Athens
We visited Athens in 2004 as they were preparing for the summer Olympics. The Acropolis is the iconic image of Athens rising above the city with the ruins of the Pantheon and the smaller Erechtheum. Our guide told us that during the Venetian siege of 1687, the Greeks were storing gun powder in the Pantheon; it ignited, and blew the roof off the building. There has been extensive restoration work over the last 300 years to repair that and other damage. The new Acropolis Museum was not open in 2004, but there was a smaller museum on site which was very nice. From the Acropolis there is a great view of the Odeon of Herodes Atticusin where the Greek National Opera sometimes performs, the theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, an ancient temple of Zeus, as well as an outstanding view of the city itself.
The National Archeological Museum is well with a visit. It contains the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities. We were lucky to get an archeologist as our museum guild. She was really able to give us insights into the culture and people related to the artifacts we saw.
Read MoreThe National Archeological Museum is well with a visit. It contains the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities. We were lucky to get an archeologist as our museum guild. She was really able to give us insights into the culture and people related to the artifacts we saw.
