241: athens, greece

Day 9:

Athens, Greece

Athens was absolutely amazing, but boy, was it HOT! Not only hot, but humid. We took a 25 minute train from the port to get into the heart of Athens.  Then a quick metro to get to the site of the Acropolis. It was awesome in size and in it's preservation. There was a lot of scaffolding, as they are continually restoring these amazing finds. 

 Old Temple of Athena...Erechtheum

 Odeon of Herodes Atticus

 Porch of the Carytids

All the steps were made of finely polished marble, and the steps were steep. Not the wisest choice. People were slipping like crazy while we were there and there wasn't even any water. I can only imagine what it must be like when it rains. 

 Temple of Hephaistos

 View of the Acropolis from the Roman Agora..lower towns.

 Hadrian Arch

Zeus's Temple

Zeus's Temple

 Taking his place center stage in the original Olympic stadium!

This was definitely a highlight for Jim who loves all things Olympics. He even took his own, personal lap around the track.

The view of the Acropolis from Olympic Stadium

 A hidden room we found down the athletes tunnel housed all the original posters and flame torches from each of the olympics. It was pretty impressive and fun to see these torches up close and personal.

The athletes tunnel..

I'm "slapping the sign"!  It's a tradition that started with the Norte Dame football team.  They would slap a sign that was painted above the tunnel as they would run out, to get to the field.  It was to remind them of the sacrifices they had made, their parents, their coaches, and anyone else that had made, that had gotten them to that point.  It reminded them to play to the best of their ability and never give up!  

I use this same idea in my seminary classroom. Each day, I have student slap the sign above our door before they leave to remind them to "Go and Do"!

Holy Sandal Batman!

These dogs looked absolutely miserable! It was hot and they just laid there like they were dead.