greece

Athens (2024)

First real sight in the city: the Hellenic Parliamant Building! Quite snazzy. Then wandered over to one of the city's coolest neighbourhoods: Plaka. Located on a hillside just underneath the Acropolis, this area's full of aesthetically-pleasing old buildings. Had to go and insert myself into the equation, natch. Very few others were mad enough to be walking around in the brutal midday heat, so it was an opportunity that was begging! Some mighty impressive views of the city from this hillside too. Areopagus Hill, which once functioned as the high court of Ancient Greece, and now offers an awesome view of the nearby Acropolis! Shanghai 2015-16, reunited in Athens 2024! <3 The awe-inspiring Panathenaic Stadium - the world's only fully-marble one - which was where the very first modern Olympics were held in 1896!! Sorry, I've always wanted to be an Olympic Gold medallist, let a boy dream! Incredible place. Also insanely hot during the mid-afternoon summer heat. Note that there's a small air-conditioned museum inside the stadium, and delicious frozen slushies outside the stadium for cooling down purposes! Not sure why this is the only pic I have of the Temple of Olympian Zeus - which remains much more intact than these ruins would suggest - but hey-ho. Incredible that you walk around a city like this and can stumble upon sights that were begun in the 6thC BCE!! Philopappos Hill, which offers arguably the finest view of the Acropolis in the city. Had to go and ruin it, ofc. We were staying a short walk away from the Exarcheia neighbourhood - hip, grimy, very alternative. Another Shanghai friend (then studying in Thessaloniki) came down to meet us for dinner and drinks. A lovely reunion. I think this *might* be a School of Architecture building that caught my eye on our way to... ...the National Archaeological Museum. Could be better curated and maintained, but when you're effectively the premier museum for *Ancient* *Greece* then you have a LOT of wow factor. Wiki: "The Mask of Agamemnon is a gold funerary mask which was discovered at the Bronze Age site of Mycenae in southern Greece. The mask, displayed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, has been described by the historian Cathy Gere as the "Mona Lisa of prehistory" ... Modern archaeological research suggests that the mask dates to about the 16th century BC, pre-dating the period of the mythical Trojan War by 300–400 years." Sadly, it was impossible to get a good shot face-on due to the reflective glass, so this is the best I managed. Incredible to see it in person. After some much-needed time in the air-conditioned museum, we braved the outdoors again to visit the Ancient Agora site... The ruins of the Stoa Poikile. Wiki: " It was one of the most famous sites in ancient Athens, owing its fame to the paintings and war-booty displayed within it and to its association with ancient Greek philosophy, especially Stoicism." More ancient agora ruins, with the Stoa of Attalos / Museum of the Ancient Agora in the background I think. The Gate of Athena Archegetis, one of the best preserved Roman ruins around here, dating back to 11 BCE and constructed with donations from no less than Caesar and Augustus!! One of my fave sites: the Herodeion / Odeon of Herodes Atticus. An ancient theatre from 161 CE. A stunner. The Acropolis is often closed during summer daytimes due to the blazing heat, so the earliest we were able to get in was are. Here's my first contact with the legendary site. By the Beaulé Gate and underneath the Temple of Athena Nike, I think. Th a wow for the Temple of Athena Nike at far right. I think that's the Propylaea dominating the shot? And finally: the Parthenon. Had wanted to lay eyes on this ever since I was a wee kid. Scaffolding did not detract from its splendour. Well, not much. The magnificent Erechtheion, or Temple of Athena Polias. Another look at the Erechtheion, which looks THIS good after over 2,400 years!! Insane. My beloved Parthenon. It's been a Greek temple, a treasury, a church, and a mosque. Completed in 432 BCE and arguably *the* most iconic site of Antiquity. Such a joy to see it in the flesh. This shot woulda been unreal without the scaffolding. Love it nonetheless. A look at the Acropolis complex from the very end of the hill, by the museum and Temple of Rome & Augustus ruins. Shanghai duo at the Parthenon! What a journey. Side view of the Erechtheion. Tourists begin streaming in as soon as it gets cooler close to 6pm, so time to exit... One last look before leaving. One of the most incredible sites in the world, no doubt. Should've spent more time here, but it really does get too crowded after a while. Quick look at the ruins of the Roman Forum before retiring for dinner and rest. Next day was another scorching one, so decided to visit another air-conditioned museum for the early afternoon: the National Museum of Contemporary Art (friend is really into modern art). Cool museum, and surprising view of the Acropolis at its top floor! Back over to Plaka for some more historical adventures post-museum. Church of Agios Nikolaos Rangavas, an 11thC Byzantine church that's the city's oldest, I believe. More pretty streets from Plaka. Back over to the Ancient Agora! What remains of the Odeon of Agrippa. Tbf, what remains is bloody gorgeous. The Temple of Hephaestus... ...dating from the 5thC BCE, this remains remarkably well-preserved today. Gorgeous. More Agora views, with the Acropolis in the background. "The remains of what is believed to be the oldest Christian church in Athens are siruated in the garden of Hadrian's Library. The Tetraconch was constructed in the 5th century and destroyed at around the end of the sixth century." Hadrian's Library, built by you-know-who in 132 CE. Sidenote: astonishing how you can walk around downtown Athens and just roll into one legendary historical site after another... One last pic of me being a douche in Plaka before dinner and rest! Monastiraki Square, a meeting point, transport hub, and city square in Athens, flanked by a Byzantine church! We were here to wander the streets and backalleys of Psyri: a neighbourhood renowned for its colourful street art. Psyri's a pretty neighbourhood indeed. Street art everywhere! The mélange of colourful art, historical architecture, and cute bars/restaurants/boutique stores made this a *very* attractive stop! Surely one of the cooler neighbourhoods in the city. Love. the. colours. Gorgeous. Personally enjoyed some of the more ramshackle structures in the 'hood as well. Parts of the neighbourhood were a little rougher around the edges, but that added to its charm imo. I tend to go overboard with street art pics, sorry. I believe it was somewhere near this point where we may have inadvertently run into Athens' Chinatown, which was fun! The University of Athens, which we inadvertently stumbled upon on our way back to our 'hood! The area around Panepistimio metro station is home to multiple academic institutions, which likely explains this awesome 'Antifa' scrawl. One such institution is the National Library, pictured here. This was the last daytime snap I'd take in the city. :( Returned to Philopappos Hill after dark on my final evening in the city as I realised I had no pics of the historical core when lit up at night. An appropriate end to one of the coolest city breaks ever. I'll definitely be back.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *