We began today by climbing a hill with an amazing view of the entire city and the Mediterranean. This hill is called Philopappos - Hill of the Muses and is one of three iconic hills in Athens. The hill was great because of the specific view of the Acropolis it provided. We were told that we should actually be able to see Aegina, although we could not today and this was because when winds come from the south, sand from the Sahara is picked up and blown into Athens. People close their windows for south winds because the sand creates a small layer of red dust when it lands.
As we walked through the city yesterday and today, we've notice how many stray dogs and cats there are. I know Niki would love all the cats I've seen. There are so many and they are actually vaccinated and spade/neutered. Throughout our entire day of climbing the hill and walking around the city, a lovely chow followed us. There was even a point where the chow defended our group against what looked like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth. This chow somehow ran the dog off like we where in trouble or owned him. After this chow saved us from imminent death, I noticed the earring our European Travels teacher had in her right ear. The earring was a hand ax and coming from an older lady like her I found this to be weird, funny, and awesome at the same time.
Since I've been in Athens, something I have noticed is the lack of use of steel and metal. It might be the way buildings are built here, but I am used to seeing a lot of steel in large buildings and metal structure. It could also be this way because there are no super tall buildings. The only building I noticed steel and large structure was in the Acropolis museum we visited next. This museum housed every piece of the Parthenon that is not currently still intact. A very famous part of the Parthenon are columns carved into the forms of women that are located on the Temple of Athena Nike. The originals are in the museum and there was a man restoring them while we were there. To touch up and restore sections of these columns a high powered laser technology is used on the surface after applying a liquid coating. This would remove undesired sections of the column and leave behind a layer that looks brand new. This was quite fascinating as it looked like Photoshop in real life!
I don't feel like I have real jet lag, although I am still a little tired earlier. I think in another day I will be back on the right schedule. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow as we are going to the Acropolis and exploring the Parthenon up close and in person.
As we walked through the city yesterday and today, we've notice how many stray dogs and cats there are. I know Niki would love all the cats I've seen. There are so many and they are actually vaccinated and spade/neutered. Throughout our entire day of climbing the hill and walking around the city, a lovely chow followed us. There was even a point where the chow defended our group against what looked like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth. This chow somehow ran the dog off like we where in trouble or owned him. After this chow saved us from imminent death, I noticed the earring our European Travels teacher had in her right ear. The earring was a hand ax and coming from an older lady like her I found this to be weird, funny, and awesome at the same time.
Since I've been in Athens, something I have noticed is the lack of use of steel and metal. It might be the way buildings are built here, but I am used to seeing a lot of steel in large buildings and metal structure. It could also be this way because there are no super tall buildings. The only building I noticed steel and large structure was in the Acropolis museum we visited next. This museum housed every piece of the Parthenon that is not currently still intact. A very famous part of the Parthenon are columns carved into the forms of women that are located on the Temple of Athena Nike. The originals are in the museum and there was a man restoring them while we were there. To touch up and restore sections of these columns a high powered laser technology is used on the surface after applying a liquid coating. This would remove undesired sections of the column and leave behind a layer that looks brand new. This was quite fascinating as it looked like Photoshop in real life!
I don't feel like I have real jet lag, although I am still a little tired earlier. I think in another day I will be back on the right schedule. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow as we are going to the Acropolis and exploring the Parthenon up close and in person.
 |
| The Acropolis |
 |
| Philopappos - Hill of the Muses |
No comments:
Post a Comment