Acropolis

When we have more time to plan, we generally like to get some background on tour guides, either from online ratings or from other faculty who have used that guide in the past. We didn't have that luxury for this trip, but we got lucky.

Christina explains the Theater of Dyonisis

Our guide, Christina, met us at the hotel at 8 a.m. and walked us through the Plaka to the Theater of Dyonisis, then up to the Acropolis. There was hardly anyone there, and she did an excellent job of explaining the history and architecture of the Parthenon and the Erechtheion.

Mo and Maddie take in the view with their cameras on the way up the Acropolis

As crowds gathered she used the view from the top to point out the general plan of the city and key landmarks.

Entrance to the Acropolis in morning light.

From the summit we walked down hill to the Acropolis Museum, a wonderful facility that would be more complete if half of the ancient sculptures from the Parthenon hadn't been stolen by the British in the early 1800s.

Squinting into the Athens sun with the Parthenon and Erechthion behind us.

Everything in this museum was discovered on the Acropolis, and there are hundreds and hundreds of statues that were buried there by the Greeks to keep them from falling into the hands of invading Persians. This preserved them very well.

Finding some shade in which to learn about Greek mythology

The various models and videos are very helpful in understanding how the Acropolis changed and developed over the centuries, transformed through Greek, Roman, Christian, Byzantine, Muslim, and modern eras.

Erechthion

We had been here four years ago, but had a more comprehensive art and history lesson this time.

The Acropolis Museum brings a smile to Maddie and Greta as the rest follow.

The students were dragging a bit by noon, so we took a quick snack break. That revived everyone a little bit.

Whole group pose at the Temple of Olympian Zeus with Acropolis in background

Continuing through the Plaka, we were led to the Arch of Hadrian, which we had visited on our first afternoon, but the students received a better explanation this time. We also actually went into the grounds of the Temple of Zeus, rather than just seeing it through the fence.

Pondering the site of the first modern Olympic games

The day was getting warm and long when we visited the Stadium. The ancient stadium was unearthed, restored and expanded to become the site of the first modern Olympic games in 1896. It has been further modernized, but only had a symbolic role in the 2004 games.

We finished with the Agora (both Roman and Classical, plus the museum) which took quite a while. We were all getting tired, so I'm not sure how much the students truly appreciated that they were walking on the very stones once trod by folks like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle (not to mention St. Paul and other New Testament figures). It was an excellent tour, though a great deal to take in all in one day.