Framedlight

  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. 

  My daughter Mairi and I visited Athens in early November and of course one of the highlights was a visit to the Acropolis. Although it was November the weather was very pleasant and the site was quite busy.  I won't bore you with all the facts about the Acropolis as they are easily found on Wikipedia, but suffice it to say that this hill has been fortified and occupied since the 6th millennium BC and there have been other temples built and destroyed before the existing Parthenon was constructed under Pericles (460-430 BC). Now the Parthenon, the main temple on the Acropolis and dedicated to the goddess Athena, is under constant renovation and much of it is covered in scaffolding. We came onto the Acropolis through the lesser used southern gate and could immediately see the Odeon built by  Herodes Atticus in AD 161. This was rebuilt in 1950 and is used every year for the Athens Festival. We walked up the hill until we came to the entrance gate of the temple mound, the Propylaea, f

At the beginning of November my daughter Mairi and I spent a few days in Athens. We did the sights, the weather was warm, it was completely stress free and wonderful. Here are a few pictures from the first evening we spent there. We were staying in the Plaka area of the city which is close to the Acropolis and wandered down to a little restaurant right under the Acropolis Hill. The view from the restaurant Hadrian's Gate Mairi The Parthenon reflected in the museum glass