We got up bright and early and at just after eight headed off on our planned 1.3 mile walk to the Panathenaic stadium. This is where the first modern Olympic games took place in 1896. It doesn’t sound very far, but it gets really hot really quickly, the pavements are very uneven and you take your life into your hands every time you cross the road.!!! 😃
The advantage of leaving early was that it wasn’t too hot, and there were very few people there when we arrived. So, unlike the other day on the Acropolis, we initially had the whole race track to ourselves. It’s always nice to walk around a foreign city as you see so much more from the street level. We were not disappointed as we managed to see some of the key government buildings, including the presidential palace and presidential mansion, which were well-guarded with a strong police presence. There was even a guard in training in front of the palace.
When we got there, there was hardly a soul in sight, and there was a sign on the ticket office, saying ‘ back in five minutes ‘. Our audio guide described it as ‘a timeless symbol of athleticism’ – rather like the picture of Dave below. 🤣
We learnt about Pierre de Coubertin, a French historian who is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games. He co-founded the International Olympic Committee, promoted the introduction of sport in French schools and the revival of the olympics with the aim of fostering international cooperation and giving a global platform to young athletes. His ambitions were supported by two Greek philanthropists, Evangelos and Constantinos Zappas, who paid for the restoration of the stadium. The games built on the historical role model of Ancient Greece, keeping the name and a four-year cycle.
We sat on the King and Queen’s thrones, then walked to the top, wandered around the racetrack and enjoyed listening to the audioguide while sitting on the cool marble seats. After a while, we entered the tunnel, which led to the display of Olympic posters and torches through the years. A selection of these are pictured below.
On the way back we were able to alter our route slightly so that it took us through the National Garden. By this time we were very grateful for the additional shade and an added bonus was seeing the gorgeous terrapins in the park.
We had passed loads of cafés on the way there and were ready for breakfast. Eventually we found a lovely bakery and managed to just buy coffees in a corner café and were allowed to eat our cakes whilst sat at their table.
We relaxed in the flat for a while before heading off for our afternoon activity, which was a trip to the National Archaeological Museum. This was an easy 7 minute walk from our apartment and is not only the largest museum in Greece, but one of the most important in the world. The building itself was really beautiful in a neoclassical style. It has 11,000 exhibits, representing finds from all over the Greek world. It houses five major permanent collections namely prehistoric antiquities, sculptures, vases and miniatures, metalwork and Egyptian antiquities. It was all beautifully displayed and we spent a decent amount of time there. There was way too much to even begin to describe it, so we have included some photos of various highlights.
One online ‘top ten’ -11 actually 😃 lists the following objects as the most notable. Some of these are pictured above!!:
1. Mask of Agamemnon gold death-mask
2. Bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon
3. Marble statue of Poseidon
4. Marble statue of Kouros Kroisos
5. Colossal portrait, head of emperor, Hadrian
6. Nestor’s cup or Dove cup
7. The boxer’s fresco
8. Marble statue of a sphinx
9. Bronze statue of Emperor Augustus found in the Aegean Sea
10. Mycenaean warrior vase
11. The jockey of Artemision
Once we had seen the collections, we strolled back towards our accommodation and had a local beer in the student bar Street. We got chatting to a very lovely waitress whose husband had visited the UK many times as bassist with his rock band, Planet of Zeus!!
Somewhat predictably, we rounded off the night with dinner at our local restaurant. This was the third day in a row that we had eaten there and it was really nice. Dave tried a starter that he had had his beady eye on for several days – deep-fried feta wrapped in filo pastry and drizzled with honey, whilst I started with grilled mushrooms. We both had chicken and chips for main. We slept well after such a busy day and after walking quite a long way for once!
