More archeological sites from Athens today. We had walked by Hadrian's Library at least three times before we managed to take the time to go in and visit; part of the problem was that the archeological sites in Athens were normally only open until 3 pm. We also walked through the Roman Agora visiting the Tower of the Winds.
Hiding in the grass around Hadrian's Library.
Marble columns part of the old Hadrian's Library. This marble was different than a lot of the other marble we saw in Athens. It had a very layered look to it.
Tower of the Winds, which was used to tell time in ancient days. It used lines carved into the stone and the shadow of wooden sticks poking out of the top of the structure to figure out the time of day.
The inside was closed off and filled with scaffolding, so we had to settle for posing outside.
On the ground of the Roman Agora, which is different than the Agora we visited earlier in the trip.
Our next stop was the Bathhouse of the Winds which is one of the only bathhouses that has been restored and opened to the public. We had another audio tour, which was both too long, and a bit boring. The whole museum is only a small two story house, but if we had listened to the entire audio tour it would easily have taken several hours!
There were a few interesting aspects here, like how they heated the baths: passages under the floor filled with the hot air and smoke from the same fire that heated the water for the baths. It was also interesting to hear how, during the Ottoman rule of Greece, baths were one of the few places women could go outside the home, so they became the center of female social life.
The museum showcased some strange modern art as well. This dolphin/whale piece was a bit strange.
This was kind of cool, however, having those huge eyes stare into you was a bit unnerving.
Steve on the second floor. The ceiling was very decorative and the railing overlooking the lobby was teal!
One ridiculous piece of "art" was a large image of "The Last Supper" with all the human heads replaced with various animal heads, printed on canvas. I mention that it was printed, because I didn't want to imply that the artist had the skill to paint a reproduction of the masterpiece, just the skill to cut and paste layers in Photoshop.
They had a cute model of the bathhouse on display. I love looking at models like these, and they were in museums all over Athens.
Part of an archelogical site that was found when the city was building the metro stations. Instead of stopping construction or moving the ruins away, they turned the site into part of the metro station. History is all over this city!
*Catch up on our entire Athens adventure by checking Our Travel Page, or our Greece tag.*
Catch up on the rest of our adventure:
I just wanted to say that your photographs from your Athens trip are amazing. Although they have kept me a bit off task the last hour. - Charlie
ReplyDeleteThanks Charlie! It was actually surprisingly much easier to take photos there than in the middle of the desert. :) The lighting was great almost the entire trip, except for when it was pouring!
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