Athens

Aside from spending time on the beautiful coast of Greece over spring break, we also explored Athens. It was pretty incredible to see one of the world's oldest cities with so many original buildings on display. Athens is the capital of Greece, and it is home to over 3 million people! The city was not at all fun to drive in, but once we (when I say we, I mean Don) managed to navigate traffic and find parking, we thoroughly enjoyed the history that lay before us. (Two interesting side notes about Greece: 1) You generally cannot flush your toilet paper there. Their sewage systems just can't handle it. 2) There are stray cats everywhere!)

Our main goal was a visit to the Acropolis, the ancient citadel perched on top of a craggy hill overlooking Athens. The buildings atop the Acropolis date back to the 5th century B.C.

Before we entered the Acropolis, we made one very important stop. Off to the side of the Acropolis lies a smaller hill, the Aeropagus (or Mars Hill). It was on top of this hill that the Apostle Paul addressed the Athenian people against the backdrop of Acropolis (Acts 17:16-34).

At the bottom of the hill, this plaque displays the words Paul spoke.

Standing at the top of the hill, I could just imagine a throng of people standing below listening to Paul.

As Paul spoke to the Athenians about the one true God, he would have had temples to numerous Greek gods behind him.

It was absolutely incredible to stand in that same spot.

Even though I could have sat atop the Aeropagus for hours contemplating the siginificance of who stood here before me and the words he had to say, we still had a lot more to see. Climbing further upward toward the Acropolis, we came upon the Theatre of Dionysus, who was the god of plays and wine. This theatre was the first stone theatre ever built, and reportedly the birthplace of Greek tragedy.

We eventually made it to the gates of the Acropolis, along with a few other people...lol! I'm so glad we went in the "off-season".

Once inside, we laid eyes on the great Parthenon, the Greek temple to the goddess Athena. It's truly incredible to think about how magnificent buildings like this were made in a time so far removed from the conveniences of the world we live in.

(This cutie is April, one of adorable travel companions for the week.)

In addition to the Pathenon, we also saw the Erechtheion, a temple dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon, as well as the Zeus Polieus Sanctuary.

Going back out the gates, we got a great view of the city, as well as the temple of Nike.

After touring the Acropolis, we stopped for some lunch, and I got to sit by Aubree! She was our little shadow for most of the week. It's been a while since our kids were this little! It was so funny to see Greece through her eyes and hear her commentary on everything.

We ate right outside the fence of the ancient Roman agora, which is situated at the bottom of the Acropolis on the north side.

After lunch we walked by the ruins of Hadrian's Library.

We spent the remainder of our afternoon walking around Athens and stumbling upon more ruins around every corner.

Athens is certainly one of the places you learn about in school that you never dream you'll actually see. At the end of the day, we were in awe of the history that had come to life right before our eyes!