Wandering through Time and Place

Exploring the world with Curtis and Peggy Mekemson
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  • Tag: Athens

    • Athens: Part 2… Armchair Travel in the Age of Coronavirus

      Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
      Apr 10th

      I continue my exploration of Athens today as part of my armchair travel series, dipping back into my hundreds of archived posts. You will learn what gave Zeus a splitting headache. Hint: It wasn’t Covid-19.

      The massive Temple of Zeus located near the base of the Acropolis.

      We like our gods to have a touch of humanity. The Greek gods had more than their share. They would party on Olympus, chase after the opposite sex, and constantly intervene in human affairs. They could be jealous, revengeful and petty but they could also be generous and protective. It was good to have one on your side.

      The replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee has a replica of what the statue of Athena located in the historic Parthenon may have looked like.
      The replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee has a fully sized model of what the statue of Athena located in the historic Parthenon may have looked like. I think the spear alone would have given Zeus a headache.

      Each Greek city-state would choose a god to be its special protector. With Athens, it was Athena. Both the Parthenon and the Erechtheion on the Acropolis (featured on my last blog) were built in her honor. Athena, according to Greek mythology, sprang fully grown and armed from the head of Zeus. Not surprisingly, Zeus had a massive headache prior to her birth. You might call it a splitting headache. His son, Hephaestus, god of the forge and blacksmiths, took his mighty chisel and split opened Zeus’s head, thus releasing Athena and relieving Zeus.

      Zeus was also honored in Athens with a massive temple located near the base of the Acropolis. In addition to being the king of the gods and father of Athena, he was a notorious womanizer. He married his sister Hera, who was constantly trying to thwart his womanizing ways. One of Zeus’s more famous trysts was with the renowned beauty Leda. Zeus seduced her in the guise of a swan, so the story goes. It was a favorite subject of Renaissance Painters. One result of the seduction was that Leda went home and laid an egg, from which the even more beautiful Helen of Troy was hatched.

      Our guides took us to see the Zeus temple and then on to visit site of the 2004 Summer Olympics. We stopped off to watch the changing of the guards in front of the Prime Minister’s official seat of government and hurried on to a very expensive restaurant that our guides had selected.  I assume they received a handsome kickback. Sadly, our time was running out and we returned to the ship. Other sites would have to wait for another time.

      A side view of the Temple of Zeus in Athens looking grey against grey skies.
      A side view of the Temple of Zeus in Athens looking grey against grey skies.
      Another photo of the Zeus Temple in Athens. This one features the upper part of the columns with their Corinthian tops.
      Another photo of the Zeus Temple in Athens. This one features the upper part of the columns with their tops decorated in the Corinthian style.
      In 1852 a storm topped one of the massive columns from the Temple of Zeus and it has remained there ever since.
      In 1852 a storm topped one of the massive columns from the Temple of Zeus and it has remained there ever since.
      We watched as guards high stepped their way through the Changing of the Guards at the Prime Ministers seat of government.
      We watched as guards high stepped their way through the Changing of the Guards at the Prime Minister’s seat of government. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)
      I found the choice of shoes, um, interesting.
      I found the choice of shoes, um, interesting. At least the guards were guaranteed warm toes on a cold night.
      The site of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens features a statue of a discus thrower winding up to throw.
      The site of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens features a statue of a discus thrower winding up to throw.
      One of several courses from our expensive Greek lunch.
      One of several courses from our expensive Greek lunch.
      Peggy and I and pose with our two Greek guides.
      Peggy and I and pose with our two Greek guides. As I recall, their cousins owned the restaurant.

      On Monday I will feature ten activities to keep away the blues during home-sheltering. They may not all be for you— such as capturing ground squirrels or searching for trees that might fit into Lord of the Rings or some other fantasy. (We have a whole forest of them.) Other’s might strike a chord. For example, most parents are now learning a lot more about home-schooling than they ever wanted to learn. But how about home-schooling for adults?

      Posted in Wandering The World | Tagged Athens, Site of 2004 Summer Olympics, Temple of Zeus

    • Athens: Part 1… Armchair Travel in the Time of Coronavirus

      Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
      Apr 8th
      The Acropolis with its graceful Parthenon shown above is probably the wold’s most famous historic site.

      I continue to reach back into my archives today to provide more armchair adventures as the world reels under the coronavirus pandemic. Like you, Peggy and I are ‘sheltering at home’ while reliving past travel experiences and dreaming of future ones. They will come.

      Athens was grumpy. Several years of extravagant spending by the Greek government and its citizens had come home to roost. The European Union had required steep austerity measures in Greece as the price of a pulling the nation back from the brink of fiscal chaos. Nothing was spared from spending cuts including social services, wages and pensions. A massive influx of impoverished immigrants and a nascent neo-Nazi movement added to the country’s woes. Everyone was expected to make sacrifices to help solve the crisis.

      Since sacrifices are best made by someone else, there had been massive strikes and violence in the country.

      Standing near the Temple of Zeus, we watched as yet another group of protestors hit the streets of Athens.
      Standing near the Temple of Zeus, we watched as yet another group of protestors hit the streets of Athens.

      We didn’t know what to expect but had decided to see Athens on our own. Tours offered by the cruise line are very expensive. They help assure a healthy profit margin. There is little encouragement for independent exploration. No handy-dandy sheets are handed out saying this is what you should do if you want to see such and such on your own.

      Normally our self-guided tours worked great but Athens proved to be challenging.

      From the moment we stepped off the ship, taxi drivers offering tours inundated us. Tourism had dropped with the fiscal crisis and was dropping even farther with the end of the tourist season. The air of desperation turned to rudeness when it was discovered we were planning to use public transit. Finding the right bus stop and the right bus turned out difficult, however. When we finally did find the bus, it was leaving. Out of frustration I turned to a taxi driver. We were able to hire two taxis for an all day tour for the six of us that was substantially less than the cruise tours.

      Was it worth all the hassle? Absolutely.

      Much of who we are in the West evolved from what happened in the City State of Athens between 500 and 350 BC. We visited the cradle of democracy and walked where Socrates and Plato had walked. We climbed up the Acropolis and admired the Parthenon and other buildings that have been a major inspiration for Western architecture for 2000 years. We watched the changing of the guard at the Prime Minister’s residence, visited the site of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, and concluded our tour with an expensive but excellent Greek meal.

      If you are a history buff, as I am, having your photo taken with the Parthenon as a backdrop is a true privilege.
      If you are a history buff, as I am, having your photo taken with the Parthenon as a backdrop is a true privilege. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)
      This corner shot shows one of the few statues that remain of many that once decorated the Parthenon. (Many can be found in the British Museum.)
      A close up of the corner  shown behind me above features one of the few statues that remain of many that once decorated the Parthenon. (Many can be found in the British Museum.)
      Extensive renovation work is being done on the Parthenon, as well as other buildings on the Acropolis. ( Photo by Peggy Mekemson)
      Extensive renovation work was being done on the Parthenon, as well as other buildings on the Acropolis. ( Photo by Peggy Mekemson)
      A full-scale replica of the Parthenon as it would have looked like originally can be found in Nashville, Tennessee. We stopped by to check it out after our Mediterranean tour while visiting with our daughter and her family.
      A full-scale replica of the Parthenon as it would have looked like originally can be found in Nashville, Tennessee. We stopped by to check it out after our Mediterranean tour while visiting with our daughter Natasha and her family.
      My grandson Ethan provides an interesting perspective in this Nashville photo on the original size of the Parthenon.
      My grandson Ethan provided an interesting perspective in this Nashville photo on the original size of the Parthenon.
      Another impressive building on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion. An olive tree decorates the front of the building.
      Another impressive building on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion. An olive tree decorates the front of the building.
      Another important building on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion, which includes the Porch of the Caryatids, lovely Greek maidens who have been turned into graceful columns.
      The Erechtheion  includes the Porch of the Caryatids, lovely Greek maidens who served as graceful columns. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)
      A close up of the Elechtheion, windows, and an olive tree representing Athena's gift to Athens.
      A close up of the Erechtheion, windows, and an olive tree representing Athena’s gift to Athens.
      This is a shot looking upward at the end of the Erechtheon opposite the Porch of the Caryatids.
      This is a shot looking upward at the end of the Erechtheion opposite the Porch of the Caryatids.
      Looking upward at the Temple of Nike on the Acropolis.
      A final view: The Temple of Nike on the Acropolis.

      On Friday we will return to Athens and discover what gave Zeus his horrendous headache.

      Posted in Wandering The World | Tagged Armchair travel in the Time of Coronavirus, Armchair travel to Athens in the time of coronavirus, Athens, the acroposlis, the Parthenon

    • Athens and A Splitting Headache: Greek God Style… The Mediterranean Cruise

      Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
      Feb 15th

      The massive Temple of Zeus located near the base of the Acropolis.

      The massive Temple of Zeus located near the base of the Acropolis.

      We like our gods to have a touch of humanity. The Greek gods had more than their share. They would party on Olympus, chase after the opposite sex, and constantly intervene in human affairs. They could be jealous, revengeful and petty but they could also be generous and protective. It was good to have one on your side.

      The replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee has a replica of what the statue of Athena located in the historic Parthenon may have looked like.

      The replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee has a fully sized model of what the statue of Athena located in the historic Parthenon may have looked like. I think the spear alone would have given Zeus a headache.

      Each Greek city-state would choose a god to be its special protector. With Athens, it was Athena. Both the Parthenon and the Erechtheion on the Acropolis (featured on my last blog) were built in her honor. Athena, according to Greek mythology, sprang fully grown and armed from the head of Zeus. Not surprisingly, Zeus had a massive headache prior to her birth. You might call it a splitting headache. His son, Hephaestus, god of the forge and blacksmiths, took his mighty chisel and split opened Zeus’s head, thus releasing Athena and relieving Zeus.

      Zeus was also honored in Athens with a massive temple located near the base of the Acropolis. In addition to being the king of the gods and father of Athena, he was a notorious womanizer. He married his sister Hera, who was constantly trying to thwart his womanizing ways. One of Zeus’s more famous trysts was with the renowned beauty Leda. Zeus seduced her in the guise of a swan, so the story goes. It was a favorite subject of Renaissance Painters. One result of the seduction was that Leda went home and laid an egg, from which the even more beautiful Helen of Troy was hatched.

      Our guides took us to see the Zeus temple and then on to visit site of the 2004 Summer Olympics. We stopped off to watch the changing of the guards in front of the Prime Minister’s official seat of government and hurried on to a very expensive restaurant that our guides had selected.  I assume they received a handsome kickback. Sadly, our time was running out and we returned to the ship. Other sites would have to wait for another time.

      A side view of the Temple of Zeus in Athens looking grey against grey skies.

      A side view of the Temple of Zeus in Athens looking grey against grey skies.

      Another photo of the Zeus Temple in Athens. This one features the upper part of the columns with their Corinthian tops.

      Another photo of the Zeus Temple in Athens. This one features the upper part of the columns with their tops decorated in the Corinthian style.

      In 1852 a storm topped one of the massive columns from the Temple of Zeus and it has remained there ever since.

      In 1852 a storm topped one of the massive columns from the Temple of Zeus and it has remained there ever since.

      We watched as guards high stepped their way through the Changing of the Guards at the Prime Ministers seat of government.

      We watched as guards high stepped their way through the Changing of the Guards at the Prime Ministers seat of government. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

      I found the choice of shoes, um, interesting.

      I found the choice of shoes, um, interesting. At least the guards were guaranteed warm toes on a cold night.

      The site of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens features a statue of a discus thrower winding up to throw.

      The site of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens features a statue of a discus thrower winding up to throw.

      One of several courses from our expensive Greek lunch.

      One of several courses from our expensive Greek lunch.

      Peggy and I and pose with our two Greek guides.

      Peggy and I and pose with our two Greek guides.

      NEXT BLOG: We journey to the enchanting Greek Island of Corfu on our Mediterranean Cruise adventure.

      Posted in Wandering The World | Tagged 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Acropolis, adventure, Athena, Athens, Athens Greece, Changing of Guards in Athens, Leda and the Swan, Mediterranean Cruise, Myth of Athena's birth, Temple of Zeus, Zeus

    • Athens… The Cradle of Democracy and Unrest… The Mediterranean Cruise

      Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
      Feb 11th

      The Acropolis with its graceful Parthenon shown above is probably the wold's most famous historic site.

      The Parthenon, standing proudly on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, is probably the wold’s best known historic site.

      Athens was grumpy. Several years of extravagant spending by the Greek government and its citizens had come home to roost with the worldwide financial crisis of 2009. The European Union had required steep austerity measures in Greece as the price of a pulling the nation back from the brink of fiscal chaos. Nothing was sacred from spending cuts including social services, wages and pensions. A massive influx of impoverished immigrants and a nascent neo-Nazi movement added to the country’s woes. Everyone was expected to make sacrifices to help solve the crisis.

      Since sacrifices are best made by someone else, there had been massive strikes and violence in the country.

      Standing near the Temple of Zeus, we watched as yet another group of protestors hit the streets of Athens.

      Standing near the Temple of Zeus, we watched as yet another group of protestors hit the streets of Athens.

      We didn’t know what to expect but had decided to see Athens on our own. Tours offered by the cruise line were very expensive. It helps assure a healthy profit margin. There is neither encouragement nor support for independent exploration. No handy-dandy sheets are handed out saying this is what you should do if you want to see such and such on your own.

      Normally our self-guided tours worked great but Athens proved to be challenging.

      From the moment we stepped off the ship, taxi drivers offering tours inundated us. Tourism had dropped with the fiscal crisis and was dropping even farther with the end of the tourist season. The air of desperation turned to rudeness when it was discovered we were planning to use public transit. Finding the right bus stop and the right bus turned out difficult, however. When we finally did find the bus it was pulling out of the bus stop. Out of frustration I turned to a taxi driver. We were able to hire two taxis for an all day tour for the six of us that was substantially less than the cruise tours.

      Was it worth all the hassle? Absolutely.

      Much of who we are in the West evolved from what happened in the City State of Athens between 500 and 350 BC. We visited the cradle of democracy and walked where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle had walked. We climbed up the Acropolis and admired the Parthenon and other buildings that have been a major inspiration for Western architecture for 2000 years. We watched the changing of the guard at the Prime Minister’s residence, visited the site of the Athens 2004 summer Olympics and concluded out tour with an expensive but excellent Greek meal.

      If you are a history buff, as I am, having your photo taken with the Parthenon as a backdrop is a true privilege.

      If you are a history buff, as I am, having your photo taken with the Parthenon as a backdrop is a true privilege. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

      This corner shot shows one of the few statues that remain of many that once decorated the Parthenon. (Many can be found in the British Museum.)

      A close up of the corner  shown behind me above features one of the few statues that remain of many that once decorated the Parthenon. (Many can be found in the British Museum.)

      Extensive renovation work is being done on the Parthenon, as well as other buildings on the Acropolis. ( Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

      Extensive renovation work is being done on the Parthenon, as well as other buildings on the Acropolis. ( Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

      A full-scale replica of the Parthenon as it would have looked like originally can be found in Nashville, Tennessee. We stopped by to check it out after our Mediterranean tour while visiting with our daughter and her family.

      A full-scale replica of the Parthenon as it would have looked like originally can be found in Nashville, Tennessee. We stopped by to check it out after our Mediterranean tour while visiting with our daughter Natasha and her family.

      My grandson Ethan provides an interesting perspective in this Nashville photo on the original size of the Parthenon.

      My grandson Ethan provides an interesting perspective in this Nashville photo on the original size of the Parthenon.

      Another impressive building on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion. An olive tree decorates the front of the building.

      Another impressive building on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion. An olive tree decorates the front of the building.

      Another important building on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion, which includes the Porch of the Caryatids, lovely Greek maidens who have been turned into graceful columns.

      the Erechtheion  includes the Porch of the Caryatids, lovely Greek maidens who have been turned into graceful columns. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

      A close up of the Elechtheion, windows, and an olive tree representing Athena's gift to Athens.

      A close up of the Erechtheion, windows, and an olive tree representing Athena’s gift to Athens.

      This is a shot looking upward at the end of the Erechtheon opposite the Porch of the Caryatids.

      This is a shot looking upward at the end of the Erechtheion opposite the Porch of the Caryatids.

      Looking upward at the Temple of Nike on the Acropolis.

      A final view: The Temple of Nike on the Acropolis.

      NEXT BLOG: We continue our exploration of Athens with a visit to the huge temple of Zeus, see the site of the 1904 Olympics, watch guards do the kick step and eat fish and moussaka for lunch. Note, in order to make more time for other writing projects, I will be blogging on our Mediterranean Cruise Adventure on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

      Posted in Wandering The World | Tagged Acropolis, adventure, Athens, Caryatids, Erechtheon, Greece, Greek, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Cruise, Parthenon, Temple of Nike on the Acropolis

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