The sun is rising as we enter the world famous Acropolis. We stop at the temple of Herodotus to watch the sun rise over the Athenian hills. Then it is off to get some iconic pictures of the Parthenon in what is known as the golden hour of sunlight. Perhaps unsurprisingly there are no queues at this time of year and at eight in the morning but I have played it over cautiously and have pre-booked tickets throughout. My life partner tells me that this is a bucket list item for her and I am so happy to have brought her here.
Constructed around 500 BC on a rocky outcrop high above what is now a city, the Acropolis evolved into a number of temples celebrating the goddess Athena after whom Athens is named. Athena is a daughter of Zeus and is revered for her her wisdom, warfare and handicraft. When it came to Athens it was a choice between the gods Poseidon and Athena. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and water came forth. Athena provided an olive tree and she won the contest. We spend a magic 2 hours wandering around absorbing the history and scenery.
The afternoon has us walking to the Panathenaic Stadium. Just behind Syntagma square it is the stadium for the first modern day Olympics in 1896. In 1894 Baron Pierre de Coubertin proposed a modern day Olympiad in Greece. Athens pulled it off and it was a huge success. In those days it was less about nations and more about individual athletes. A Victorian named Edwin Flack was studying in the UK and decided to enrol for the games. He won gold in 2 races and bronze in tennis is is Australia’s first Olympians. His efforts had Australia 8th on the medals table. Punters can now enjoy the stadium and run around the track channeling their inner athlete. It is irritable and corny to play Chariots of Fire while running around the track but I went there.
