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The Ancient Agora of Athens

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  After our trip to the seaside we thought we should examine more of the ancient sites of Athens. So we walked to the district of Monasteriki, the very busy touristic area, where behind iron railings lies the Greek Agora. This occupies a large area and was originally a place where the Athenians senate met, as well as holding the market, places for socialising, temples and craftsmen's workshops. We started by walking up the hill to the Temple of Hephaestus which overlooks the Agora. This temple was completed around 430BC and as Hephaestus was the patron god of metal work and craftsmanship it was built on a very fitting site, although it was used as church from the 7th century AD to 1833. We passed workmen tidying as we walked. From the top we got very good views over Athens. Directly under the temple lies the site of the ancient Bouleuterion which was the senate house where political discussion took place and the Metroon where the state archives were kept. The boule was a sort of pa...
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Athens by night

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  The evening after we had returned from Piraeus we decided to have a walk around the bottom of the Acropolis Hill. The Parthenon and other temples were lit up so it was very scenic. We strolled to the entrance to the Odeon of Atticus, the amphitheatre at the base of the Acropolis. There were a few other people here taking in the atmosphere. We managed to get a view in through the iron gates of the seating area of the amphitheatre. We then walked to the footpath that led up the Hill of the Muses, another hill opposite the Acropolis. It was quite dark up there and a little creepy. At the top is the mausoleum of Philopappus. He was a prince who died in 116 AD and apparently so greatly mourned by his sister and the people of Athens that they built this monument to him. We got some tremendous views over Athens from the top and on coming back down into the town we could see the massive curtain wall around the base of the Acropolis. 
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Down to the sea

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  We live in the Peak District, about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK, so we had always planned on going to a beach while we were in Athens. We caught a metro to the Peace and Friendship Stadium stop, not quite the end of the line in Piraeus, but close to the water and maybe the possibility of a bathing beach. The metro was certainly a colourful ride, and very cheap. Graffiti seems to be everywhere in Athens. We walked through a dusty uninteresting park and came to a marina where we stopped for coffee.It was an overcast morning but still warm. The water in the marina had a skim of oil over the top, not the place for a swim. Mairi had found a swimming beach, Freatida, on the map, so with a little walking around the houses and apartments we found ourselves on a stony shore where others were sunbathing and swimming. I am sure the water was not up to blue flag standard but we both had a quick dip and sat on our towels to dry off. Afterwards we walked onwards towards Piraeu...
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