Athens - Assorted Ruins, Acropolis Museum

In the morning we went to a few minor sights around the acropolis, including Hadrian's Library, the Roman Forum, and the Ancient Agora. There wasn't much to see at Hadrian's Library, though it looks like they have just started rebuilding it from virtually nothing.

From Athens

The Roman Forum included the Tower of Wind, which used to have a weather vane on top, a few sun dials, and a water clock inside for rainy days.

From Athens

The Ancient Agora was actually a big site with lots of old foundations and a temple that they claim is the best preserved Ancient Greek Temple anywhere. It was small, and in slightly better shape than the ones in Paestum. It was really nice.

From Athens

In the same area we dropped into an old little church with great acoustics.

Then we moved on to the shiny new Acropolis Museum, where we saw what's left of the statuary and friezes from the Parthenon. Unfortunately, there's not a lot left. And a lot of what is left is in the British Museum. The highlight here was the recreated model of the pediment statuary based on sketches from around 1900. The new display for the original statuary is at either end of the top floor arranged as it was originally, with views of the Acropolis in the background. The stated goal is to give a better sense of the original feel. However, disembodied without their building, along with so many pieces missing, it seems like it mostly emphasizes what has been lost. More like a memorial with a collection of empty chairs.

From Athens

After the museum we stopped for lunch then picked up our stuff from our hotel and hopped the bus for Delphi just in time for it to start raining. We got to Delphi around 7pm and checked into a cheap hotel (25 Euros) with a fantastic view. Then we out for a huge dinner of gyro, souvlaki, and Greek salad for under 10 Euros. The days of Greece being fantastically cheap may be over, but after a few weeks in well-to-do places like Austria and Germany, the prices are seeming pretty fantastic to us. Maybe we'll end this trip less over budget than expected.

From Athens