Athens stadium, agora and museum

Today involved less walking as the minibus took us between sights, but the 36c heat with no breeze made it gruelling. We started this morning with a quick visit to the stadium where the first modern Olympic games where held and where lots of the recent Athens Olympics were. It was built on the ruins of the stadium where the panathenaic games were held in 500bc. Then to the ancient agora, a huge open space (now) which was the centre of ancient life, full of statues, temples and administration buildings. One of the stoa of the agora was rebuilt and now houses a museum of the artifacts that were found there. Small but very nice. It also has a modern model of the machine used for randomising the selection of citizens for being used on juries and other public activities. Very clever.

Then to the roman agora , very boring, and to the National Archaeological museum that houses things right from prehistory so ottoman times. It's like trying to take in the British museum in one go, so Rita just concentrated on a few things, then we have a whole day free at the end of the tour for us to go back and see it all again!

Leaving Athens tomorrow to go to the pelponnese, via corinth.Read more