Athens

This post is a bit out of date as I've had some internet service issues here in Corfu. So I'll try to put another post up after this one. Athens was great - the lifestyle is very casual with outdoor eating and cafes everywhere. Food is also great. Here are some pics.... 

Our first stop was at this nice cafe in Monastiraki (Marian sitting far left)...

Athens Panathenaic Stadium, because the first stadium was built here in 330 BC. It was re-built in marble in 144 AD. Once excavated in 1800's it was refurbished and used for the first modern Olympics in 1896... 

We went to a great ancient technology museum - whoduthunk! Great stuff in there. They had a reconstruction of Archemedis alarm clock, which via water and 4 large pots on top of each other, would whistle when the appropriate length of time elapsed! He'd set it for 7 hours. This picture is a working reconstruction of the first keyboard instrument, a water/wind organ from 300BC....

It's amazing how dense the living in Athens is. It is mostly 8 storeys from one end to the other, with balconies hanging over the footpaths. Shops on the ground floors. Plus plenty of trees (many fruit trees laden with oranges etc) on most streets. This one has a nice vista point....

I was particularly taken with this apartment building - in stone....

We took the funicular up to Lycabettus Hill with fab views of the city and Acropolis....

Half-way down the main shopping street (mall) there's a 11th century church in the middle of a cross-roads. It was preserved by the King in the 1300's when they were wanting to demolish it for the new street system - nice....

Inside a larger church nearby.....

Street scene in the Plaka....

Still standing ancient weather station (tower) with sundials on the outside and a water clock on the inside. You can see markings on the stone for the sundials sticking out (eg from the feet of the winged figure).... 

This is a still standing Temple of Hephaestus from the Ancient Agora - pretty amazing - was used for different purposes since construction (which is why it is still standing)....

Broad views of Ancient Agora....