18.1.15

Athens


The wonderful capitol city of Greece, the seat of Athena! It was a quick day to see the entire beginning of civilization. It began with a bus ride along the coast ending at the Temple of Poseidon, which stands on a cliff overlooking the clear, blue Mediterranean. 

Temple of Poseidon
The sky was a wonderful blue and clear and perfect. We headed to a hotel for a typical Greek lunch, at least typical for the Onassis-type Greeks.


We drove back along the coast to the Acropolis, noting the Olympic (ancient and modern) sites along the way. It was the original center for the city containing loads of temples, including the Parthenon - Athena's own tribute. The ruins are amazing and accessible. During the tour a sudden storm hit us. We were drenched but it cleared the place out which was fine by us!

Acropolis/ Parthenon
From the Acropolis you can see the entire city of Athens, including the ancient Olympic arena and the Temple of Zeus. 


The thing the probably thrilled me the most was Mars Hill - which we only saw from the Acropolis and is really more of a rock in my understanding. It was exciting to think that Paul preached there the famous sermon about the Unknown God (Acts 17). Our guide told us that the Bible mentions Dionysius, who believed what Paul said and Dionysius apparently brought Christianity to France and is known there as Saint Dennis. The only Dennis I know is the oppressed peasant from Monty Python, so I'm going to say this was someone else.

Mars Hill