"Life is a gift of nature; but beautiful living is the gift of wisdom..." - Greek Adage
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(Acropolis of Athens)
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Our flight from Tunis to Athens took 8hrs 30m with a brief transit in Rome Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. We arrived Athens International Airport late at night and booked our lodging from the airport counter.
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(The map of the world at Athens Airport)
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(Booking our lodging in Athens)
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The Cecil Hotel Athens is situated in the centre of Athens, an ideal start point to discover Athens’ tourist attractions. We had a marvellous view of the Acropolis from our hotel room especially at night when the ancient ruins were lighted up.
Athens is the capital of Greece and was also at the heart of Ancient Greece, a powerful civilization and empire. The city is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings.
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(The Acropolis on top of the hill)
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(The start of a steep climb)
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(Taking a rest half way to the top)
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| (The tiny Agios Eleftherios Church) |
It was a cool almost-noon morning with bright sunshine. We decided to visit the Acropolis which is not very far from our hotel. We chose to get to the Acropolis by foot. From our hotel we walked to the Plaka and kept climbing the meandering stone steps. Definitely the 1.1 km hike is doable for any person in average physical condition. At first the irregular stone steps looked like a daunting climb, but after a while, we get used to it. It was a very nice energetic walk up the hill with progressive views of the ancient monuments and the city skyline. We passed white washed houses and small hill-side restaurants until we came to the small road that goes around the Acropolis to the main entrance. The entrance is from the rock of Areopagos.
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(The view 150 m above sea level)
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(A panoramic view of Athens)
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(The path leading to the ticket counter)
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The Acropolis is one of the world's most breath-taking ancient ruins. The city's exceptional museums display fascinating artifacts uncovered from these sites. We took our time admiring the ancient structures at the Acropolis, including the most emblematic building, the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike at the entrance, the Erechtheion complex is the Porch of the Caryatids, with six statues of maidens in place of Doric columns.
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(An entrance to the ancient ruins)
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| (The western colonnade and the gate wall) |
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| (The Caryatids, six columns of draped female figures) |
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| (The famous Porch of the Maidens) |
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(Wild flowers around the ancient temple)
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(The ancient ruins under major restoration)
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| (A building dedicated to Athena and Poseidon) |
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| (The Erechtheum) |
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| (The Parthenon) |
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(Propylaea, the monumental Acropolis gateway) |
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| (Odeon of Herodes Atticus or Herodeon) |
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(An ancient artifact in situ)
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| (A stone Roman theater) |
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| (Detail of the stone façade) |
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(Another ancient building downhill)
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(A street entertainer)
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After the visit to the Acropolis, we later went to discover other hidden charms such as the dazzling Byzantine churches found all over the city and the village-like neighborhoods north of the Acropolis. Between the northern slopes of the Acropolis and Ermoú Street, pipturesque Pláka neighborhood is a tourist hot spot. We spent some time getting lost in the Plaka district's narrow pedestrian streets, lined with quaint bougainvillea-draped houses and inviting restaurant terraces. The main attraction of this historic area is its charming village ambience.
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(Souvenir shops in the narrow streets)
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(Miniatures figurines of local scenes)
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(Homeless and street entertainers)
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(The graffiti to serve a purpose)
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