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After an all night flight from New York's JFK International Airport to Rome, a change of planes then the flight to Athens, we finally arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon. As you might expect we were exhausted from the long flight and usual airport schnanigans, but that didn't stop us from beginning to explore Athens. We didn't have time to be tired as we would only be in Athens until the next afternoon. So, with the little time we had we wanted to jam as much in as humanly possible. We immediately began exploring the surrounding area near the hotel. Anne, as usual, also checked the tourist brochures in the hotel. Through the brochures she learned of a light show at the Acropolis. We decided to push ourselves and attend the light show. When
the appointed time came we hailed a cab and told the driver where
we wanted to go. He drove for quite some time, climbing some hills
and then deposited us at some point. We couldn't see the Acropolis
from where we were, but there was a bunch of people making their
way up the hill going somewhere. We paid the driver, jumped out
and followed the crowd to the top of the hill. We were surprised
by the view we had of the Acropolis. While it appeared some distance
away, it proved to be the perfect location. We could see the entire
area of the Acropolis with the magnificent view of the Parthenon.
Even though we were deadbeat tired we weren't sorry we attended
the light show. It was a wonderful way to begin our travels into
the furthest most reaches of the world's history. Enjoy these few
pictures taken as the light show progressed: |
 Greek guard |
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The Acropolis and Parthenon The Acropolis is a large rock that lies within the city of Athens. Dating to 3,500 B.C. the area was selected by the ancient people because it offered security against attacks. The Acropolis eventually grew to become the center of Athens for both its people and politics. The Parthenon, the large ruin atop the Acropolis, is dedicated to the goddess of Athens: Pallas Athena. It is, without a doubt, the most impressive structure remaining on the Acropolis today and familiar to virtually everyone around the world. Construction had begun in 480 B.C., but the Persians invaded Athens and destroyed the temple. Defeating the Persians Pericles, who ruled from 449 to 429 B.C., began the rebuilding of the great temple to the goddess Pallas Athena. The temple was rebuilt on its original spot between 477 and 438 B.C. by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates and supervised by Phidias, a famous Athenian sculptor. For a detailed history of the Acropolis and Parthenon click on the link below. |
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Following the light show we made our way back to the hotel where we collapsed on the bed exhausted from our tiresome two days. We looked forward to the next morning though when we would return to the Acropolis for a better look in daylight. Continue to the next page to enjoy a few more pictures of Athens.
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