Athens Montage

10.07.1966 - 10.07.1966

Sunday 10-7-1966

Today we again skirted the Acropolis , first visiting the the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, before walking through the Plaka district to the Roman Agora with its Tower of the Winds.

Ade (lower left corner) finds a spot of shade near the Monument of Lysicrates, below the Acropolis. We were very familiar with
the fine copy of this monument in the Sydney Botanic Gardens at home, and made a point of visiting the original.

The Roman Agora and The Tower of the Winds

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We walked on to the ancient Greek Agora and the well preserved Theseion. These two are magnificent. The Agora has been excavated extensively over the last several years and the entire centre of ancient Athens has come to light, though mostly all that remains is the ground plan. One stoa, the Stoa of Attalos, has been reconstructed completely and is used as a museum. It is an extremely masterly job.

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The Theseion overlooks the Ancient Agora of Athens

Stoa_of_At..a_of_Athens.jpg
The Theseion Ambulatory and The reconstructed Stoa of Attalos

View from the Theseion, across the Agora to the Acropolis

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Finally we walked up the excavated Panathenaic Way and arrived at the entrance to the towering complex. My first impression was of thousands of tourists thronging about like ants, and I was glad that I had already let the Acropolis manifest itself fully for me from all sides and from a distance. Still it was a grand experience to walk up through the Propylaea and then lay eyes on the Parthenon and Erechtheum from close range. Being one of the great monuments that has been before my eyes pictorially for years, I found it quite something to realize that this was not just another image, but the real thing. We spent about three hours up there wandering around, taking photos, admiring the magnificent views and getting the feel of being actually on the Acropolis of Ancient Athens. From every angle the sight was one of incredible perfection. My God, the wonders of the world that I have seen, and this ranks among the highest!

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