All photos taken by Tony’s sister Annette.
25th April 2013
Athens
Tony standing under an orange tree in Syntagma Square in central Athens. Syntagma Square is named after the Greek constitution (syntagma) that was proclaimed from the balcony of the royal palace that overlooks the square on 3rd September 1843. The palace is now the Greek parliament building.
Tony next to a ceremonial guard. They are standing in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square.
Changing of the guard ceremony taking place in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Two guards in traditional dress are standing facing each other. The guards are wearing red berets, black tunics, and also black pleated fustanellas, which are similar to kilts. They are carrying bayonets.
The ceremonial guards standing back-to-back in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
A fountain in front of the Zappeion (Záppeion Mégaro). Located on the south side of the extensive National Gardens.
The front façade of the Zappeion, which incorporates a row of tall Corinthian columns. The building was constructed between 1874 and 1888. It was used during the 1896 Summer Olympics as the main fencing hall. Today it is a conference and exhibition centre.
Tony at the Panathenaic Stadium. This ancient stadium once hosted the Panathenaic Games, in honour of the Goddess Athena. It originally sat in a natural hollow between the hills of Agra and Ardettos. It was constructed in marble in 329 BC. During the second half of the 19th Century the ruins of the stadium were excavated and subsequently rebuilt to host the athletics at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Unlike modern stadiums, it has a long narrow hairpin-shaped design, with seating around three sides.
Looking down into excavated remains of a Roman bath complex. The remains were discovered during construction of an air shaft for Athen’s metro system and they were opened to the public in 2003-4. Located on Amalias Avenue near the National Gardens and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Roman vases within the bath complex excavations.
Tony at Hadrian’s Arch. A Roman monumental gateway that spanned an ancient road leading into the centre of Athens.
Tony with the Temple of Olympian Zeus in the background.
A closer view of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Only 15 of the temple’s original 104 Corinthian columns are still standing. This colossal temple was dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. Construction began in the 6th century BC, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD – some 638 years later.
Another view of the temple.
A pair of stone columns at the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The segments of a third column are lying in a long line on the ground in between. This column fell during a storm in 1852.
Tony in front of the pair of columns.
An excellent view of the Acropolis looking from the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus on the south slope of the Acropolis: a major open-air theatre and one of the earliest preserved theatres in Athens.
Rows of stones seats at the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus.
Tony in front of a statue of classical dramatist Menander (born circa 341/42 BC). Located at the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus: a stone theatre on the south-west slope of the Acropolis. It was built in 161 AD by Greek aristocrat Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife. The theatre was restored in 1950 and today it is regularly used for musical performances.
A view across the city from the top of the theatre.
In the foreground, a small arch in the ruined walls of the theatre, and beyond, a view towards the neighbouring Mouseion Hill. On top of this wooded hill sits the Philopappos Monument, an ancient Greek mausoleum.
People climbing steps up to the Propylaea. This was the monumental gateway to the Acropolis. Construction began in 437 BC, and was terminated in 432 BC, with the building still unfinished.
The Parthenon sitting prominently on the Acropolis. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece and is widely regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy and western civilization. Its construction began in 447 BC and it was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. From this angle it is partially covered with scaffolding due to ongoing restoration work.
Another view of the Parthenon. It is 69.5 metres (228 feet) long and 30.9 metres (101 feet) wide. The Doric columns around the outside are 10.4 metres (34.1 feet) in height.
View along one side of the Parthenon.
Tony in front of the Parthenon.
View from the Acropolis across the city to Likavetos Hill. At 277 metres Likavetos Hill is the highest point in Athens.
The Erechtheum, an ancient temple, on the north side of the Acropolis. The temple as seen today was built between 421 and 406 BC.
The Porch of the Caryatids. Located on the Erechtheum’s south wall. The porch’s six supporting columns are in the form of draped female figures (caryatids).
Temple of Athena Nike. This temple sits at a prominent position on a steep bastion at the south-west corner of the Acropolis. Built between 427 and 424 BC, the temple is the earliest fully Ionic temple on the Acropolis.
Looking down to the Areopagus (the “Rock of Ares”), north-west of the Acropolis. In classical times it functioned as the High Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases. It was from this location that Apostle Paul is said to have delivered the famous speech to the Athenians.
Tony standing in front of Beule Gate. Today visitors pass through here when leaving the Acropolis. It was built in the third century AD. It stands to the west of the Propylaia.
Looking down at the restored Stoa of Attalos. This large covered walkway or portico is located in the Ancient Agora: a public open space, political forum and marketplace. The Stoa of Attalos was built in the second century BC. It was destroyed by the Heruli in AD 267. The present reconstruction was done in the 1950s. The 10th century Church of the Holy Apostles is also in view.
Another view across the Ancient Agora, which is located to the north-west of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill known as the Kolonus Agoraios, also called Market Hill. In this view, the Temple of Hephaestus can be seen in the middle distance.
26th April 2013
Tony by one in a long line of columns running down the outside of the Stoa of Attalos. Today this building serves as the Museum of the Ancient Agora.
Tony outside the Church of the Holy Apostles (also known as the Holy Apostles of Solaki). This church has been dated to the late 10th century and is located in the Ancient Agora of Athens.
A simple altar on a stone table inside the church.
Looking up into the dome of the church. Fragments of 17th century wall paintings can be seen.
A painted alcove inside the church.
The church’s dome from the outside. A cross on top. Decorative patterns along the walls.
The Temple of Hephaestus: this ancient temple, built between 449 and 415 BC, remains standing largely as it was built, including parts of its roof. From the 7th Century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of St George Akamates. It is located on the north-west side of the Ancient Agora on top of Agoraios Kolonos hill.
A view between two columns into the Temple of Hephaestus.
Tony by a statue of Archbishop Damaskinos, the Archbishop of Athens during World War II. It is located in the square in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.
Tony immediately in front of a double doorway into the cathedral. Popularly known as the “Metrópolis”, this is the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece. Construction of the cathedral began in late 1842 and was completed in May 1862.
The small 12th century Church of St. Eleftherios, also called the “Little Mitropoli”, located to the immediate south of the cathedral. It combines Romanesque and Byzantine styles.
27th April 2013
Cape Sounion
The ancient Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion – a promontory located approximately 69 kilometres (43 miles) south south-east of Athens, at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula. The ruins comprise 15 standing columns, engraved with many names, including English Romantic poet, Lord Byron. Tony is standing in front holding a Braille guidebook.
A beautiful view of the Aegean Sea from the temple site.
An area of excavated remains located next to the temple.
View down to Sounion beach. This sandy beach lies in a small bay on the west side of the promontory that the Temple of Poseidon stands on.
28th April 2013
Mycenae
Ancient city of Mycenae, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Buses go to the modern town, it is a 5 km walk or a 3-minute taxi ride to the archaeological site. In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization. The period of Greek history between about 1600 BC and 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae.
Tony outside a massive stone doorway leading inside the Tomb of Agamemnon.
Inside the igloo-shaped Tomb of Agamemnon. This is the best preserved of the nine tholos tombs discovered at Mycenae. A tholos tomb consists of a circular, subterranean burial chamber, covered with a stone corbelled-arch ceiling. They are entered by a passageway, known as a dromos. These tombs were constructed between about 1510 BC and 1220 BC.
Looking up at the tomb’s ceiling. The centre is 13.5 metres in height.
The acropolis, or high city, of Mycenae. Good view of the surrounding landscape beyond.
The Lion Gate, entrance to the citadel. Looking up at a stone carving over the gate depicting two lionesses either side of a central column.
Ruins of stone walls, including two rectangular shaft tombs a little way in front.
Stone steps leading down to a secret passage of corbelled construction. This leads through and under the wall, ending up at a cistern via 99 steps.
The walls of ruined buildings in the foreground and in the distance the new town in the valley below.
Tony at the doorway into the Tomb of Aegisthus, which is located outside the walls of the citadel. This is another tholos tomb, but less well preserved than the Tomb of Agamemnon. The ceiling is completely gone.
Looking from above into the Tomb of Aegisthus.
Nafplio
Nafplio or Nafplion is a seaport town, located on Argolikos Bay in the north-east Peloponnese.
Tony at the foot of a flight of stone steps. After 899 steps you end up at Palamidi Fortress, which sits on a 216-metre high hill above the town.
View of Palamidi Fortress from the town. The fortress was built by the Venetians between 1711 and 1714.
Bourtzi Fortress built on a rock out in the bay. Constructed by the Venetians in 1473.
29th April 2013
Hydra Island
Pavlos Kountouriotis Monument. Pavlos Kountouriotis (9 April 1855 – 22 August 1935) was a Greek admiral and naval hero during the Balkan Wars. He was later elected as the first president of the Second Hellenic Republic in 1924. He became president for a second time in 1929. This marble monument features a bust of Admiral Kountouriotis on a column with a carved lion and anchor at the base.
Close-up of the reclined lion and anchor at the base of the Pavlos Kountouriotis Monument.
Tony sitting on an old canon with a view across the Gulf of Hydra to the mainland beyond.
An old windmill.
Bronze sculpture of a boy sitting on a dolphin. This was inspired by the 1957 Hollywood film ‘Boy on a Dolphin’, which was shot on Hydra and other Saronic Islands.
Tony by Kamini Harbour. This small harbour is located at Kamini village on the western edge of Hydra town.
Another view of the harbour.
In the distance, the small island of Agios Ioannis, with a chapel just visible on top. It is situated near the coast, approximately two kilometres from Hydra’s main harbour.
Looking across Hydra’s main harbour.
A marble clock tower centrally located at the back of the harbour and in front of Hydra’s cathedral and the Monastery of the Assumption.
Tony next to a statue of Andreas Miaoulis, an admiral during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1830).
A shrub covered with bright red blossom outside a house. On a narrow side street in Hydra town.
30th April 2013
Athens
Tony and Tatiana on Lykavittos Hill, Athens’ highest point.
Tony and Tatiana sitting at an outdoor café on Lykavittos Hill.