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Parthenon2
The northern end of the Parthenon.Wednesday 26 May
Thank you Caroline and Brian for your message. We can imagine that the ChCh weather would feel a bit chilly after the Pacific Islands.
We walked all over the Acropolis and adjacent historical sites for about 4 hours this morning, and are now pacing ourselves by having a rest before venturing out again later in the day. The temperature here this morning was somewhere in the high 20s, no more than London was for our last few days, and made more pleasant by a light cooling breeze. It is predicted to be 34 on Friday, but by then we will be in an air-conditioned bus (we hope) and heading towards the mountains.
The word Acropolis means 'castle', and all the photos of the Parthenon that you usually see in books travel brochures, etc, only tend to show the Parthenon sitting on the very top of the Acropolis. What is very evident when you see, and walk over, the Acropolis is that it is an impressive fortress, with very high thick walls, a series of defence gates at its main entranceway, and with its own spring-fed water supply. It reminded us somewhat of Edinburgh Castle. The
The Propylaia
Part of the new entrance to the Acropolis, built 437-432 BC. other feature that stands out is the huge restoration job that has been underway since 1983. Large areas of the Acropolis are covered is heaps of pieces of marble like a huge jig-saw puzzle, which are being used, we assume, when possible. There is also big slabs of new marble that is being shaped and erected to replace missing pieces. Much of the existing marble columns etc have either been damaged in conflicts or have partly crumbled as a result of polution. These are being cleaned up and new pieces glued into the gaps, much like filling teeth. We arrived early but didn't beat the first busloads of tourists, with the result that the top of the Acropolis was crowded all morning. We avoided the crowds to some extent by going straight to the top and then working our way slowly down hill later. No one is allowed to touch the marble (acid on the hands causes wear), and vigilant ladies with loud whistles are soon after you if you do, or stand on the top of the walls (its a long way down!), or try to take photos of dolls or bears if these are placed on the marble.
Parthenon1
The northern end of the Parthenon. Note the piles of old and new marble in foreground. It is all a bit heavy-handed, but necessary when many thousands of people walk all over the site every day. It was evident that this is one of those places in the World where people of all nations come together.
After viewing the ancient theatres and other sites around the base of the Acropolis, we walked the short distance to the site of the Temple of Zeus, and Hadrian's Gate, evidence of the Roman occupation of Greece at the height of the Roman Empire. There are still other sites to visit on our 12 Euro tickets, which we will wander over to later today. On our way back we sampled some local baking (huge currant buns) and fruit (fresh strawberries). We also bought some huge square of delicious apple pie for an early breakfast, which we enjoyed as part of our dinner last night.
We have checked out our booking for our bus tour starting tomorrow, and are fairly confident that we will be picked up as arranged! As it only a 10 minute walk, we are going to walk it to make sure that we get there in plenty of time. Our next blog will come from
Restoration1
Repairs to the Parthenon. somewhere west or northwest of Athens.
P&K
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