Day 3 Fotos* from Athens

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The Roman octagonal Horologion, or Tower of the Winds, is situated below the Acropolis. It was the center for time-keeping with both sun dials and early mechanical water clocks. Like most of the ancient buildings of Athens, it is constructed of Pentelic marble.

This is a view of the Agora, or marketplace, from the path leading up the Acropolis.

A Byzantine church now occupies a part of the Agora.

We paused on our way to the top to view the city from the Areopagus (Mars Hill) outcrop from which St. Paul addressed the Athenians.

It took awhile to gain entrance to the Acropolis but it was well worth the wait. I had wanted to stand in front of the Parthenon since I was a boy.

Restoration work is still going on at the Parthenon but that didn't stop the crowds.

The Erechtheion is another temple on the Acropolis. It was used for the worship of Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus. It is perhaps best known for the Porch of the Caryatids.

This is a closer view of the . The Erechtheion was constructed around 420 BC.

A view along the base of the Parthenon reveals a slight rise in the floor. This is a common Greek architectural trick.

Many of the statues from the Acropolis are now protected inside the museum.

An incredible number of intact artifacts are on display. The crowd was so big that it was difficult to linger and really appreciate all of the displays.

The West Stoa of the Agora was reconstructed with money from the Rockefeller Foundation. The breezeway provides relief from the midday sun.Many artifacts, such as those above, are on display in the museum.

The Greek Temple of Hephaestus overlooks the Agora from the hill on the east side.

Doric columns of the Temple of Haphaestus are extremely well preserved around the 6 x 13 colonnade.

I am always impressed by the sheer size of the marble blockes that were used to make the columns.

The West Stoa/Museum is seen in the distance on the far side of the Agora.

The Acropolis towers over the Agora. This foto was taken from the Temple of Hephaestus.

We took the train down to the Piraeus where we walked to our ferry. This view of the port was taken from the upper deck.

The lights of Athens are faintly visible as we set out on the overnight crossing to Crete.

*In my effort to make English a fonetic language, I am trying to avoid using the ph construction. It's a small first step but English would be a lot easier to learn if it were easier to spell. Old habits, however, die hard. You will probably find the ph form in some of these captions.