bit dull if I keep doing Athens day-to-day. SO, I thought I’d give you all the cool major highlights of the last two days (’cause honestly, most of those days were eating and traveling).

We went to possibly one of the most impressive places I’ve ever been to: The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion. If you go there and stand, you understand why the Athenians came up with a sea god and why they put a temple to him there. It’s just incredible.

You stand on top of this mountain overlooking the deepest blue sea with the wind tearing at your clothes and (while we were there) rain slapping you across the face. Yeah. Awesome.

We also went to the National Archeological Museum, which just has a massive amount of old stuff. Most of it’s ancient greek, although they had some ancient Egyptian stuff too. And the Egyptian exhibit had WOOD. Wood that’s like 2,000 years old! I was pretty struck by that.

 

 

Then I dropped my friend off at the airport and went to the National Gardens, which I don’t have pictures of, but which were just amazing. It’s like being in a labyrinth of trees and mysteries right there in the middle of the city. Literally. I found Roman mosaics around one corner, a huge duck zoo around another, a classical music orchestra/band around another and fountains and ponds everywhere. You could spend just hours in there insulated from the city around you finding cool stuff. I loved it.

Catch-Up Adventures: Day 2 Athens

THIS was a great day. We went to the Acropolis (Acropoli). Students in the EU get in free (that’s me!) so that was nice. The acropolis is really an interesting place because. Well. At first it just kinda looks like a bunch of rocks.

But as you get higher up the mountain/hill you start to see more intact things. A definable pillar, some carving, etc. Then you come across the Theatre of Dionysus and it’s like “hey! I actually know what that is!”

Of course, nothing on the way really compares to the top.

There’s the Parthenon, in all it’s mostly-destroyed glory.

And the fairly intact Temple of Athena (which I actually thought was cooler).

See what I mean? Although I guess the temple of Athena didn’t have a smashed horse head carving on it. But anyway, it was all really cool. Afterwords, we got some Greek Coffee, which is exactly like Turkish coffee, they just hate(d) the Turks after they invaded. And then there’s that whole Cyprus thing. Regardless, that coffee was GOOD. Love it.

We also went into the Acropolis Museum which I don’t really have photos of because they weren’t allowed, but all the same it was pretty cool. Definitely worth going to check out. All of it is. And the restaurants that way are actually pretty good. Especially for coffee. Just a great place to sit and watch people. Just make sure you go to a comfy chair café. That’s always the key I’m learning.