Nomarchía Athínas

The program for today was set and we needed to get a lot in before the team was to be separated . Scott and Fran were to head for the airport at 11am to catch the flight back to London so Another early start was needed. We decided we could get in two historical sites before 11. The streets of Athens at 7 am are deserted and quiet and cool, a really good time to stroll down the middle of the road looking for an open coffee shop.! We found a small bakery just warming the ovens with unpacked chairs outside . We had to wait for the coffee percolators to warm up but the fresh 4 Euro coffee was worth the wait. The first stop was the old cemetery although Keramikos was not readily recognised as such. The tomb stones that survived are eroded and damaged the marble blocks scattered about but intact There are statues and carvings and Columns intact making the walk enjoyable. The cemetery was later on in the century used as a meeting place of the people and leaders. To get an idea or mental picture of what the area once looked like, requires an overactive imagination. In many places a barren piece of ground with three or four marble blocks could be a throne room and a long line of marble half buried might be a wall in bygone years. Two broken legs on a block is a god of the past and the rivers run underground. We wondered through the weathered marble and wondered at the many tortoises 🐢 that are the remaining inhabitants of the ancient marvel. We headed to the ancient Angora where majestic columns of marble are the few remaining pieces of a jigsaw puzzle all broken up The picture is brought to life by historians and archeologists . We visited the museum where a huge hall housed lots of different ancient items like rusted spears broken pots spindles and even old coins that have been excavated and preserved . Scott and Fran had left us and we visited the temple dedicated to Thor one of the most preserved buildings in Greece. It was last used to welcome the young King Constantine in the late 1920’s. Time to head for some breakfast and a fresh orange juice. The sun was overhead so a siesta was mandatory. The evening walk was up “ the hill of the nymphs” where we watched a young man propose to his very excited new fiancé. We were first to congratulate the pair who had chosen a great position in the shadow of the Parthenon under a Sky painted red by the sunset. The way to our apartment was through the bustling flea market packed with tourists. It was an uphill climb but happily knowing that tomorrow was at last our flight back to home Sweet homeRead more