Posted by Kanga.
This impressive ram was an unexpected sight.
Maybe I should change this blog to “what I saw on the road today.”
Everywhere You Look
January 17, 2012Posted by Kanga.
You never know what you are going to see.
Proof that there are mosques everywhere.
“And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street” – sometimes you don’t need to exaggerate, just keep your eyes peeled.
Metro Museum
January 8, 2012Posted by Kanga.
Here is another metro train station museum. This is at Syntagma Station. A long section of wall recreates the layers of excavation showing several graves throughout the years.
Several showcases display pottery, oil lamps, and grave stones.
Saint Sunday Chapel
January 6, 2012Posted by Kanga.
This lovely little chapel is in the Central Market area. We visited it twice. Once on our own and again with our food tour guide.
It is quite lovely inside with paintings of the saints.
The soot from the candles burnt over the years has obscured the paintings on the ceiling so that only the golden halos show clearly now.
Nearby, was a shop with religious supplies that the average Eastern Orthodox Christian might need. (I did not take a picture, sorry about that.) The wares consisted mainly of candles of various sizes, including some that can be purchased by the foot, as well as pictures of the saints. What was really interesting was the bins of seeds and grains. It is traditional to cook up a special mix of seeds and grains to be eaten after a funeral. So, there were bins of these and cloth bags that one could put them in.
Basement Taverna
January 3, 2012Posted by Kanga.
You may remember the basement taverna from our food tour post. Nothing would do, but DaddyBird had to go back and have another meal there before we left Athens. We got a cozy little table right next to the wine barrels. The owner makes his own wine in these barrels. DaddyBird says it is the best retsina wine.
A reprise of the fava mash (actually made with yellow lentils, we suspect).
We didn’t really order anything. They recognized us from two days before and automatically brought the fava mash, chick peas and vegetable stew. He asked if we wanted fish, but we had more than enough, so declined it.
Here’s a glimpse of the doorway and the kitchen area. The menu is limited – just three hot items, fried fish, and bread. We saw a variety of clients, from old Greeks to blondes in leopard print coats.
This is a gem, well worth a second visit.
More Athens Street Art
January 2, 2012Posted by Kanga.
Waltz, Gigi?
Fear is a prominent theme.
I’m fairly certain that the guy above is about to beat up the guys below.
They are just too, too happy.
This one is a serious downer, but the technique is interesting.
A rather ambitious, large scale piece.
A cheery smile in an alley.
An economic/religious statement.
ARGH!
It appears this school took the initiative to cut to the chase and invite artists to paint the building rather than waiting to see what might appear randomly.
An economic holiday greeting.
This last one is especially for Rupert. Can you read it?
2011 in review
January 1, 2012The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Lucky Dogs
December 31, 2011Posted by Kanga.
When in Instanbul, we saw many stray dogs, all of whom had tags in their ears. They were all large dogs and all well behaved and friendly.
This is the case in Athens as well. Our food tour guide told us that the dogs are collected, neutered and vaccinated before being released. They all seemed to be healthy and well fed. Shop and property owners allow them to take shelter out of the rain.
Athens, Greece: Day Thirteen
December 29, 2011Posted by Kanga.
We finally got to the National Archaeological Museum during open hours. It is always interesting to see ancient artworks and how finely detailed they sometimes are. This lion and bull are from royal graves in Mycenae ca. 16th century B.C. (approximately 3500 years ago)
DaddyBird got to hang out with Poseidon.
I found this fellow below compelling. This is part of a full size sculpture of a philosopher. He was found in a shipwreck. Only the bronze bits survived. Just imagine the artist spending numerous hours/days/weeks/months creating this, but before it can be installed in its intended display place, it goes down with the ship. If only the artist could know that over 2000 years later it would be one of the most photographed items in a museum. I sat and watched as others came through the doorway, saw him and immediately pulled out their cameras.
How many tries did it take to get a picture of this horse and rider without someone walking through the picture? At least four. It is a rather amazing piece.
They don’t seem to be able to make up their mind whether this is Zeus throwing a lightning bolt or Poseidon throwing his trident. Since the weapon is missing, there is no clue.
The woman standing to the left was interesting to watch. She was almost floating around the room with a beatific look on her face.
To see the rest of the pictures, click here.
Athens, Greece: Day Twelve
December 28, 2011Posted by Kanga.
Today we hit the road. We arranged a day trip to Delphi with George, the Famous Taxi Driver. It started with pick up at our apartment at 8 am (and ended back at the same spot around 5 pm). Costas was our driver for the day.
We stopped briefly in Arachova, a mountain town that serves as the happening winter vacation spot for Greeks. Quite beautiful and amazing to see it clinging to the side of the mountain.
A short distance beyond Arachova, we reached the ancient site of Delphi, where the Oracle of Delphi presided at the Temple to Apollo.
Stairs. Why must there always be stairs?
Seeing Mount Parnassus and the view of the valley from the temple site, I was beginning to see why someone might choose this location.
More stairs! There was plenty of stair climbing involved, but the views were worth it all.
This is the central attraction, the Temple of Apollos.
Above the Temple is an amphitheater. DaddyBird gave an impromptu performance.
There was even more up the hill, the stadium, but time was slipping through our fingers and we wanted to make it to the museum as well, so back down the hill it was.
My personal favorite was the bull. This was originally a three dimensional, life-size bull sculpture. The center was partially wooden and clay/wax. The metal was forged and then fitted onto the form. It must have been magnificent in its day.
This model shows how the buildings would have looked in their prime.
Just down the road is the gymnasium and the bath house. This bath house was the first round colonnaded building. (Notice the olives in the tree?)
Then we were off to the current village of Delphi for a hearty lunch (earned by much climbing of stairs.)
The water in the distance is the Corinthian Gulf. We had a marvelous day. The weather was perfect. Costas was a great driver and very informative about the history and the area. The food at lunch was terrific, as we have come to expect here.
For the rest of the pictures taken, click here.
