GREETING FROM GREECE...DAY 7
Yes, it's true...our time here in Greece will come to an end before we know it (just a couple more sleeps, as the littles say)...so we're trying to pack in as much as possible! And although we were so thankful for a later wakeup call, today was no exception! Of course, then I just overslept because it wasn't the crack of dawn!! Oh well...just another cog in the Eva-wheel. (sidenote: please use this phrase as much as possible around the Davis/Carr kids...just insert any appropriate name...then sit back and watch the magic) :)
Unfortunately, it did start raining...along with a big drop in temps and an insane wind...so we adjusted the plan and started the day at the new Acropolis museum. The museum, what it contains, and what lies beneath are absolutely incredible. When the powers-that-be began digging to clear the land to build the museum, they unearthed multiple layers of the old cities below. (In case you're wondering, it seems as though this happens almost daily...ok not really, but yea basically...over here. Every time someone starts to build the new, they find the old.) In the case of the museum, for obvious reasons, they wanted to preserve the former life shown below (hello...museum...duh) so they put a glass floor down for the museum, after excavating. Now, everyone walks across the civilizations gone by. Not gonna lie...it's pretty trippy. Oh and also...apparently, Eva has some fear of height issues. You're welcome for that bit of trivia. But seriously...yikers. Moving on...because I might get queasy just remembering how queasy I felt...we spent an extensive amount of time looking at the pottery from Ancient Greece and, therefore, also what life was like for those early citizens/slaves. We looked at a ton of statues and heard a lot about Greek mythology as well. The attention to detail was literally mind-blowing. We'd all definitely recommend visiting this work-of-art and be sure to take along a good guide to explain all the important details! Oh and one more thing...England, just give them back their stuff already. Dude. I was even ready to place a few calls after hearing about good ol' Lord Elgin. You all know what an impact that Eva-call would make. The ripple effect alone would be staggering. :)
From there, we moved to Mars Hill, where Paul preached to the city leaders in Acts 17. Again, check it out for a real-life drama! Most interesting thing to note here was the difficulty in climbing the marble rock and the absence of almost any flat surface. But again, Paul was literally there, on this rock, preaching to the Gentiles about the Unknown God they reserved an altar for...he used their culture to introduce the Athenians to the one true God. LOVE that. Paul's sermon is even at the base of the hill, in Greek, for all to read. Here's a short excerpt:
Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, (MARS HILL) said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man...(YES, PAUL!!)
Next, we walked across the street to the Acropolis, which contains several important and impressive structures: the Parthenon (the most well-known and unbelievable in magnitude), the Propylaea (basically, the gate to the city), the Temple of Athena Nike (smaller structure toward the front of the Acropolis), and my personal favorite, the Erechtheion (the temple dedicated to both Poseidon and Athena). Everything is marble. Everything fits perfectly with the scope and grandeur of Greek mythology. It truly is breath-taking to see it all in person. Incidentally, if you are looking at pictures and wondering about the different colors on the pillars and such, the white is new marble used to fill in for pieces that were missing. The yellowed portions are original marble that have been exposed to the elements for thousands of years. Eventually, the white portions will do the same, but I don't think I'll be around when they do.
Our last official item on the day's agenda was a bus tour showing the highlights of the city. We saw tons of amazing architecture as well as hot spots like the stadium built for the Olympics where the Athens Marathon finish line is located. Give you 3 guesses who's wanting to make plans to do that, and I wouldn't be in the top 10! :) So maybe we'll have a good excuse to make it back to this beautiful country again some day! We walked to grab a quick, late lunch, and also grabbed my magnet, of course!! :)
Then, after a couple hours to rest (thank goodness!), we had dinner at the highest point of Athens, Mt. Lycabettus. We actually had our driver, Frank, take us as far as possible, and then we rode the fenicular, an enclosed cable bus the rest of the way to the top. Again, give me all the carbs and views. Happy sigh.
Get ready for tomorrow, kids. Tomorrow, we set our sights on Corinth. Holy buckets.
Unfortunately, it did start raining...along with a big drop in temps and an insane wind...so we adjusted the plan and started the day at the new Acropolis museum. The museum, what it contains, and what lies beneath are absolutely incredible. When the powers-that-be began digging to clear the land to build the museum, they unearthed multiple layers of the old cities below. (In case you're wondering, it seems as though this happens almost daily...ok not really, but yea basically...over here. Every time someone starts to build the new, they find the old.) In the case of the museum, for obvious reasons, they wanted to preserve the former life shown below (hello...museum...duh) so they put a glass floor down for the museum, after excavating. Now, everyone walks across the civilizations gone by. Not gonna lie...it's pretty trippy. Oh and also...apparently, Eva has some fear of height issues. You're welcome for that bit of trivia. But seriously...yikers. Moving on...because I might get queasy just remembering how queasy I felt...we spent an extensive amount of time looking at the pottery from Ancient Greece and, therefore, also what life was like for those early citizens/slaves. We looked at a ton of statues and heard a lot about Greek mythology as well. The attention to detail was literally mind-blowing. We'd all definitely recommend visiting this work-of-art and be sure to take along a good guide to explain all the important details! Oh and one more thing...England, just give them back their stuff already. Dude. I was even ready to place a few calls after hearing about good ol' Lord Elgin. You all know what an impact that Eva-call would make. The ripple effect alone would be staggering. :)
From there, we moved to Mars Hill, where Paul preached to the city leaders in Acts 17. Again, check it out for a real-life drama! Most interesting thing to note here was the difficulty in climbing the marble rock and the absence of almost any flat surface. But again, Paul was literally there, on this rock, preaching to the Gentiles about the Unknown God they reserved an altar for...he used their culture to introduce the Athenians to the one true God. LOVE that. Paul's sermon is even at the base of the hill, in Greek, for all to read. Here's a short excerpt:
Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, (MARS HILL) said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man...(YES, PAUL!!)
Next, we walked across the street to the Acropolis, which contains several important and impressive structures: the Parthenon (the most well-known and unbelievable in magnitude), the Propylaea (basically, the gate to the city), the Temple of Athena Nike (smaller structure toward the front of the Acropolis), and my personal favorite, the Erechtheion (the temple dedicated to both Poseidon and Athena). Everything is marble. Everything fits perfectly with the scope and grandeur of Greek mythology. It truly is breath-taking to see it all in person. Incidentally, if you are looking at pictures and wondering about the different colors on the pillars and such, the white is new marble used to fill in for pieces that were missing. The yellowed portions are original marble that have been exposed to the elements for thousands of years. Eventually, the white portions will do the same, but I don't think I'll be around when they do.
Our last official item on the day's agenda was a bus tour showing the highlights of the city. We saw tons of amazing architecture as well as hot spots like the stadium built for the Olympics where the Athens Marathon finish line is located. Give you 3 guesses who's wanting to make plans to do that, and I wouldn't be in the top 10! :) So maybe we'll have a good excuse to make it back to this beautiful country again some day! We walked to grab a quick, late lunch, and also grabbed my magnet, of course!! :)
Then, after a couple hours to rest (thank goodness!), we had dinner at the highest point of Athens, Mt. Lycabettus. We actually had our driver, Frank, take us as far as possible, and then we rode the fenicular, an enclosed cable bus the rest of the way to the top. Again, give me all the carbs and views. Happy sigh.
Get ready for tomorrow, kids. Tomorrow, we set our sights on Corinth. Holy buckets.
