The Acropolis and Its Many Wonders

We met up with our friend Gen today who is currently working in Athens and headed straight up to the Acropolis for a day in the sun. The Acropolis hill, so called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the most important site of the city and constitutes one of the most recognizable monuments of the world, the Parthenon. It is the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture, as well as the symbol of the city of Athens itself as it represent the apogee of artistic development in the 5th century BC. As you walk up the marble ground became more and more slippery and just as Rania was taking a picture of Gen and I, I lost my grip and almost went tumbling down the side of the hill. I'm OK though so no worries. As you come up the hill, the first thing you come across is the Propylaea - the monumental entrances to the sacred area dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of the city. Built by the architect Mnesicles with Pentelic marble, their design was avant-garde. To the south-west of the Propylaea, on a rampart protecting the main entrance to the Acropolis, is the Ionian temple of Apteros Nike (the goddess of victory - where the brand name Nike comes from), which is now being restored. When you get to the "back" of the hill you get a 180 degree view of the city (actually it's more like 270). We took a few photos and then headed down to get lunch. Again I insisted on Greek food so we went to this strip Rania and I saw last night that had a great view and was crowded with greeks. We had greek salad, fried potatoes and greek sausages...plus a beer for good fortune ;) Gen then went home to get a couple of things done and Rania and I did some more relaxing. What a hard life we have, eh? We met up again for dinner on the pier and said our sad farewells and until next times. Although a short trip we made the most of it. I really enjoyed Athens and given that people say that it's by far not the nicest part of Greece, I have a feeling I would love to come back to see more of the country. One day, I have no doubt. 


Goodnight! xox
Alexis