I figure by naming this post "Mars Hill" I'll probably double the amount of hits my blog gets. The name seems to be very popular these days, what with all the church-type-organizations borrowing it. But in reality, that is where I started my day (or really, where I started the educational part of my day...I didn't wake up on Mars Hill, don't worry).
To recap, in the last week we have visited Samos, Patmos, Syros, and Kea on the Morning Star. Yesterday we sailed (or rather, motored -- the wind has been on our nose pretty much the entire trip, and with a timeline to keep, sailing has been impossible) from Kea to Raphina where Hellenic Ministries graciously met us with vans and transported us to our hotel in Athens. Saying good-bye to the boat and its crew was a little bittersweet...but it is nice to have daily hot showers, a regular twin-sized bed, and somewhat more regular mealtimes. :)
This morning we walked from our hotel, past Omonia Square, and on to the area of ancient Athens, including Mars Hill where we stopped and talked for a while. We were then given a list of sites to see and sent out on our own to see what we could.
I ended up with Michael, Ian, and Jeff, and the four of us decided to visit the New Acropolis Museum first. It was a little overwhelming. The number of artifacts seemed nearly infinite, some of them so similar and with so little context it was difficult to know what to look or how to process what you had seen. I was probably most interested in the pottery and other little artifacts. Some of them were very similar to things that have been found in and around Jerusalem, but in Israel such exquisite finds are much rarer. Metal statues, for example, from around the same time have been found, but much fewer and in general not as well preserved. The pottery was also striking, some of it from the 6th and 7th centuries BC (and some even earlier) was delicately formed and intricately painted. In contrast, most of the pottery I've seen from Israel from those times is serviceable but not very attractive. The ruins here are also much more spectacular than ruins from Israel dating to the same period. Greece definitely achieved a higher level of art and craftsmanship earlier than Israel did. I don't mean to exalt or condemn either culture, but the contrast really struck me.
After the museum we headed to the Acropolis, stopping at a couple places along the way, including the theater of Dionyses, which is quite possibly the oldest theater in the world. Oedipus Rex may have premiered there.
We bought gyros for lunch and found that the Agora was closing and wouldn't let us in. Instead we went to the Pnyx where Athenians had their democratic meetings. Shortly after that we managed to find our way back to the hotel without getting lost...which was quite a feat.
Athens is quite a city. The area around the acropolis is quite beautiful, and the booths selling things are as diverse as I've seen anywhere. It felt a little more like a town fair (American Indians and all) than a city bazaar. The area around our hotel is a little less beautiful, reminding me a bit of the "grey town" from The Great Divorce. The streets just seem all pretty similar, lined with the same types of little shops, most of which seem to never be open. It's an interesting place, but my bed calls, so for tonight...
To recap, in the last week we have visited Samos, Patmos, Syros, and Kea on the Morning Star. Yesterday we sailed (or rather, motored -- the wind has been on our nose pretty much the entire trip, and with a timeline to keep, sailing has been impossible) from Kea to Raphina where Hellenic Ministries graciously met us with vans and transported us to our hotel in Athens. Saying good-bye to the boat and its crew was a little bittersweet...but it is nice to have daily hot showers, a regular twin-sized bed, and somewhat more regular mealtimes. :)
This morning we walked from our hotel, past Omonia Square, and on to the area of ancient Athens, including Mars Hill where we stopped and talked for a while. We were then given a list of sites to see and sent out on our own to see what we could.
I ended up with Michael, Ian, and Jeff, and the four of us decided to visit the New Acropolis Museum first. It was a little overwhelming. The number of artifacts seemed nearly infinite, some of them so similar and with so little context it was difficult to know what to look or how to process what you had seen. I was probably most interested in the pottery and other little artifacts. Some of them were very similar to things that have been found in and around Jerusalem, but in Israel such exquisite finds are much rarer. Metal statues, for example, from around the same time have been found, but much fewer and in general not as well preserved. The pottery was also striking, some of it from the 6th and 7th centuries BC (and some even earlier) was delicately formed and intricately painted. In contrast, most of the pottery I've seen from Israel from those times is serviceable but not very attractive. The ruins here are also much more spectacular than ruins from Israel dating to the same period. Greece definitely achieved a higher level of art and craftsmanship earlier than Israel did. I don't mean to exalt or condemn either culture, but the contrast really struck me.
After the museum we headed to the Acropolis, stopping at a couple places along the way, including the theater of Dionyses, which is quite possibly the oldest theater in the world. Oedipus Rex may have premiered there.
We bought gyros for lunch and found that the Agora was closing and wouldn't let us in. Instead we went to the Pnyx where Athenians had their democratic meetings. Shortly after that we managed to find our way back to the hotel without getting lost...which was quite a feat.
Athens is quite a city. The area around the acropolis is quite beautiful, and the booths selling things are as diverse as I've seen anywhere. It felt a little more like a town fair (American Indians and all) than a city bazaar. The area around our hotel is a little less beautiful, reminding me a bit of the "grey town" from The Great Divorce. The streets just seem all pretty similar, lined with the same types of little shops, most of which seem to never be open. It's an interesting place, but my bed calls, so for tonight...
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