June 10
We waken refreshed from a great night sleep and head off to see the Temple of Zeus and then onto the Temple of Hephaestus. We arrive at the Plaka amid a flurry of Sunday morning activity on the square and grab a snack before ambling down the walking street to our destination. It is so hot here in Athens and the heat is very dry so we go through about 5 gallons of water each day just to keep ourselves hydrated. We pass by Hadrian's Arch and around a fenced in archaeological site before arriving at the entrance. The area is pretty much self-guided, but having read some information no the internet before our arrival we know pretty much about the Temple. Started in the 6th century BC, this was at one time the largest temple to the Olympian Gods that existed in Greece. It was only completed in the time Hadrian (circa 2nd Century AD) and was soon ruined by war and pillaged by rival tribes in the 3rd Century. There once stood the largest cult statue to the king of the gods here and you can only imagine the majesty of the place when it was still standing. We walk the entire site seeing some Roman Baths and other smaller temples before returning to the metro and heading farther north to the little neighborhood of Monastiraki and the Temple of Hapheastus. We arrive and see the familiar cherry and strawberry vendors lining the square with their carts laden with beautiful fruit. We opt to go ahead and have some lunch before getting frozen Greek yoghurt which is to die for :-) We have trouble making any good time because we keep stopping to look at the wares that are displayed by the makeshift weekend vendors that set up along each side of the street. What the heck....we just join in and get carried away in the sweep of people and see some pretty crazy stuff available for purchase. After we return to the Monastiraki Square and around the corner to see the Temple of Hepheastus - finally! By the time we arrive, they are closing the gates for the day....we missed our window of opportunity and vow to return without distraction tomorrow first thing. Paulie and Sam return to the hotel while Hudson, Annie and I continue to look around this fabulous neighborhood. We discover a girl making maccrame jewelry and watch her technique so Annie can get some pointers for her own creations. We start talking to her and end up buying a gift for someone special back home. We return to the hotel to rest our aching feet....walking all day on the hard cobblestones gets to your feet, knees and other antique body parts after a while. We head out for dinner at our new usual time - around 8:30 - and find a neighborhood eatery where we dine on typical Greek fare. After dinner, we have an ice cream and return home to settle in for the night.
We waken refreshed from a great night sleep and head off to see the Temple of Zeus and then onto the Temple of Hephaestus. We arrive at the Plaka amid a flurry of Sunday morning activity on the square and grab a snack before ambling down the walking street to our destination. It is so hot here in Athens and the heat is very dry so we go through about 5 gallons of water each day just to keep ourselves hydrated. We pass by Hadrian's Arch and around a fenced in archaeological site before arriving at the entrance. The area is pretty much self-guided, but having read some information no the internet before our arrival we know pretty much about the Temple. Started in the 6th century BC, this was at one time the largest temple to the Olympian Gods that existed in Greece. It was only completed in the time Hadrian (circa 2nd Century AD) and was soon ruined by war and pillaged by rival tribes in the 3rd Century. There once stood the largest cult statue to the king of the gods here and you can only imagine the majesty of the place when it was still standing. We walk the entire site seeing some Roman Baths and other smaller temples before returning to the metro and heading farther north to the little neighborhood of Monastiraki and the Temple of Hapheastus. We arrive and see the familiar cherry and strawberry vendors lining the square with their carts laden with beautiful fruit. We opt to go ahead and have some lunch before getting frozen Greek yoghurt which is to die for :-) We have trouble making any good time because we keep stopping to look at the wares that are displayed by the makeshift weekend vendors that set up along each side of the street. What the heck....we just join in and get carried away in the sweep of people and see some pretty crazy stuff available for purchase. After we return to the Monastiraki Square and around the corner to see the Temple of Hepheastus - finally! By the time we arrive, they are closing the gates for the day....we missed our window of opportunity and vow to return without distraction tomorrow first thing. Paulie and Sam return to the hotel while Hudson, Annie and I continue to look around this fabulous neighborhood. We discover a girl making maccrame jewelry and watch her technique so Annie can get some pointers for her own creations. We start talking to her and end up buying a gift for someone special back home. We return to the hotel to rest our aching feet....walking all day on the hard cobblestones gets to your feet, knees and other antique body parts after a while. We head out for dinner at our new usual time - around 8:30 - and find a neighborhood eatery where we dine on typical Greek fare. After dinner, we have an ice cream and return home to settle in for the night.
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