The Athens Walkabout - Of ancient sites and history

Armed with the Kindle version of Lonely Planet, a desire to see as much as we could in what little time we had, and to maximize our travel potential (maximizing any finite resource is an occupational hazard…) – we basically walked almost all of Athens.

Except maybe from the airport to downtown.

But pretty much everywhere else. From one neighbourhood to another, up and down cliffs and alleys and tourist attractions located within proximity…we walked.

This is when I have to put out a satisfied customer review for Fit Flops. Those are undoubtedly amazingly comfortable and durable walking footwear. Considering that much of Athens is still covered in the occasional cobblestone, I never once felt a pebble under my foot through my rubber Fit Flops.

But I digress.

With Addii the tour guide and me the bumbling tourist in tow, we saw way more than the average tourist, and paid much less too J

Towering palm (coconut??) trees creating a majestic and imposing entrance to the National Gardens. Located right next to the National Parliament Building, the Gardens were originally intended as the Royal Garden of Queen Amalia, who filled it with 15,000 domestic and exotic species of horticulture in 1839. The Gardens were opened to the public in 1923.

An elderly couple taking refuge in the shade with pigeons for company - at the periphery of the National Gardens.

Situated just behind the National Gardens is the Panathenaic Stadium (aka Kallimarmaro Stadium) - originally built in 330BC for the Panathenaic games. It was restored in 1895 and hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

The symbol of the Olympic rings have stood the test of time...

The Zappeion (located within the National Gardens) was the first building to be built specifically to cater to the revival of the modern Olympic Games in the late 19th century. Officially opened in 1888, it is named after its benefactor, Evangelis Zappas.
Interesting tidbit: the Zappeion was used as the main fencing hall in the 1896 modern Olympic Games.
Nowadays, it is mostly used for events and ceremonies.

Temple of Olympian Zeus - or what's left of it: 16 columns from the original 104. In its prime, the Temple housed 2 colossal gold and ivory statues - 1 of Zeus, and the other of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (who is credited with completing the construction of the Temple after almost 700 years of delay due to political turmoil since 515 BC).

The view of the Temple of Zeus from the Acropolis. See the empty green field in the middle of otherwise crowded buildings - that's the original size of the Temple.



In appreciation of Hadrian's success in completing the Temple of Zeus, the Athenians built this two-storey arch which acts as a kind of gateway entrance to the grounds of the Temple. The inscription on the west side of the arch reads, "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus"; and on the east side of the arch, reads, "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus". It thus names both Theseus and Hadrian as founders of Athens but also draws a distinction between old and new Athens.

At the foot of the Acropolis lies the Roman Forum - in 1 AD, the Romans moved the marketplace from the Ancient Agora to this site. The ruins are now surrounded by chic tourist shops and al-fresco dining restaurants and cafes.

Situated at the far end of the Roman Forum stands the Tower of the Winds. It was actually a water clock operated by a stream from the Acropolis - designed by Syrian astronomer Andronikos Kyrrhestas in 50 BC. It is named such because each side of the octagonal tower has personifications of the different directional winds carved onto them.

The grill iron fencing next to the Tower of the Winds bears several padlocks like this one shown here, engraved with names of couples as a sign of their undying commitment to each other. And one wonders why people see marriage as a deadlock....haha!



Tip: to visit the ancient sites, buy a combi ticket for a single price that allows entry into all. Otherwise, be like us: stumble upon a free entry day to the Parthenon/Acropolis (which, if you ask me, is the one ancient site that anyone must visit and walk through); take a walk to the other sites as well, but standing by the fencing provides more than sufficient view of the sites without needing to enter! Unless of course the Parthenon did not satiate your appetite for columns.....

The only other site we did not manage to view was the Ancient Agora because we kept missing the opening times – that site is rather huge and not viewable from the periphery though. Probably best to enter J