Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Athens, Greece

We spent Thursday in Athens.  So glad we were able to go and see the Acropolis.  It really was amazing.  However, that being said I don’t think I want to go back any time soon.  The actual city of Athens was dirty and COVERED with graffiti.

Let’s get on to the good stuff though, shall we?

The acropolis.  Oh, and it didn’t help that it was rainy that day…from drizzles to complete downpour.  And our tour guide was T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E.  Very passionate about the acropolis, but not so great in the guide dept.

This auditorium was the first part of the acropolis that we saw.  It was incredible.The Acropolis (1)

All sorts of amazing ruinsThe Acropolis (6)

Surrounded by so many people!!!The Acropolis (4)

Pulling out the umbrellaThe Acropolis (15)

From the top of the acropolis.  Ancient ruins surrounded by city, city, and more city.The Acropolis (13)

The Acropolis (17)

And the ParthenonParthenon (15)

Parthenon (12)

Parthenon (7)

Parthenon (16)

After we left the acropolis, we went to the Panathenaic Stadium which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Reconstructed from the remains of the ancient Greek stadium (built in 566 BC), the Panathinaiko is the only major stadium in the world built entirely of white marble (thank you Wikipedia!)Olympic stadium (3)

We did some shopping with Jason & Colleen and then found a restaurant to eat gyros and souvlakia…oh my word.  Probably some of the BEST food we ate the entire trip. 

We started out eating out on the patio, under a large umbrella.  But not too long after ordering, it looked like this.P1030130

And less than 60 seconds later it looked like thisP1030131

And though a river running under your feet while at a restaurant is enjoyable, we quickly moved inside to a warm, cozy table and warmed ourselves up.

A few more pictures from AthensP1030137

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P1030135

3 comments:

Juliann said...

Crazy how much history is there, and all squashed in the middle of modern (and apparently dirty) city! It looks amazing, even in that serious downpour!! (you weren't joking!)

izzorch said...

What are the odds? Dan and I just got back from a trip to Rome and Athens. We should have gone together. It was so amazing, I loved it, but I could not believe all the tourists. Annie Orchard

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Looks like a blast!!!