Athens in May

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We landed in Anthens coming from Cairo on 21 may 2008 and it's Chris's birthday!

Aegean Air - Cairo to Athens Flight A3931, £198.73, 14:55 - 16:55
Accommodation at Zorbas, 2 nights, £50

We spent a day walking around the Acropolis looking at the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus (amphitheater), Odeon of Herodes Atticus etc. Up on top of the hill overlooking the city of Athens is the Parthenon, which is amazing even though it was under construction. One of my favourite parts was the Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus where these beautifully carved women are holding the building up with their heads. Next to the Parthenon is the Sanctuary of Pandion which has similar columns but is smaller. The columns are so awesome and have slightly shifted in time, so that you can see that they were built by being stacked up in sections. In someplaces the columns have fallen down and the sections look like white circular dominoes!

It's so bizarre walking around and coming across a park....that contains ancient Greek ruins! Back down the hill we went to the Museum in Ancient Agora. The cool marble was so nice in the heat of the day. The museum is filled with ancient pottery, daily life items and sculptures. The folds in the cloth that they carved are so real and beautiful.

At night the streets come alive with al fresco dining especially along the Plaka. The restaurant we ate at gave us a free carafe of wine for Chris's birthday. We went for a walk around the streets and came across this ancient theater that was obviously still in use because we could hear classical music being performed inside.

We walked past a place that had guards posted at the front. The guards wear giant pom-poms on their shoes, a dress with tights and a skull cap with a tassel. I think it takes away from the meanness of the big gun they carry!! We also went into a Greek church that was beautifully painted inside with stained glass windows and chandeliers.

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