Athena
is the capital
of modern Greece, and has
been
so since it was named after the goddess
Athena (goddess of
war, peace, compassion). During the rule of
Cecrops (half-man and
half-snake), Athens
was considered to
be the crown jewel
of all cities.
The gods Athena
and Poseidon (
the god of the sea
and of earthquakes),
willing to own
the city weren’t
opposed to
fighting for it,
instead, it
was decided that whoever
gave the city
the best gift
would win. Cecrops was to
be the judge and
his decision would
be final. Poseidon was first
and he lifted
his trident and
struck the earth
with it. A beautiful
spring shot
forth, but unfortunately
for Poseidon
the spring was of salt-water.
Athena knelt
and planted an
olive tree. This gift gave
the Athenians the
olives, oil, and
wood. Cecrops deemed
Athena’s the
better gift. As
the winner, Athena
named the city after
herself. Travelling in Athens you
keep in Athens you
keep in mind that
right here ancient
Greeks were exploring the
principals of human being,
through building
myths and granting their Gods
with human qualities
they created a system
of material and
spiritual values,
which is still
relevant. The expressions
commonly used in
modern speech, penetrated
to all the
cultures and languages such
as Sisyphean toil,
Titanic efforts, Panic
fears, giant size
and Oplimpic patience
are a life
proof to that.
Modern Athens has benefited greatly from its historical planners, still of all Europe’s capitals, it is probably the one that has changed the most in recent years. But even though Athens has become a modern metropolis, it still retains a good deal of its old small town feel. Here antiquity meets the future, and the ancient monuments form a classical backdrop to a new and trendier Athens--- and it is precisely these great contrasts that make the city such a fascinating place to explore. Let’s start our walk with Acropolis of Athens, it was both the fortified citadel and state sanctuary of the ancient city. The Propylaea serves as a majestic gateway to the Acropolis. Than comes the Temple of Athena Nike, built on what was originally a Mycenaean outwork. In myth, it was from this spot that Agues watched for his son These us who had gone to defeat the Minotaur. Going further we can find two temples: the Parthenon- a temple of Athens with her chryselephantine statue and the Erecthion, one of the most unusual Greek temples, built upon several levels and incorporating various myths, gods, and previous sacred sites. Myth tells of the god Hephaestus, who attempted to rape Athena. Athena managed elude him at the last possible moment and Helphaestus accidentally impregnated, the earth. Immediately, Erecthonius sprang up on the spot, a child with snake( earth) attributes. Athena took the child and eventually raised it. Erecthonius later became king of Athens and erected a statue to her on the Acropolis.
On the southern slopes of the Acropolis lies the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a roman theatre with room for as many as 5,000spectators. It is used during the annual Athens Festival for world- class ballet and music performances. The Dionysus Theatre lies beside Herodes Atticus, and almost all the tragedies and comedies of Ancient Greece were written for this theatre. The architecture and historical wealth of the your head starts to go round, the varicosity of myths, Gods and temples, the endless flow of tourists reminds you about mundane human nature and at the day-end you seek for a place to sit and enjoy some meal with your friends and give your mind some time to process all the events of the day.
For that you can head to the la place district, where the former handicraft workshops have been converted to trendy restaurants and cafes, and this has continued out to Gazi and Rouf. Many chefs came ‘home’ from Australia or America, carrying granny’s recipes in their luggage, and were appalled at the Turkish menus. You can still find simple taverns serving good home fare, but it is the New Greek cuisine that has been winning all the laurels. The well preserved Plaka, perhaps the city’s most entertaining district, sits just below the Acropolis and is an ideal spot for after dinner revelry, have a frappe, read a newspaper and watch the world go by.
Modern Athens has benefited greatly from its historical planners, still of all Europe’s capitals, it is probably the one that has changed the most in recent years. But even though Athens has become a modern metropolis, it still retains a good deal of its old small town feel. Here antiquity meets the future, and the ancient monuments form a classical backdrop to a new and trendier Athens--- and it is precisely these great contrasts that make the city such a fascinating place to explore. Let’s start our walk with Acropolis of Athens, it was both the fortified citadel and state sanctuary of the ancient city. The Propylaea serves as a majestic gateway to the Acropolis. Than comes the Temple of Athena Nike, built on what was originally a Mycenaean outwork. In myth, it was from this spot that Agues watched for his son These us who had gone to defeat the Minotaur. Going further we can find two temples: the Parthenon- a temple of Athens with her chryselephantine statue and the Erecthion, one of the most unusual Greek temples, built upon several levels and incorporating various myths, gods, and previous sacred sites. Myth tells of the god Hephaestus, who attempted to rape Athena. Athena managed elude him at the last possible moment and Helphaestus accidentally impregnated, the earth. Immediately, Erecthonius sprang up on the spot, a child with snake( earth) attributes. Athena took the child and eventually raised it. Erecthonius later became king of Athens and erected a statue to her on the Acropolis.
On the southern slopes of the Acropolis lies the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a roman theatre with room for as many as 5,000spectators. It is used during the annual Athens Festival for world- class ballet and music performances. The Dionysus Theatre lies beside Herodes Atticus, and almost all the tragedies and comedies of Ancient Greece were written for this theatre. The architecture and historical wealth of the your head starts to go round, the varicosity of myths, Gods and temples, the endless flow of tourists reminds you about mundane human nature and at the day-end you seek for a place to sit and enjoy some meal with your friends and give your mind some time to process all the events of the day.
For that you can head to the la place district, where the former handicraft workshops have been converted to trendy restaurants and cafes, and this has continued out to Gazi and Rouf. Many chefs came ‘home’ from Australia or America, carrying granny’s recipes in their luggage, and were appalled at the Turkish menus. You can still find simple taverns serving good home fare, but it is the New Greek cuisine that has been winning all the laurels. The well preserved Plaka, perhaps the city’s most entertaining district, sits just below the Acropolis and is an ideal spot for after dinner revelry, have a frappe, read a newspaper and watch the world go by.
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