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  • Day 16

    The Acropolis

    November 4, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    What a day! We walked to the Acropolis and climbed up to the top with thousands of others. During the off season the first Sunday in each month is free to go into the Acropolis. We had bought a pass for several sites anyway, but the masses turned out for the first free Sunday today. There is so much more to the site than the Parthenon...much more than I ever realized. We visited the ruins of the ancient temple of Dionysis and the Theatre of Dionysis, which is quite well in tact. As we gradually climbed the hill, we came to the Odeum of Herodea Atticus, another theatre, larger and very impressive. Continuing up we went by the Temple of Athena Nike near the magnificent entrance to the top level. There, of course, is the Parthenon, an absolutely huge structure and one of the most recognized in the world. Near it is the Temple dedicated to Athena and Poseidon.
    The walk down from the Acropolis was most interesting because of the crowd. A waiting line 15 people wide had to merge onto a stairway, 3 people wide, so it took quite a long time, but everyone was patient as we inched our way along and then down the stairs and the slope.
    We headed for the Ancient and Roman Agoras, located end to end. You need to use some imagination to picture the marketplaces that once were situated there. We had lunch right next to the Roman Agora, in an outside cafe and tried to absorb the ancient vibes. We then walked through the Agora. One building still standing there is the Tower of Winds. A church on the grounds has been turned into a museum for recognizing the international archeological groups who have contributed to the work done in Greece.
    Through the day we had gotten farther and farther from home, so the walk back took quite a while. We went along one of the main shopping streets, closed to traffic, and full of people, which surprised us on a Sunday. This one street had to be at least a kilometre long, and there were lots of others crossing it as well.
    On our return, we took a glass of wine up to the rooftop patio and enjoyed the view of the Acropolis as the sun was setting. An appropriate way to end our day in Athens.
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