Day 4 : 4 Aug 2012
Half day city tour today with G.O. Same guide as Delphi tour.
1) Hadrian's Arch & Temple of the Olympian Zeus
Drove past Hadrian's Arch and Temple of Zeus.
Arch was built to celebrate arrival of Roman emperor Hadrian. Guide said that Athen was his favourite city. Entire arch is made from Pentelic marble.
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| Hadrian's Arch |
Zeus is King of Olympian Gods. Temple originally had 104 Corinthian columns. Now, only 15 remain. Largest temple in Athens.
2) Panathenaic Stadium
This is the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games. The Stadium hosted the 1st modern Olympic games in 1896. Reconstructed from an ancient Greek stadium, it is the only stadium made entirely of white marble. Can accommodate about 69,000 spectators. This is the finish line for the annual Athens Marathon held in November.
In 490 BC a giant Persian army invaded the small town of Marathon near the coast of Greece. The route for the modern marathon is based on the legend of a messenger named Pheidippides who ran 42 km from the battlefield to the capital. He died affter he announced his joyous message that the Greeks had defeated the Persians.
3) Parliament, Syntagma
300 MPs elected every 4 years. Changing of guards occurs every hour in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Was lucky as witnessed the changing of guards, the Evzones, at 9am. Interesting way of marching with legs swung high. Distinctive traditional uniform worn - kilt-like garment and pompom on shoes.
4) Acropolis
Last stop, the Acropolis.
In 490 BC a giant Persian army invaded the small town of Marathon near the coast of Greece. The route for the modern marathon is based on the legend of a messenger named Pheidippides who ran 42 km from the battlefield to the capital. He died affter he announced his joyous message that the Greeks had defeated the Persians.
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| Stadium |
3) Parliament, Syntagma
300 MPs elected every 4 years. Changing of guards occurs every hour in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Was lucky as witnessed the changing of guards, the Evzones, at 9am. Interesting way of marching with legs swung high. Distinctive traditional uniform worn - kilt-like garment and pompom on shoes.
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| Hellenic Parliament |
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| Evzones |
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| Tomb of Unknown Soldier |
4) Acropolis
Last stop, the Acropolis.
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