Rome and Mediteranean

Today I took a tour off the ship, A Taste of Athens, Mim Lawson stayed on board as she has been to the Ancient sites of Athens previously. We spent some time at Athens Acropolis which means the highest point of the city. On the Acropolis a number of ancient sites are found. Firstly you climb the slippery marble steps, both formed and unformed, to walk through the Propylaea, the entry gate with its imposing columns. Once through the entry gate the Parthenon, a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, overwhelms the site. The Parthenon construction began around 447 BC so understandably today they are undertaking repairs to maintain the buildings integrity. The other building on the site, which is still in good repair, is the Erechtheion which was a Temple dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. On one side there is a large porch with six ionic columns, and on the other side is the "Porch of the Maidens", six draped female figures (caryatids) used as supporting columns. After visiting the Acropolis we had a bus tour of the town finishing in the Pláka, the old historical neighborhood which sits beneath the Acropolis. This area is a great spot for everything Greek, food and of course the tourist shops.Read more