Exploring Piraeus
One can see the stunning complex of Acropolis from the City.
Piraeus, Attica, Greece Saturday April 11, 2015
It is easy to see why Athens would appeal to just about anybody.
Step into Agora and this is where Plato, Aristotle, the President of the council and the magistrates all met. The law courts were also held there. In 480 BC, the Persians destroyed most buildings in the Agora during the siege of Athens, but later on, the Athenians rebuilt them. The agora became again a residential area in the Roman and the Byzantine times.
It is a real testament to time.
Within a few miles within the city is what makes Athens a true winner for tourists. Yes, the Acropolis is just there with many unexpected treasures as well. Crowning the city of Athens, it seems to reach up to the clouds. Built from 461-429 BC, the site comprises the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena, The Propylaea and the Erechtheion, which together shows the wealth, power, and sophistication of ancient Greece. Dedicated to Athena, the Parthenon is the most important surviving example of classical Greece.
You don't have to be a historian or a writer to admire this ancient city. Athens has lots of stories to tell and a tradition that dates back to the 8th century BC. As the capital of Greece and one of Europe’s most bustling cities, Athens is powered by 5,000 years of history. At night, the city of Athens glows from afar, light reflecting off the ancient ruins.
A Greek island cruise from Athens wouldn’t be complete without seeing the metropolis’ major sites—the unforgettable Acropolis, the Parthenon, a hike up Mount Lycabettus, or tours of museums containing antiquity’s greatest treasures dating back to the 5th century BC. Though Athens is a city of ruins, it’s the very essence of modern Greece.
TOP SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS
THE ACROPOLIS AND THE PARTHENON
The stories will begin to unfold as you start your way to the Acropolis. . You’ll trek the 490 feet up into the Plaka District along narrow, paved streets surrounded by aromatic olive trees. At the Acropolis, the world-famous Parthenon stands apart from any other structure in the modern or ancient world—it’s instantly recognizable as a symbol for everything Athens, similar to Rome’s Colosseum or the Taj Mahal in Agra. Come see why its Doric columns have withstood war, invasion, destruction, and simply the test of time.
The Acropolis of Athens.
PLAKA DISTRICT
The Plaka district surrounds the Acropolis. Wander through this charming stretch of narrow paved streets into handcrafted shops, restaurants, countless cafes, and bars. In the 1970s, the district was a prime area for nightlife, but cracking down on the local noise ordinances turned the Plaka District into a quieter, more commercialized neighborhood. Shops and restaurants quickly boomed there, and now the Plaka is popular with tourists looking for shopping and leisure.
OLYMPIC STADIUM
Athens is the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and it’s one of the biggest events in the world today, celebrating culture and peace among the world’s nations. Athens has hosted the modern Olympic Games in 1896, 1906, 2004, and most recently, the Special Olympics in 2011. The city’s Panathenaic Stadium, a 45,000-seat outdoor stadium, is instantly recognizable and centrally located in the heart of Athens. Don’t forget to take a look at which events are happening during your Greek island cruise from Athens
Ancient Olympic Stadium.
ACROPOLIS MUSEUM
Make it a point to visit the Acropolis Museum, a comprehensive catalogue of Greek art, culture, and philosophy dating back to the 5th century BC. You’ll find artifacts from the Bronze, Roman, and Byzantine ages as well. This joint effort between a Greek architect and an American architect opened in 2009, making it one of Athen’s youngest can’t-miss attractions for tourists and history buffs.
MOUNT LYCABETTUS
Athens is known for a hilly, rolling landscape. Its highest point is Mount Lycabettus, which ascends over 900 feet high. Getting to the stop is an adventure in and of itself. Start by taking a cable car toward the top of the mountain. Then, climb around 100 steps from the cable car station to the summit. There, you’ll find the terrace atop Mount Lycabettus promises breathtaking panoramic views not only of the metropolis of Athens but also the port of Piraeus and its many docked ships.
From moussaka to tzatziki side dishes to baklava dessert, traditional Greek food is one of the best cuisines in the world to eat.
As we had been to Athens several times in the past, we just decided to go near the Plaka. After touring the Acropolis, we visited the Plaka. It is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture.
By day the Plaka infuses a lively vibe in a maze of cafes, restaurants and shops specializing in artisan handicrafts, dresses and costumes. To check out this vibrant scene, we strolled to once again enjoy its dining and café scenes. It is this part of Athens that makes this visit so appealing. There are so many restaurants that it is difficult to choose. If only the Oracle of Delphi is around for us to consult!
So came lunch time, Bert enjoyed his ouzo with a hint of anise, clove and cardamom to enjoy the day. Ouzo is the national tipple of Greece.
Not to be missed are olives and feta cheese and calamari which figures prominently on Greek food. You can't go wrong ordering seafood though lamb is big here too. Wash it down with glass of red wine or cold beer.
The Kalamata olive is a large, dark brown olive with a smooth, meaty texture, named after the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, Greece.
Afterwards it is a visit to Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, also known as, albeit mistakenly, the "Lantern of Diogenes". The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates was erected by the choregos (sponsor) Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus, to commemorate the award of first prize in the 4th century BC for one of the performances he had sponsored. Apart from a sponsorship prize, it is also the first known monument of the world to use Corinthian order on the exterior of a building. When the site was acquired by the Capuchin Monastery at the end of the Middle Ages, the monument was incorporated into it.
Other attractions in Plaka are the museums and the archeological sites. The Museum of Greek Folk Art housed in four separate annexes, the less known Athens University Museum on Tholou street, with collections of manuscripts and old photos, the Museum of Musical Instruments on Diogenous street and the recently renovated Museum of Folk Art and Tradition Aggeliki Chatzimichali.
Traditional Greek recipe made with slow cooked lamb, first marinated in garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.