Athens-The Museums
When you purchase tickets to enter the Acropolis, you also receive tickets for a few other museums and archeological sites in Athens. On our second day in Athens, we decided to visit a few of them and to also check out the New Acropolis Museum which my brother highly recommended.
Our first stop of the day was to explore the Ancient Agora. An Agora literally translated means “gathering place” and the one in Athens is one of the best known examples.
Two buildings of significance are the Temple of Hephaestu, a well preserved Greek temple, and the Stoa of Attalos which currently houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora where artifacts from the excavation of the Agora are displayed. I loved the look of the Temple of Hephaestu – almost more than the Acropolis the day before. We could walk right up to it and it was in very good condition. The Stoa of Attalos appealed to the part of me that enjoyed symmetry and order.
Inside the Museum of the Ancient Agora
Our last stop in Athens was the new Acropolis Museum which holds all of the artifacts from the Acropolis. The museum is built over some ruins which you can see as you walk into the museum and in entry ramp, allowing visitors to see the excavation process. The museum takes you through a journey of the history of the Acropolis and Athens, from the various wars and rulers. It discussed the ups and downs and showed the excavation process. It also showed how they were preserving the present site. Only the Parthenon Gallery on the top floor was allowed to be photographed. Along the ceiling, the frieze of the Parthenon was installed, as if it were on the Parthenon itself.
The ruins the museum is built above.
I found it interesting how the archeologists interpreted the different bits and pieces of the frieze. To me, many pieces looked like nothing, but they were able to interpret a horse or a warrior.
Athens was a quick trip to see the main sights and see a different part of Greece. It was excruciatingly hot and we spent a lot of time wandering in search of air conditioning. I’m glad I went to see the Acropolis, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to Athens.
Have you traveled to Athens? What was your favourite part?
PS. Check out the rest of my posts about Greece!