On Day 2 in Athens, the day started with a tour of the city, the Acropolis museum and the Acropolis. After the tour ended early afternoon, I walked around the Plaka district to
the Roman Agora and then the quiet neighbourhood of Anafiotika.
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Above: The Panathenaic Stadium is made entirely of marble and was renovated for the Olympics of 1896, and used again in for the 2004 Olympics.
A stadium was built on the site of a
racecourse in 330 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games. It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus,
an Athenian Roman senator, by 144 AD and had a capacity of 50,000 seats.
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1 and 2 are views of the Panathenaic Stadium.
3 is "The Runner", known in Greek as Dromeas, 12 metres high, created by Athens sculptor Costas Varitsos in 1994. It is made of many layers of glass,
showing dynamic movement. It is based on the legendary runner who ran non-stop with a message to Athens, delivered it in the ancient stadium, and promptly died.
4 and 5 show the statue of the ancient Olympian discus thrower, one of five showing the five original pentathalon events: running, long jump, discus throw, javelin throw and wrestling.
6 is the Zappeion, next to the National Garden, built in 1869. The neoclassical mansion is now is used for public and private exhibitions and ceremonies.
7 and 8 show the tomb of the unknown soldier by the Greek Parliament building.
9 and 10 the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Academy of Athens.
11 is the National Library of Greece.
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