The National Archaelogical Museum - Part 1

The Archeology Museum is a favorite of many tourists. I can see why. I only saw part of it, but I'll return when I get back from Crete.

Unusual sculpture outside the museum. It reminds me of a sculpture we recently saw in Detroit near the lighthouse on Bell Isle.

The National Archaelogical Museum has 11,000 exhibits. 

                      The solid clay Thinker from 4500-3300 BC

This is a gold death mask known as The Mask of Agamemnon - 16 century BC

This script, named Linear B by Arthur Evans, an archeologist, is a syllabic script with each symbol corresponding to a syllable. Linear B symbols are below. 

It was used by the Mycenaeans after 1450 BC but was not deciphered until 1952. Earlier tablets, using a script named named Linear A, have not yet been deciphered. 

 This large Hellenistic bronze stature of a young boy riding a horse - The Jockey of Artemision - dates to 150-140 BC. It is a rare example of a racehorse in Greek sculpture. 

 The two statues above were found at specific street locations in Athens. When the city built the subway system, they frequently found antiquities. I found it fascinating that their exact location was named on their description.

                     And finally, a cat photo, relaxing on a priceless antiquity.

The Plaka to Tower of the Winds, the Roman Agora and Hadrian's Library

After the Acropolis, I made my way (using the maps app) to the Plaka, a maze of many short streets near the Central Market. There I found the Tower of the Winds.

This was also known as Horologium or “Timepiece” and was built about 100–50 BC by Andronicus of Cyrrhus for measuring time.

Next was the Roman Agora - the public square built during the Roman period. It was one of the main meeting points in the city, and the central market was situated there. The space is now used as a farmer's market. I bought a banana and an apple :)

                          More ancient ruins of the Agora.

Nearby, I found Hadrian's Library, created by Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 132. The Library had three stories for books as well as reading rooms, teaching rooms, porticoes for philosophical walks, gardens and a pond for recreation.

Finally, it was time to try out that Hop on/Hop off bus ticket. Unfortunately, the blue bus I had used yesterday was nowhere to be found. I asked the driver of a yellow bus if I could take that bus, but he said no, try the red bus behind me. So I hopped on that, hoping it would take me to the Archeology Museum. It did!

Flying to Crete

On the way to the airport for the short flight to Crete, we passed this view of the stadium built for the Olympics in 2004.

           The stadium could fit nearly 75,000 people.

                                   Lots of public art in Athens.

                    This statue is called The Runner and is made of plates of glass.

                     An Ikea in Athens!

                                     Athens airport

                                We're off to Crete!

btw - The WiFi sometimes has been sketchy, so if I don't post, don't worry. It's slow downloading pictures and taking more time than I have at that moment.

The Acropolis

 I opted for the walk up to the top of the Acropolis since the Acropolis Museum was mobbed with school groups. Before I started, I bought a koulouri - a bread ring covered with sunflower seeds that's been around (apparently) since ancient times.

                    My koulouri was whole grain and covered with sunflower seeds. 

 

The path to the Acropolis was winding and steep. Many paths had shiny marble stones - quite slippery.

That's where I'm headed - right to the top. The map below was very helpful in following the paths.

 

 

First stop was the Odeion of Herodes Atticus.

Second stop - Old Temple of Athena

The Acropolis

This picture shows the areas that have been reconstructed. 

 

 

The Pandroseion

A sacred olive tree was enclosed inside the Pandrosos. This tree was planted at the beginning of the 20th century to honor the original one. 

Electricity and a Greek Breakfast

Electricity is a little tricky in Athens, or maybe I'm rusty from 3 years of non-travel. The electricity in the room is controlled by the room key card. You insert the key into the slot, and the electricity is turned on. Easy, right? Except that yesterday - functioning under the fog of exhaustion - I inserted the key and then took it out. The electricity lasted about 30 seconds. The front desk clued me into the fact that the room key card has to STAY in the slot. Which means, once you leave, the refrigerator ceases to work. 

 Last night I had a delicious dinner of grilled bream and vegetables. The portion was huge, so I elected to bring the rest back to the hotel. After coffee this morning, I started to get hungry and knew that once I left for the day's exploration I would have no more electricity = fish off refrigeration. So, I enjoyed my "fish sandwich" for breakfast very much.

Here's last night's bread with a small ramkin of what the waiter called "paste," a mixture of yogurt and spices.

               This dessert of yogurt and honey was complimentary and very delicious.

                     My Greek breakfast, aka a fish sandwich with one bite taken out.

View of my balcony this morning. I had hoped to enjoy coffee out there but it is only in the fifties. Maybe next week.

The nefarious electricity-controlled key card. I think it's a great idea to conserve energy but what about last night's bream?

A lot of the museums are closed on Tuesday, so I had to revise my plan to use the Hop on/off bus to get to them. I can still see the Museum of Archeology which opens at 1 pm today, but the rest will have to wait until I return to Athens from Crete next week. 

Fortunately, the Acropolis Museum (practically across the street) is open today and seems to offer more than enough to keep me busy.

First Day in Athens

 Despite waking up on Sunday to a snowy Dublin, all went well with the flights to JFK and then on to Athens. The dinner was pretty tasty, and and I might have slept a bit.

The driver from Welcome Home (a service that meets you at the airport in many cities) was there at baggage claim when I finished with customs. Born in Athens, Nassa gave an interesting commentary during the 35-40 minute drive to the Hera Hotel. (btw - I bought an AirTag before leaving and it worked out great - I knew that my bag had gotten to JFK and also to Athens. Well worth the $29 for peace of mind.)

I wasn't able to check in, unfortunately, since all I really wanted to do was fall into a nice comfortable bed. So, I checked the bags with the front desk and started exploring. A cafe nearby provided a delicious cappuccino and this large date filled with peanut butter and pistachios.

Nearby was this food cart with items that looked like soft pretzels but were covered with sesame seeds instead.

These wooden bikes are part of a tour company.

Next I bought a ticket for the Hop On, Hop Off bus. It was helpful because it gave me a sense of the city but the information was a little sparse. Eventually, I hopped off midway through the ride at the Central Market to find some lunch. I had a tasty moussaka in one of the many restaurants followed up by a gelato. Then, with the help of a few shopkeepers, I was able to figure out how to get back to the hotel without getting back on the bus. 

 

View from the top tier of the bus. Lots of apartment buildings with little terraces. There's also a tram which runs through the city on these electric wires.

          One of the many streets in the Central Market with interesting shops and restaurants.

                                                There are ancient ruins everywhere!

I don't meet up with the Road Scholar group until tomorrow for dinner, so my plan is to use the Hop On/Off bus as a way to get to some of the museums I'd like to see that are further away.

The day was windy and partly sunny with dynamic skies. I was glad that I had my puffy jacket with the hood since I chose the upper outside level of the bus for better views.                                                               

                                                 Another view of the Central Market.

                                                                Athens Airport

                            Long view of the Acropolis perched on a hillside.

Leaving soon for Greece

I'm super excited to be finally traveling overseas, but also a bit jittery in this sort-of-post (?) Covid world...

The Road Scholar trip to Quebec last September was so well organized and interesting, that I signed up for another one. This one flies into Athens, then on to Crete for five nights before flying back to Athens. When the trip ends, I'll stay a few days on my own before flying to Venice to meet my friend, Paula.

RS always supplies a list of books to read and one of them, The Greeks by Diane Harris Cline, is a companion to the PBS series of the same name. I highly recommend it even if you have no interest in Greece. It's a fascinating book written in a highly readable fashion with short snippets which take you through the history of the country. 

Stayed tuned for my adventures!