An Engineer and A Globetrotter: GREECE, A VISIT TO THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE WESTERN CIVILIZATION (Part 2)

The Ruins of Athens Agora

I started early for my second day in Athens to go to Pireus Port to buy my ferry ticket and to check on the location for my early morning trip the next day to the island of Santorini. I’ll tell more about this trip later but now, I talk about my second day in Athens. After that quick stop to the Pireus Port, I went back to the city center to continue my “ancient” adventure to the ruins of the Agora. Agora is one of the major archaeological sites in Athens. But apart from being a tourist site, it did play a very important and influential role on how things were done in Greece and part of how we do things today were actually the influence of the ancient Agora. Agora in Greek means “a place of gathering” and back in the ancient times it was the center of Greek commerce and trade and a place where the basic idea of democracy came into practice. Agora's influence in the Greek culture and history cannot be denied indeed.

Ruins of an Auditorium in Agora

The Library of Hadrian

Temple of Hephaestus

It took me the whole morning to explore the area passing through every sites. For open places like this, it is always a good idea to start early to escape the throngs of tourists and avoid the strong heat of the sun. The most visible monument inside Agora is the Temple of Hephaestus at the northwest end and holds the record of the first temple in Athens to be built in marble. A temple turned church which also used a burial site for Protestants in the early 19th century before it became a museum. The continued renovation has kept monument intact and return to its original Greek appearance. On the east side area, the Stoa of Attalos can be found, now used as a museum keeping all the

Stoa of Attalos

artifacts unearthed at the Agora. Stoa in ancient Greek architecture literally means a covered walkway or portico.The columns are of doric order which is very common of the ancient Greek architecture. The third and particularly significant structure is the Church of the Holy Apostle. Of the many medieval monuments that existed inside the Agora, it is the only one that was preserved and restored to its original form. Buying the unified ticket allowed me the access to all these landmarks.

Church of Holy Apostle

Athens Flea Market

Following the route on my map, it eventually led me to the Athens Flea Market where all sorts of things are being sold from antique furnitures, books, old paintings and artworks. Surely anyone can find something that is of his interests. Even a bottle opener with a strange handle can be a a good and funny gift to to a friend as a souvenir. Vendors of fresh fruits also abound around the Monastiraki Square. After all, it is a marketplace. Restaurants were also everywhere and it was just about time for me to take my lunch at Sava’s, where I tried a half portion of shish kebab, beef served on bed of grilled pita with grilled tomato and onions. I spent the rest of the morning around the Monastiraki Square observing tourists and locals alike, doing some photography and relaxed.

Shish Kebab

Changing of Guards Ceremony

From the Monastiraki Square, I walked towards the nearby metro station (Attiko Metro) off to Zyntagma Square just in front of the Hellenic Parliament to watch the official changing of guards ceremony. As expected, tourist were already lined up to watch the ceremony. The Greek guards came approaching the venue in their unique traditional uniform for hourly changing of guards ceremony. These soldiers from the Evzones (a name of several historial elite light infantry and mountain units of the Greek army - by Wiki) guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Panathenaic Studium

Moving on, walking along the sidewalks of the National Garden which is located just at the back of the Hellenic Parliament I finally I arrived at the historic venue and the stadium where the very first Olympics of the Modern times was held in 1896, the Panathenaic Stadium. It was quite a walk but worth it. The stadium was reconstructed from the ruins of the ancient Greek stadium and is considered the only stadium in the world which is completely built in marble and with a total seating capacity of 80,000. It may be small in today's standard for an Olympic stadium but surely stands out above the rest for its historical significance. There is an entrance on one side of the stadium leading to a small museum focused on the 100 years history of the Olympiad. One of the main attractions was displays of the different Olympic torches & logos used by each host city. Passing to each one of these torches and logos was like watching history unfolding before my eyes. Imagining the screams of celebration by all who were witnessing the event. I love watching Olympic opening ceremonies so having visited its birthplace was indeed memorable. One in my bucket lists it to watch an Olympic opening live at the venue. I hope I can do it in 2020 Tokyo Olympics or at least at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

My visit to the Panathenaic was my last activity planned for the day and actually concluded my tour of Athens. I was able to visit the places I wanted to see in Athens. Of coarse, there were still more places to see but I am extra excited to visit one of the islands of Greece and perhaps one of the most popular, the island of Santorini.