The Highest City
Today we did a walking tour of old town Athens, our first stop was the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896. From there we walked to the former Royal Palace which has been converted to the Prime Minister’s residence and saw the Evzones guards in their traditional uniform (pictured below). We saw the monuments of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, the National Library and Syntagma Square. And then of course, the main reason we were here a visit to the awe-inspiring Acropolis, one of the world’s most prominent sites and a symbol for democracy in the Western world! Interesting to reflect on that now given the state we find ourselves in today. From the Propylaea to the Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion and of course the Parthenon, we witnessed the millennia of history that has shaped the world as we know it. Our last stop was the modern Acropolis Museum, with nearly 4,000 exhibits of Hellenism housed inside. We had the most delightful tour guide, she was lovely (inside joke). We learned she had a masters degree in art history and then two years of training to become a guide. After our five-hour tour we relaxed in a very traditional restaurant revisiting some of the delicious food we sampled the night before. I LOVED my Wild Grain Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, perfectly grilled Dorato and zucchini balls stuffed with feta. Some in our party has room for Greek Gelato. YUM.
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