Day 22 - Friday May 5 - Athens Greece

We sailed into Athens at about 7 am this morning.  The port of Pereas is very large.  There are at least 5 other cruise ships docked here.  We took the included tour today, "A Panoramic View of Athens and the Archaeological Museum.  The bus ride was not great.  The little bit of Athens I saw today showed a crowed, pretty dirty, urban area with lots of graffiti.  Traffic was very congested; so it was bumper to bumper traffic with the guide trying to point out things that could barely be seen.  The seats in the bus have high backs so what little the guide tried to point out to us, was blocked either by the seats ahead or beside you.   Trying to take pictures through bus windows (while it's raining) doesn't make for the best shots.  

We did pass by the newer (1896) Olympic Stadium.  We learned yesterday that the flame is lit in Olympia at the original stadium and then runners bring it to this stadium in Athens.  From here in Athens it goes to the country holding the Olympics.  In a few of the pictures you can even see the Olympic rings.

The best part of today was the stop, after the one hour bus ride, at the National Archaeological Museum.  There we were able to see so many pieces of sculptures and tombstone (headstones) mostly dating back to the 400 BC era.

It's amazing to think that the pieces we were looking at, up close, were that old.  Many of these pieces were recovered from cemeteries.  Many of the bronze statutes were recovered from shipwrecks in the Aegean sea or the Ionian sea.   It seems that every country tried over the many ancient years to steal the relics recovered.   When the overloaded ships sank, the relics went with them.  So, many of these pieces were recovered from the bottom of the sea.   Whenever there is new construction it is not unusual to find artifacts buried several layers down.  

After the 1 1/2 hour stop at the mu

seum...you could spend days there; we never left the first floor.  There's a 2nd floor and a basement as well.  Our bus driver took us the Plaka district.  This is a pedestrian walkway full of shops and restaurants.  We only had 30 minutes there or we could stay all day (in the rain) and a shuttle would take us back to the marine terminal.

We stay overnight here in Athens.  Tomorrow, I have a tour to the Acropolis and also a walking tour of the Plaka district so I'll be back in the Plaka area again tomorrow.   The walk up to the Acropolis to see the Temples of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and the most famous, the Parthenon.  There's 80 steps to get to the top.  Hopefully the weather will be better.  Sunshine is predicted.

So, the pictures below are mainly the few of the stadium I was able to get and then pictures in the museum.  The museum was definitely worth seeing.  Hopefully I'll see some amazing sights tomrrow as well.

The Olympic stadium built in 1896.  

You can see the Olympic rings in the background.

A really bad picture of the Acropolis from the bus window.

The National Archaeological Museum in Athens

                              

Statute that stood in front of Poseidon's temple 600 BC       Funerial statute from 540 BC

                       

a vase (amphroa) discovered intact from 530 BC          Funeral statute on top of a grave of a young

                                                                                   Athenian aristocrat 500 BC                  

I'm amazed at finding these pieces intact from the 500 BC era

400 BC  the holes in the head would fit a metal wreath as the victor of an athletic game

Most likely Zeur (or possibly Poseidon) ca. 460 BC recovered from underwater

Found in a grave and used as a funery urn.

they call these a Votive Relief.  Dedicated to a sanctuary or temple 440 BC

this would have been a tombstone for a young boy who passed away

a Roman copy of Aphrodite.  1st century AD.  The romans liked to copy statues made by the greeks

these were really interesing.  They depict the death of someone - the deceased person is usually sitting and the scene would depict the people close to them (mothers, fathers, husbands) who are distressed by the passing.  This one depicts the mother passing and the daughter saying goodbye to her mother while the father looks on in distress.

this depicts the mother dying in childbirth

Found underwater, the boy was found first and later the horse.  Many relics were stolen by the Italians and much awas discoveed underwater when ships sunk in the Aegean or Ionian seas

               

humorous headstone for a young man who liked soccer (fotball)

350 BC the funeral headstone of a young warrior.  The holes in the head would have held a metal wreath or helmet

Not often are the eyes found with the statutess as they are not a part, but a separate piece attached.  340  BC found underwater and preserved - a young athlete.

340 BC 0 Paris awarding an apple (missing) to Aphrodite

Poseidon, in all his glory - missing his trident.  125 BC

Aphrodite, smiling and ready to throw a sandal at Pan (half man, half animal).  We were told that this is all playful.

29 BC, the Emperor Augustus - this was found underwater in the Agegean sea.

170 AD  this is a single table support.  This is the god of wine holding a wine vase and Pan.  What a table support!

Free time, just 30 minutes.  Long enough for a stop in a cafe for a piece of real Greek baklava.  Of course, Wayne ordered ice cream.  The latte was amazing as well.

At the entrance to the Plaka district is this arch, Hadrian's Arch or Hadrian's Gate.  Hadrian's gate - the start of an ancient road leading to the Olympian Temple of Zeus