The Plaka

The Plaka...and yes, cars and motor bikes both drive down this kind of street...in both directions. Don't think for a minute that they wouldn't run you right over.

Taverna on the Plaka

We ate breakfast one morning at this taverna.  It is located on The Plaka, which is a market area with many shops, cafes and galleries along very narrow winding cobblestone and marble streets.  The taxi drivers and motor bikes still manage to weave in and out around each other and all the shoppers.  Quite bizarre in the bazaar.

Athens Parliament Changing of the Guard with Pigeon

This is really the guards changing positions at their stations.  They do a very formal stepping and stomping motion.  Even later in the day, when the daily strike demonstration happens (which quite literally shuts down the center of the city), they are at their posts with riot squad police on the steps behind them. A little unnerving to see police in the streets with assault rifles and bullet proof shields, but there is music and flag waving going on at the same time.  Quite the scene.  We did not hang around long.

Acropolis - The Amphitheatre

On the way up to the Acropolis, there is an amphitheatre which is still in use. It's hard to see, but there are stage lights installed in the arches and on the sides of the stage.

Acropolis, Part Deux - The workshop

All of these pieces of stone are numbered and categorized so they may be put back together and fit exactly.  Isn't it amazing how the modern world needs dynamite, cranes and a host of big machinery to accomplish this, while the ancient Greeks just made it happen. In fact, the design is so finely detailed that the fluted columns are ever so slightly tapered at the top and the four corner pillars are slightly wider than the rest.  There is also a wonderful museum, just completed about a year ago, where they have many of the sculptures and artifacts found at the site.

Visiting The Acropolis

It is nearly impossible to capture the magnitude of this architecture, some of which is hundreds of years before Christ.  It takes your breath away. We have many shots, but can't put all of them here, so here is a teaser. We walked up a long path and many stairs to get there.

Exis Hotel in Athens

This is our hotel in Athens. Beautiful old hotel. Not a great neighborhood, but we managed. Even negotiated our way in and out of the middle of town on the trolley and the Metro without incident!
Well...we did have to ask the very nice policemen who spoke mostly English which of the 7 streets that come into the square was the one we needed to be on to catch the right trolley back to our hotel. :)
We walked around in circles for about an hour trying to figure it out on our own....AND, we were convinced that we knew the right way. It was not correct. We were 180 degrees off from our best guess. Thank you, Mr. Policeman, who had to call the hotel to make sure we were registered there, because we didn't know the address. HAH! Stupid American tourists.