Day 11 – Tuesday, October 20: Fly to Athens, Mar’s Hill, Acropolis, Parthenon, City Tour
For 15 of us going to Athens , the day started early, with a departure time of 1:30 a.m. from the hotel. Others in the group flew directly back to the U.S. later this morning. When we arrived in Athens, the weather in sunny and mild, with temps in the 70s. Beautiful!
Athens
After going through Rome (a change in the original flight schedule), we arrived at about 11:40 a.m. in Athens. We were greeted by Tasos, our Expedition agent, and our driver, Alexander. We boarded the bus and drove to the area of the Acropolis where we met Aliki. We first enjoyed a gyro for lunch before visiting Mar’s Hill. Unfortunately, Aliki, who suffered a knee injury last week, is only able to guide us today here in Athens. However, Sophia (a good friend and colleague of Aliki and a tour guide used by John before several times) is available for the next two days. We were in good hands!
Rock of Aeropagus/Mars Hill
We first visited the Rock of Aeropagus (Mars Hill). This is where Paul boldly spoke of his faith and about the resurrection to the “high court” of the day. This was not simply an invitation to Paul to talk “philosophy” with the leaders of Athens. Rather, Paul was literally “seized” / “dragged” (Greek: epilambano) to appear before this judicial court, who centuries before sentenced Socrates to death (in 399 BC) for teaching something new to young people. With the Acropolis above us and the agora (marketplace), Stoa, and other temples below us, we could almost hear Paul’s words as he spoke His word in reference to the “Unknown God” of Athens. We read his words shared precisely at this location from Acts 17 where Paul shared about the “resurrection of Christ” (for sure a new teaching for these Athenians). As a result of Paul’s bold sharing and the working of the Holy Spirit, Dionysius and Damaris and “a number of others” (v.34) who listened to Paul came to faith in Christ!
Acropolis
Next, we climbed to the top of the Acropolis, a wonderful archaeological and ancient cultural highlight of Athens! We walked slowly up the steps of the Propylaea (gateway/entrance) to the top. Here once stood a 30 foot bronze statue of Athena. On top of the Acropolis is the Erechtheion. This was a most important temple dedicated to Athena, Poseidon and Erechtos.
However, the Parthenon is the most identifiable temple-structure on top. It was built with 17 pillars on the long side and 8 on the short side (based on the classic ratio). The columns are of the Doric order. It was finished in 10 years (447-438 BC). Another 5-6 years was spent in decoration. In 432 BC it was finally completed. The architects were the best Greece could offer. Phidias was one of the supervisors. 4000 people worked on the Parthenon. It was not built by slaves but rather the best of Greeks. The Athena statue stood inside the temple. It was 40 feet tall made of ivory and bronze. 5000 pieces of marble from there Parthenon taken in early 19th century by Englishmen. This collection is now displayed in the British museum.
City Bus Tour of Athens
Finally to complete the afternoon, we boarded the bus for a brief city tour of Athens. We saw The Temple of Zeus, the Arch of Hadrian, the Olympic Stadium (restored and used in the 1896 Olympics), and Constitution Square. We also saw impressive neo-classical buildings of the 19th century (e.g. Science & Art, Education, and National Library buildings).
It’s exciting to be here in Greece and we look forward to seeing some of the country to the north of Athens tomorrow on our drive north to the classic site of Delphi.
Day 12 – Wednesday, October 21: Delphi, Athens, Lycabetus
“Fifteen of us in the group flew to Athens this morning! We begin a 4-day extension here in Greece. We had a great afternoon visiting Mar’s Hill and the Acropolis. The Parthenon is certainly impressive!”
