Sitting, errr, Walking on the Seat of Democracy

Let it not be said we sat on our laurels and waited for victory to come to us. We walked in pursuit of her again today. Athena Nike would have been proud of us.

We began the tour day with a broken bus after making it no further than our seats on the first one! Ah, they don't make a Mercedes like they used to. But we soon were picked up by our bus' twin and set off for a surprise walking tour of the "Farmers" Market, Butchers' Alley, and Seafood Stalls of Athens.

A short drive took us down to the area below the Acropolis and we climbed up the ancient sacred processional way to the Propylaea, the gateway to the temple area of the hilltop. We heard a nice historical summary of the site of the Athenian Acropolis throughout Greece's historical periods. Climbing the steep steps (what else?) and passing through the Propylaea, we found ourselves standing and looking where the great figures of history have stood--from Roman emperors to Turkish sultans and Byzantine monks--not to mention Mark Twain who climbed over the fence at night after the site was closed down!). The Parthenon, temple of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom (among other things).

We toured the hilltop, marveling at not only the Parthenon itself (built in the 5th century BC during Athen's Golden Age,  but also the Erechtheum and its Porch of the Caryatids.
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 We peered over the edge of the ancient hilltop shrine and fortress and saw the city spread below us. We could see down to Piraeus, the port of the sity and out into the sea as far as the Island of Salamis, the site of Athens' last naval battle. We could also see the Temple of Zeus, Theatre of Herod Atticus, and Theatre of Dionysus.

 While there, a hawk flew over our heads, surely an ancient Roman sign of good fortune and blessing.
Descending from the hilltop with great reluctance and many photos later, we climbed up Mars Hill and Pastor Glenn read from the Book of Acts the passage of the Apostle Paul's discourse with the Athenians as he announced that the "Unknown God" they honoured in their Agora was none other than the Galilean Jesus Christ. Here, Christianity first came into contact with the Hellenistic philosophies it  would one day replace.

Back to the bus for a short driving tour of sites such as the 1896 Olympic Stadium, then back to the hotel where our day's tour ended, but our day did not. Some took a short siesta, others headed right back out. Lunch was first on many's menu, followed by shopping, a ride back to the Plaka area by Metro, or a visit to the National Museum.

Dinner is now over and we prepare for our last day of touring tomorrow--a trip to ancient Corinth!