Day 6: May 13

On Saturday, we woke up quite early, preparing for a day at the Acropolis of Athens. This is a tall limestone hill that has held temples to the Greek gods for thousands of years. Our apartments are only a few minutes away from the entrance of the Acropolis, so we met there. Our tour guide, Sofia, first led us to Mars Hill, also known as the Areopagus. Paul stood there and reasoned with the Areopagite thinkers, as related in Acts 17. The rocky hill has a wonderful view of Athens on one side and a view of the Acropolis on the other. We then went up to the Acropolis, where we learned about the gates to the Acropolis, the temple of Athena Nike, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the mythology related to their construction and use. Around the Acropolis, we learned about the Agora, where shopping and community flourished in ancient Athens, and saw the ruins of the world’s oldest theatre, where Sophocles’ plays were first performed.

 

The east end of the Parthenon

The olive tree at the Erechtheion

After walking around the Acropolis, Sofia took us to the Acropolis Museum. When this building was being constructed, substantial ruins of Ancient Athens were found underneath. So, instead of pausing to excavate completely, or continuing on and covering the ancient artifacts, the architects decided to construct the museum on columns directly over the old city. Glass in the floor allows you to see the artifacts in their original place while enjoying the museum. Sofia provided lots of insight into the sculptures and pottery in the museum. On the top floor of the museum, the friezes and pediment sculptures of the Parthenon were housed, placed exactly as they would appear in the Parthenon. When the tour finished, we split up for lunch and explored the local area, called the Plaka, for markets and food. We enjoyed free time exploring.

The Maidens of the Erechtheion at the Acropolis Museum

In the evening, we went back to the church, where Pastor Giotis’ wife, Nopi, prepared another extremely delicious meal for us. We stayed at the church to attend youth group with local college students. The worship music was in Greek, though several songs had familiar tunes, so we sang along in English. Then, a visiting pastor gave a lecture. Two of the college students translated for us, so they helped us understand his talk. We lingered after the lecture for a while, enjoying community with the Greek students. They were very friendly, welcoming, and generally fluent in English. After a long day, we headed back to our rooms to rest.