Page 6: Athens and Ephesus 2010

Athens and Ephesus 2010

Athens, Greece

Athens is a busy city and not very attractive. We have a tour booked that will take us to the Acropolis in the morning and Corinth in the afternoon.

The ancient citadel of Acropolis located high above Athens. Getting up there to visit the ruins is quite a climb.

Here's Bill, ever the show-off in front of the Parthenon.

We are travelling at the end of August and so there are hundreds of tourists and it is very hot. Nonetheless, we are both awed to be actually in the presence of such an iconic piece of architecture dedicated to the Goddess Athena.

In the afternoon, we visit the ancient city of Corinth. Thank God for our excellent guide. The narrative makes everything so interesting and educational.

This is the Corinthian Canal built by hand in the 19th century (using chisels - no explosives)! It joins the Ionian and Agean Seas. The idea was to shorten the journey from one sea to the other by 700 kms. The problem is that it is now too narrow to accommodate modern ship.

Ephesus, Turkey

Ephesus was originally an ancient Greek city, but it became a Roman city during the Roman Era. This is very much the case for most Mediterranean cities that pre-date the Roman Era. Ephesus is well preserved and has a very interesting history.

Bill forgot his dapper panama hat in the bus, so he had to hastily buy one at a stand near the entrance to the site. Isn't he cute? He looks a bit like Mr. Magoo....

Because most people couldn't read, they posted carved signs telling folks what they would find on the streets they were about to enter. Not sure what this one is about...

These are public toilets. People would actually sit side-by-side to do their business.  The urine was collected, processed and sold as ammonia. Very ingenious!

Restoration is vigorously ongoing. The paintings on the walls can still be distinguished quite clearly. 

These are clay pipes used for sewage and/or to carry hot water through the house for heating purposes. Quite advanced.

A large library dominates the end of the main street.

The city had a large stadium originally built for ceremonies or sports, but when the Romans conquered the city, it was used for gladiator and wild animal fights.  Also, Christians were persecuted here and thrown to the lions. 

They put on a show for us just before we leave, so we have an idea of what gladiator fights look like - I'm sure they were nothing as tame as this!

View my next blog, Istanbul 2010.