The hills of Athens

There are quite a number of hills in Athens, the most important of which is the Acropolis.  It was a very defensive hill and was settled over 7000 years ago.  Of course, we all know it for the Parthenon which has quite  a history of building, rebuilding and destruction over the last 2500 years.  It was originally a place where people lived, then became a temple to Athena, a church, a mosque, and an armory. 

one view of the city from atop a hill

the Parthenon

If you've seen the Elgin marbles, this is where they came from.

the Erechtheion, part of the Acropolis complex, dedicated to Athena and Poseiden

the original Karyatids now in the museum

Above is the interior of the Acropolis museum which houses many of the statues to protect them from further damage.  The building has the same orientation as the Acropolis and this top floor echoes where and how the statues were placed.  It's a must see if you are in Athens.  We unfortunately missed the Archeological museum due to a strike. 

Christmas in Greece

This Christmas our daughters had time to take a vacation with us, and with no other commitments we decided to go away for the holidays.  And we lucked into some lovely weather in Athens - 17C most days and sunny!  We also walked a lot - my fitbit registered 20 thousand steps for the first time - and then for 5 days after!

We started in our tour at the temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's arch.  Both are in the arm of a busy section of streets.  Both of these date back 2000 years. 

Hadrian's Arch

Temple of Olympian Zeus

The Temple with the Acropolis in the distance

A busy street scene - Christmas shopping in full swing. 

High stepping changing of the guard at the Parliament building.  

Did you know that the pompoms hid a spike - during the Ottoman regime the guards were not allowed to carry weapons.

We had a visit to a contemporary art museum called Frissaris where we saw an exhibition by European women artists from the second half of the Twentieth Century.  Below are a few pieces in the exhibit.  

the interior of the Frissaris.