5/18 Corinth, Athens
What a full day! We checked out of our hotel in Tolo and rode our bus to the site of ancient Corinth. The ruins there were quite interesting; the site had been a city/town, so there were many shops and dwellings whose foundations were still intact. In the museum, there was quite a collection of pottery, for which the Corinthians were well-known. We drove a few miles further and took a photo break at the Isthmus Canal in Corinth. That was amazing--the walls went very deep. We then proceeded on to Athens. Our first stop was our hotel, where we checked in and bid a fond farewell to our friendly bus driver. Our hotel has a prime location; after lunch, it was only a ten- or fifteen-minute walk to the Acropolis. We were all captivated by this famous site; it lived up to our expectations! The Acropolis is the term used for the whole site up on the hill. Within the Acropolis are a few buildings, the most famous of which is the Parthenon. Other buildings we saw were the Temple to Erechtheions and the Temple to Hephaistos, which was down below amidst the trees--very picturesque. It was another stifling hot day, so we collectively downed gallons of water as we trooped around the sites today. It was well worth it, though. After the Acropolis, we had a little time before supper at our hotel, so some rested or watched TV while others got a head start on their shopping.
Three Corinthian columns at ancient Corinth.
Temple to Apollo at Corinth.
Erinn, Holly, and Tonya inspect a Roman mosaic in the museum at Corinth.
Mark and Holly with some pottery items in the Corinthian museum.
Isthmus canal at modern Corinth.
A view from below of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in the heart of Athens.
Climbing the front steps to the entrance to the Acropolis.
The Roman theatre at the Acropolis.
A view out from the front steps on the Acropolis.
Aerial shot of Athens from the Acropolis with the ancient Temple of Zeus in the middle.
Parthenon back view.
The Parthenon, commissioned by Pericles and finished around 438 BC.
Another structure on the Acropolis, the Erechtheion sanctuary, served as a temple for the cults of Athena, Poseidon, and Erechthonius. Note the Caryatids, the maiden statues that take the place of the columns.
Back view of the Erechtheion.
Doorway into the Erechtheion.
The Temple of Hephaistos as seen from the Acropolis.
Front view of the Temple of Hephaistos.