Athens

Hermes, Messenger of Gods and Protector of Travelers

The Parthenon

Even in the blistering heat of an Athenian summer, the Parthenon commanded our attention, as all Athens lay sprawled at its feet. The walk up the Acropolis to see it was a pilgrimage, and we were the newest devotees come to pay homage. This was the shining masterpiece of Pericles' vision, a dedication to the goddess Athena which was to reflect Greek achievement in proportion, harmony, aesthetics, art and engineering. And reaching across the millennia, the site communicates to us today the grand scale on which this society met these goals.

The view over Athens

The Hephaistion

The Ancient Agora (Marketplace) where Socrates once held
dialogues on morality and mortality

The Ayii Apostoloi in the Agora

National Archaeological Museum

Highlights from the formidable collection

Zeus, or Poseidon. We'd know if we had found a thunderbolt or a trident in his hand.

Cycladic sculpture. The sleek modern look of these figures,
which pre-date the Minoans, really appealed to both Suresh and me

Pigs make me smile. From the Cycladic collection.

Cycladic musicians (harpist and piper)

Minoan Amphorae: artists' guilds adopted specific styles and themes
so that their work would be readily recognizable. Aditya loved the octopi.

Suresh was thrilled to note there was an entire style of amphora painting
 known as the Geometric Style which was popular in the 8th and 9th centuries BC

Detail of geometric designs on this funerary vase (note reclined figure
and arms of other figures raised in mourning)

Mycenaean funerary gold

Gold, gold, and more gold

Gold covering for the dead

Wow, the gold goes on and on

Memorial marble statue with an inscription
that reads, "Taken too soon from us."

Marble breathed to life from 550 BC

A Sphinx. I was struck by how much evidence we have of
cultural exchange between the Greeks and the Egyptians

Children in the foyer of the museum. Decided to sit
on a rainbow for fun. Completely "arted-out."

Welcome back to Denmark!