Our hotel (Hermes) is in the Plaka area of Athens, right in the old part of the city. There is lots to see within easy walking range, and there are probably hundreds of places to eat and drink. The Acropolis sits high above us with steep walls and cliffs separating it from the town. I was surprised how high up it is - I had the idea it was on a lower, more gentle hill.
Near us in the city is the octagonal Tower of the Winds which was built about 2,000 years ago and is considered the oldest known weather station. Each face had a sundial and there was a wind vane on the roof, and inside was a water clock. Its height made it visible over a wide area, so it was also like an early clock tower.
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| The Tower of the Winds |
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| Top of the tower. Note sundial rods and markings at bottom right. |
Many streets around here are lined with cafes and restaurants with outdoor tables. We lunched beside the square in front of the cathedral, where there were kids running everywhere shrieking and squirting each other with water bottles. I believe primary school gets out at 1:30 pm each day, so that might explain why there were so many children about.
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| Children in the Cathedral Square |
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| Sue and a Statue of Constantine XI watching over the cathedral. |
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| Constantine XI Palaiologos |
Constantine XI was born in Constantinople (now Istanbul) and was the last Byzantine ruler, his reign ending with his death in battle in 1453 when Constantinople was taken by the Ottomans.
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| Inside the tiny old church beside the cathedral. |
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| Many shops in the area around the cathedral sell religious decorations. |
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| The Acropolis hill, from the roof of the Plaka Hotel |
Our Hotel told us they have a "sister hotel" just down the road, and that hotel's roof provides a much better view of the Acropolis than ours. So in late afternoon we found the Hotel Plaka, climbed to the roof, and soaked up the view for an hour or so. We have not been up to the Acropolis yet because we are joining our small tour group on Monday and the first stop on the itinerary is the Acropolis. We are saving it until then.
