Athens

Athens is a must visit city. The view from the Acropolis is amazing. From this side you can see the Panathenaic Stadium and Temple of Olympian Zeus.

From this side you can see the ancient Agora of Athens.

Deep

Hadrian's Arch. Emperor Hadrian built many buildings in Athens in the 100s A.D.

Hadrian also completed the Temple of Olympian Zeus, started 600 years before by Athenian tyrants.

The Acropolis Museum was purpose built to house stolen ancient works to be returned to Greece. This statue looks like Socrates.

Pieces of the Parthenon.

The oldest Gorgon found at the Acropolis from the 7th century B.C.

The museum has great views of the Acropolis, but you really have great views from it anywhere in the city.

The Theater of Dionysus, where many famous Athenian plays debuted.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, restored for performances today

The Parthenon and Eretto at the top of the Acropolis hill.

Despite the Turks accidentally blowing it up, the British did the most damage to the Parathon stealing the Elgin Marbles.

The replanted sacred olive tree in front of the Erechtheion

The Acropolis looks magnificent from any angle.

Quite the centaur

Kerameikos was an ancient suburb and graveyard of Athens. Many modern finds of ancient works from Athens actually come from Kerameikos.

Burial goods have been found at Kerameikos from the 8th century B.C.

An odd horse with urns

Ancient warriors on a pot

Bird vases

Funerary stele

Keramikos today

Its also filled with turtles!

More turtles!

The Agora has many Athenian ruins, and rebuilt building called the Stoa of Attalos which houses a small museum.

These ostrakon were prepared but never used as a conspiracy to vote Themistokles into ostracism from Athens.

Its not a party unless you ride a donkey.

What a bench!

Mr. Hanimal

Another great view of the Acropolis

The Temple of Hephaestus

Mosaic cat at Hadrian's Library

Tzisdarakis Mosque

The Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes was an ancient weather station built in the Roman agora.

One of Athens' many Byzantine churches

One of the oldest Byzantine churches in Athens

The National Archeological Museum houses treasures from across Greece.

The Thinker, from Thessaly, circa 4500-3300 B.C.

A collection of Venus figurines

Cycladic figurines from 3200-2800 B.C.

Mycenaean death masks from the 16th century B.C.

A Mycenaean bull

Mycenaean octopus pins

Creepy

Amazin detail on a 3500+ year old scabbard.

Modern renditions of ancient Mycenaean wall painting

Octopus!

Fashion from 3500 years ago would still be fashionable today.

A monumental grave-amphora from Kerameikos circa 750 B.C.

A Kouros made of Naxian marble, common throughout Ancient Greece. This one is from 600 B.C.

Ancient racism

A bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon from 460 B.C., known as the Artemision Bronze.

A marble minotaur

That one corner is a little odd.

Another statue from the Artemision shipwreck

An odd figurine

Gryphons?

Gryphons!

Dwarf actors from the 1st century B.C.

A fresco from Akrotiri, Santorini (Thera), the Minoan civilizations Pompeii in the 16th century B.C.

The Antikythera Mechanism from the epoynymous shipwreck.

The dog/bird motiff was common on Greek funeral stele.

The Lyceum of Aristotle

We saw a cat fight a praying mantis there.

Action shot!

The Byzantine and Christian Museum is top notch.

A Byzantine stele from the Acropolis

A piece of the pulpit from the Christian Parthenon

A reproduced 14th century chrysobull from Monemvasia.

Gryphons!

About as badass as Byzantine art gets

12th century Byzantine sphynxes. Not very Christian...

A Byzantine rendition of the common ancient Greek motif of a lion attacking a deer.

The Tree of Life, and lions

"Preparation of the Throne," 14th century

The red really pops

The Byzantine church next to our hotel

They are very dark and mysterious inside.

The changing of the guard at the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Museum of Cycladic Art has some very old figures, including the Zintilis idol from 3900-2500 B.C.

"Plank-shaped figure," Cyprus circa 1900 B.C.

A Cypro-Archaic pig rattle from ~500 B.C.

The largest known ancient Cycladic figurine

Athens has a great food scene.

Pancetta, egg, avocado, and toast

Fancy food at Spondi

Cheese cart!