0 Greece: Athens' Acropolis

As we walked up the Acropolis we first came across the ruins of the Theatre of Dionysus. 

Paul wanted to sit on a 2500 year old seat.

The fancy seats!  Too bad they were roped off.

At the rear of the stage area. 

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus.   Still used occasionally for big-name concerts.

The Temple of Athena Nike. Also a great example of the restoration/rebuilding work going on at the Acropolis.  The new marble is quite obvious in it's distinction from the old, but allows a true sense of these magnificent buildings.

The Erechtheion...

where the famous Caryatids sit on the southern porch.  These shown are replicas, as the originals are housed in two museums: the New Acropolis Museum holds five, and the one taken by Lord Elgin during his cultural sacking of Athens is currently in the British Museum. 

Detail of the Erechtheion.

Of course, the Parthenon!

Replicas of the frieze, the inner panels.  These depict the Great Panathenaia, the great festival that took place every four years celebrating the birth of Athena.

The east pediment, showing the birth of Athena, and the metopes, which depict the Centauromachy. 

Paul, standing to the Northwest of the Parthenon, to show you the sheer magnitude of the building.

The view from our hotel's restaurant.  We ate breakfast (an amazingly delicious and filling breakfast) everyday outside on the patio so we could overlook both the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus.

Cave on the eastern slope of the Acropolis, still being investigated.