Athens, Greece

Athens: the sprawling and ancient capital of Greece.

As with most visitors to Athens, I was drawn first to the Acropolis; it was as if being in such close proximity to a historical place of this magnitude drew me in like the inescapable gravitational force of some massive astronomical body. The Acropolis is a rocky hill towering over central Athens, and I approached it from the North, climbing through the twisted and historic lanes of Plaka. Just on the walk up, I passed by several ancient sites from the Greeks and Romans.
Ancient history is everywhere in Athens.

The Acropolis walls, built firmly onto the slick rocks and precipitous cliffs around the summit. The stonework and engineering around the Acropolis are incredible, and of course the Architecture of the temples and monuments guided architectural trends for millennia after they were originally conceived and constructed.

This is where the realization set in...I was at the Acropolis! Walking up to and through the Propylaea, or the main entrance to the fortified summit, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of how many famous people through history had walked through this very structure. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Roman Caesars and Senators, and countless other influential figures from European and Middle Eastern history.

The Temple of Athena Nike, which flanks one side of the Propylaea. In Greek, Nike means Victory...and Athena Nike is Victorious Athena, the symbolic goddess of Athens. Nike Athena represents the ancient Athenian victory in 449 BC over the mighty Persians, ancient enemies of Greece who had previously sacked and burned Athens and the previous temples and monuments on the Acropolis in 480 BC.

With the Persians taken care of and peace with that once mighty empire secured, Athens was able to flourish. It quickly established itself as the seat of power, stability, democracy, and learning in the ancient Mediterranean world. There were wars of course, particularly with the nearby Greek city-state of Sparta, but Athens endured and the iconic structures that we recognize collectively as the Acropolis today were constructed. The stonework is immaculate. They claim that no stones were cut to form; each one was cut to fit. This is remarkable and difficult to believe considering how tightly they are spaced. These monumental structures really are marvels of ancient engineering.

The Parthenon, the most famous of the Acropolis' structures. Commissioned by Pericles in the 5th century BC, this massive temple of Athena was miraculously completed in only 10 years! I heard a joke (told by a Greek by the way) stating that such a feat would be impossible for modern Greeks, since the project would be endlessly delayed due to bureaucracy and workers' strikes. Amazingly, and terribly sadly, the majority of the damage to the temple occurred in recent times, when a Venetian siege to oust the Turks set off a Turkish ammo dump IN THE PARTHENON resulting in a massive explosion and leaving the building in the crumbled state it is in today. Apparently, prior to this horribly destructive act, the temple was largely in tact, much the same as it was more than 1000 years before. A modern restoration process is underway (hence some of the heavy machinery in several of the pictures). The restoration is being done such that it is fully and easily reversible, just in case those in the future can do things better than we can now (good and wise plan in my opinion).

The next major act of devastation to the Acropolis came in the form of Lord Elgin of the British Empire in first decade of the 19th century. He oversaw the "acquisition" of literally tons of the original marble statues, friezes, and sculptures from the Acropolis' temples. In modern terms, this essentially constituted theft on a national level, as Elgin was "interpreting" (to the Empire's benefit) a deal he had made with the then occupying Turks, which granted him permission to erect scaffolding and excavate and remove "stones with inscriptions". These stolen artifacts are still housed in museums throughout England, and many Greeks are quick to point out that they would kindly like them back.

Apparently many of the carvings that are visible on site now are replicas, with the real versions (that is those not in England) housed below the Acropolis in the new Acropolis Museum...see more on this below.

The modern restoration project is detailing ALL stones around the site and piecing together as much as they can. Some replacement stones are being set, but only sparingly, when necessary to place one of the originals.

The Caryatids, otherwise known as the Porch of the Maidens, on the Erechtheion. These were enchanting pieces and once again feats of ancient engineering and art. Each is unique, and they are structural as well. Those graceful and feminine necks, being the thinnest point on the statues, can hold up the weight of the marble roof above them. Oh yea, and its all been standing for over 1500 years or so now. Quite impressive if I must say so myself.

The Erechtheion...a temple to the mythological King Erichthonius of Athens. Because of the Caryatids, the Turks (during the Ottoman era) used this structure as the local harem, where the Sultan or leading official kept his army of wives and mistresses.

These are now very accurate modern replica Caryatids (since 2007). The remaining originals are down below in the new Acropolis Museum, being restored.

Old meets new... looking out from the Propylaea onto the massive metropolis of Modern Athens. I was awed again and again by how large the city is. With over 3 million people, more than 1 in every 4 Greeks lives in Athens, and the city sprawls. Like LA, most buildings don't rise above 3 or 4 stories, the city has a coast, and is surrounded by mountains, which make for record breaking smog.

Now, onto the new Acropolis museum, where the remaining statues and friezes have been restored and safely displayed in a climate controlled environment (keeping them out of that damaging smog).

There are also scale models of what the original pediment artwork looked like (based on historical documents and pictures). Here Athena is seen with Zeus (seated with spear), Poseiden (seated with trident), Hades (with the axe)?, and Apollo (with the lyre)?

Inside on the top floor, they have a modern mock up of the real thing...it's quite tastefully done in my opinion, especially considering that the massive windows let you look out on the original structures on the hill above you!

Ah yes, and little models showing the Acropolis from various periods. This was during the Roman era, as can be discerned from the Herodes Atticus Theater seen in the bottom left.

The Museum is built over an active dig site...revealing how the modern city is just built up on top of the ancient one. They reveal this to you with several cutaways in the terrace outside and with glass floors inside.

The Herodes Atticus Theater, a remnant from the Roman Empire. They still show plays and concerts here in the summertime! That would be an amazing venue for sure!

Hadrians Arch (lower central left), another remnant of the Romans, and the remaining ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus...only 15 columns remain of the original 104.

A view through the trees to the Hephaisteion, the Temple of Hephaistos, who was the god of fire, volcanoes, metals, blacksmiths, metallurgy, craftsmen, technology, artisans, and sculptors. The temple is one of the best preserved around the city.

View out over the city with the immaculately (and accurately) reconstructed Stoa in the right foreground. The Stoa and Hephaisteion are on the old Agora, or marketplace. Probably not by coincidence, Athens modern market district is just to the North (rough direction of the photo) of the ancient Agora. There you can find all sorts of things from souvenirs and trinkets to clothing, hardware, and fresh food! I wandered through the central market, fish market and meat (mostly lamb and chicken from what I could make out) market, my mouth was just watering at all the cheese and olives and fresh seafood.

Looking across to the Hill of the Nymphs and the National Observatory of Athens...more to come on this below.

Not everything in central Athens is ancient. If fact, I was amazed by how much street art and graffiti there is there. I guess it is testament to the not-so-underlying angst amongst Greek teens and youth...those that drive the world famous demonstrations and riots against the government and current economic situation in the country.

This eye reminded me of the Evil Eye, the symbol which is all over the tourist shops in both Istanbul and Athens. The legend apparently goes that if something that people want or desire (either because it is attractive, valuable, or unusual...can be a person or thing) suddenly becomes indisposed then it is said to be a result of the spell of the Evil Eye. Supposedly, blue-eyed people are adept at casting the spell (on purpose or even inadvertently) and it can be reversed if the admirer mock-spits to counteract the envy in the spell.

Old and new again...this time a modern building built right over a small church!

The Roman Tower of the Winds...another very well preserved ruin. At the top of each of the eight sides are friezes of the eight winds, one for each of the cardinal and ordinal directions on a compass. It was pretty neat, each of the winds had their own unique style, including one dire looking one that was probably the predominant direction from which storms roll in.

I just love how this picture turned out. The ruin in the foreground is the Roman Forum and in the back right is one of the many, many churches scattered around the city. That orange building just looks like it was chopped right in half.

A modern version of classic Greek architecture. This is the neo-classical Academy of Athens. The painting might look tacky to some, but it is accurate. The ancient Greeks painted their sculptures and architecture.

I actually really liked this building. I'd like to see more reconstructions and full restorations like this and the Stoa. They are so much more beautiful than the ruined and shattered skeletons of the originals, even if most of the stone isn't that. In my opinion, it does more honor to the original and architect to restore and reconstruct these things than to let their crumbling remains slowly but surely decay and submit to the environment.

The charming streets and lanes of Plaka. The old, and unfortunately very touristy, part of town.

I was in Athens in January, and it was quite obviously not peak tourist season. Most of the cafes and restaurants had outdoor seating, and the vast majority of those seats and tables were empty while I was there. It was charming though, still, and the food I had there was delicious. My favorite meal was most definitely lamb braised in tomato sauce with zucchini and garlic...amazing..so simple but delicious and fresh.

Plaka sits just below the Acropolis, and of course, is scattered with more ruins.

Up close at the National Observatory of Athens. I was there for work, and the meeting was hosted by colleagues at the Observatory. I was very lucky to get an exclusive tour of the historic building and a trip up to the dome and roof, which provided for some excellent pictures.

You might be able to make out the the Greek word for Nymph (note the Greek letter phi for "ph"). This is the inscription for which the Hill of the Nymphs, upon which the Observatory is built, was named. The inscription is on a rock, below a tree, just outside of the front of the building, and it is apparently several thousand years old. Pretty neat to think of how many ancient Greeks sat up on that hill and looked up at the same stars as we see today.

Inside the Observatory building, which just received EU funding for a very nice and well-needed restoration. I love rooms like this...some of the books were several hundred years old too...and written in Greek, Latin, English, Russian, French, German, and several other languages. Pretty neat

And, the view from the top after dark...not too bad. The first picture on this post was taken from the same place before sunset.

Monastiraki Square. I found myself wandering through here several times...each time I took in a bit of the great atmosphere around the square. From here there is easy access to the massive flea market, market district, and other cool shops and restaurants. If you venture into the flea market, you need to find a little cafe on the central flea market square...the cafe is super characteristic, but the top floor has an incredible view...especially after dark. The food is tasty too!

Hadrians Library with the Acropolis behind... the Roman Emperor Hadrian definitely liked to build things, and this library was absolutely enormous! Unfortunately, not much of it is still standing, but the foundation is still visible. Viewed from above (like up by the pink building in the background here) you can appreciate just how massive this ancient structure was.

This is an awesome little promenade along the ancient Agora. The whole thing is lined with restaurants, offering plenty of dining options. Wander off the main path by one of the churches, and you'll find a rooftop beer garden here...they have cheap beer and unbeatable views.

Only in Athens...and maybe Rome. The Metro (which is really quite nice and has good coverage around the city, including the airport!) by the rebuilt Stoa.

There were a lot of stray dogs on the streets in Athens. They all looked pretty well fed though and many apparent strays were actually not (they had collars and tags).

An Evzoni in front of the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This sits across from Syntagma Square and at the foot of Parliament. Despite the goofy (and according to Hemingway, emasculating) uniforms, these guys are actually elite infantry that are painstakingly selected to meet strict criteria.

Evzoni changing of the guard ceremony...

These were their winter uniforms; their summer ones are white.

I think this guy escorting them was in the middle of cracking some joke about me taking a picture...right after they guy up front was obviously fighting laughter.

Greek Parliament. I purposefully restricted my trip to Athens only. I did this because my fiance wants to visit Greece more than any other place on the planet right now...so I'll have to be sure to get her over there with me the next time I go, which should be sometime in the next few years. Hopefully, it will be in the spring or fall. It was great to be so alone on the Acropolis, but wandering the city felt a little empty at times...like the potential for so much more was there, but not being fulfilled at the moment. Summer is supposedly just way too busy and uncomfortably hot. All I know is I can't wait to get back and see the coast, islands, and countryside...during the flights, the jagged coasts, mountains, and islands were just calling to me like so many sirens.

Around LA

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I realized we would be moving to Los Angeles. I had visited here once before, in 2004, and I must admit, I was mostly put off by the city. Driving in from San Diego for the first time, I got hooked on the beauty of California, with the ocean, desert and mountains. Then we hit Orange County and the 405. Coming down those hills and seeing the LA basin filled with nothing but city and smog was disgusting for me. Then we hit the traffic...bumper to bumper on a Saturday morning. I established my first opinion on the city as a den of hypocrisy. I stated how ridiculous it was that people claim to be environmentally conscious and friendly here, yet they have an obsession with driving and some of the most polluted air in the country; how ridiculous it was that you have all of these celebrities "contributing" to the plight of the poor around the world, but doing little to nothing for those just a few miles away in Skid Row; how they claim to have some of the best and brightest working in the various high-tech industries that have set up in state, yet at the polls they continually screw themselves with terrible representation and governance that has literally driven one of the largest economies in the world into the ground. Having lived here now for nine months, I couldn't have been farther from the truth. All those things are true here, but that is a result of long and interesting history and the fact that there are just SO many people living out here! You truly have a little of everything, and you can find and focus on whatever you want. With that in mind, I'm finding so much that I do enjoy and appreciate and am really starting to enjoy living here.

The picture above is an original Banksy...the (in)famous street artist. Note, that the original piece consists of the boy with the machine gun with crayon bullets and the childish, bright flower and butterfly drawings around him. L.A. is one of his frequent haunts, and whenever he makes a visit, his randomly scattered works of art receive a lot of attention and press. Some pieces have even been cut out of the facades to be sold on the black market! It was neat to see this just a few days after he had put it up...especially since Urban Outfitters, on whose store the graffiti was posted, painted over it within a week. I can definitely recommend his movie, "Please exit through the gift shop" for a unique perspective on Banksy's art and glimpses into his world view and sense of humor and wit.

Starting in downtown...I don't take pictures in Skid Row, since I find it may be offensive to the many people who live there. I must say though, every visitor to LA should experience a walk through Skid Row...it is terribly eye opening and, when contrasted with the mansions, shops, and cars in Beverly Hills, is a prime example of just how extreme the divide is between rich and poor in LA. Downtown used to be a place to avoid, but it is an "up and coming" part of the city now. I really enjoy wandering around down there. The architecture is great, a neat mix of old and new with a lot of nostalgic, golden-era type buildings and theaters. The picture above shows the skyscrapers on Bunker Hill, a much despised financial fortress-district that is incredibly unfriendly for pedestrians (possibly deliberately so).

The LA Times building. Downtown is a bizarre and intriguing mix of expensive, massive structures and little pockets of awesomeness, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grand Central Market, and the Fashion District to name a few. There are some great bars and restaurants around too. It's surprisingly walkable (outside of Bunker Hill) too, though there are probably still some areas you'd want to avoid at night.

Olvera Street...the original LA. This street is testament to LA's Mexican heritage, and now it is a large open air Mexican market. There are some great restaurants and food stalls around here too!

The LA Grand Central Market between Broadway and Hill downtown. This place is AMAZING! Food vendors and stalls from all over the world. Obviously the Latin American nations are very well represented, but there are also Middle Eastern, European, and Asian specialty shops and eatery's as well. This is truly a gem.

Food trucks, an LA institution. These guys are EVERYWHERE and they are delicious! Most of them are either ethnic or specialty (like burgers, fries, or grilled cheese...yes there is The Grilled Cheese Truck). My favorite though are the fusion ones...particularly the Mexican-Asian hybrids. I mean, I guess it is only natural...having such a beautiful mix of cultures and people here, you're going to get a lot of interracial marriages (which is awesome and may partially explain the abundance of really good looking people here), and with those mixed couples will come the mixing of those cultural foods. All I can say is the first Mexican-Korean couple to blend Korean BBQ with Mexican tacos are my heroes.

The LA City Hall. Like I said, the city really has some iconic and unique architecture.

Speaking of iconic architecture...the LA Police Dept. This building is massive and imposing, with practically no windows (symbolism anyone?). The LAPD is a true force in the city...they even boast tanks (really armored vehicles) and gunship helicopters. Hopefully they learned a lot about restrained force from the Rodney King Riots in 1992.

Downtown during the Red Bull Soapbox Derby races. There is always something fun going on in the city. Missy and I spent the first 8 months here and only left the city one weekend to go surfing in San Clemente (when we weren't traveling that is). We kept saying we wanted to check out other places (like the Sierras, Santa Barbara, San Diego, up and down the coast, the desert, etc), but there was always something great to do in town!

The Bradbury Building...on Broadway amongst the crumbling and dilapidated old theaters is this architectural wonder...a must see and totally free to wander around.

Possibly, the ugliest cathedral in the world.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall...this place is amazing. Designed by Frank Gehry (seriously AMAZING architect...just google his name to check out his other works). You can spend a couple hours just wandering around this place, inside and out, though you need tickets to see the main concert hall, which I've heard is incredible as well!

Now, beyond downtown another architectural masterpiece: Watts Towers. Built over 33 years in the first half of the last century by an Italian immigrant and construction worker, Sabato Rodia, these complex structures peak at nearly 100 feet tall. They are constructed of cement and a variety of random materials, mostly collected scraps of garbage that have been so uniquely recycled here. Interesting decorations include pieces of colored glass, bottles, cans, jars, dishes, cups, tiles, and imprints from various objects like hammers and hands. The whole thing was structurally tested for stability before it was protected as a heritage site. The structures rise up out of the Watts area...a terribly impoverished area of the infamous south-central LA region.

A closer view at some of the random features in the Watts Towers.

A view of Griffith Observatory and downtown LA from Griffith Park, truly one of the highlights of the city! This is supposedly the larges metropolitan park in the United States, and it has some great peaceful spots, hiking trails, and bike paths. The observatory is an added gem; it is free to the public and has a great variety of science exhibitions. They also do free planet and star viewing with their large telescopes at night!

As close to Hollywood as this post is getting. Taken from Century City and the Annenburg Space for Photography, a brilliant, and free, gallery of photography. I really don't like Hollywood too much; the main drag is an awful example of tourism gone bad...it reminds me a lot of Niagara Falls actually. There are some redeeming qualities though. There is a pretty interesting theater district, some genuinely great clubs and bars for live music, and movies and music in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It's just another example of how shifting your perspective and focusing on things you enjoy can overcome some truly negative aspects of the LA area.

A building at the Annenburg Space...it was supposedly designed to reflect a camera...pretty neat. Another great visit is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). We were there just recently for the amazing Tim Burton exhibit, with over 700 pieces of original art by the famous Hollywood director. There are multiple galleries there though, and we just barely scratched the surface with our wander through the special exhibit and the gallery of modern art. Nearby are the La Brea tar pits, another interesting and bizarre feature of the area. After these, you can grab a delicious and authentic Ethiopian dinner in Little-Ethiopia on S. Fairfax.

View of UCLA (foreground) and downtown LA (background) from the Getty Center.

Views of the Hollywood Hills and the Griffith Observatory (big white building) in the foreground with the snow-covered San Gabriel mountains in behind and GoodYear blimp above. This was also taken from the Getty Center on a clear day after rains. I would highly recommend visits to either the Getty Center or Griffith Observatory on days after rains, when the basin is most free of the disgusting smog.

The Getty Center...another wonderful, and free, center of culture. There are various art and historical galleries in this massive complex, but these are just an added bonus on the incredible architecture, beautifully manicured grounds, and overwhelming views of the LA basin and Hollywood hills.

Onto the Westside now...the beautiful and peaceful Venice canals. Venice Beach has entirely it's own vibe...extremely bizarre, hip, chill, and vibrant. Wander just a few blocks in and you stumble upon the practically opposite world of the canals. Wandering around these canals and taking in the peaceful atmosphere and interesting hodge-podge of incredibly expensive homes is definitely amongst the best walks in the LA area.

Many of the homeowners have little docks and boats for relaxing on the water.

As I already mentioned, each house is quite unique, which just adds to the interesting atmosphere. Some obviously embrace exhibitionism while others surround their places with dense foliage to maintain privacy. The exhibitionists have a lot to boast though...most of the places have massive patios, balconies, and/or porches to relax outside. Most houses have lots of windows on the canal sides and many even have sliding walls to allow them to open up entire sides of their homes to the open and beautiful Southern California coastal air.

And our local haunt, Santa Monica. This is the great Farmers Market that takes over Arizona Ave. every Wednesday and Saturday. Doing some shopping here and enjoying a nice stroll along the pedestrian-only 3rd Street Promenade makes for a brilliant start to a Saturday.

The Palisades Park on the bluffs above the beach...just a short walk from our place and a favorite place to go relax. This is looking North, with the Santa Monica Mountains in the background. I absolutely love it here; it's peaceful and so beautiful.

The Santa Monica Pier...I'm not a big fan of the pier itself, which again is another example of tourism gone wrong with cheap shops, big unoriginal chains (Bubba Gump Shrimp has set up there), and a variety of opportunistic buskers. Once again, there are redeeming qualities...during the summer they do a series of free concerts and movies at the pier. It's so much fun to pack a picnic and some beer or wine and go relax down on the beach below the pier and enjoy the free shows!

We get some great sunsets at the Palisades Park too...

Just up around the coast is Malibu. This was a nice sunset we enjoyed at Point Dume State Beach.

There is this impressive cliff at Point Dume, which is ideal for top-rope climbing since you can walk up the back side!

Enjoying sunset from Point Dume, some surfers can be seen out in the water catching some evening waves.

Down south now in Huntington Beach for the US Open of Surfing. This is a picture of none other than Kelly Slater, possibly the greatest surfer to ever live and indisputably the most highly decorated in world championship victories.

These guys displayed some amazing control and maneuverability on their short boards, despite the only small-to-medium waves.

There was also a long-board hang ten competition, where competitors get extra points for their ability to walk to the front of the board and dangle all ten toes off the front lip. This is not an easy feat...the board must be positioned just right in a wave to counterbalance the weight of the surfer out on the front edge. The pic above shows a surfer seemingly floating above the face of the wave he's riding...it was an incredibly impressive display of skill.

We had a little bit of entertaining showmanship as well including two surfers getting onto the same board (having started on two separate boards, meeting up mid wave, and then transitioning onto one board and successfully riding it out) as shown above and the handstand seen below.

Pretty cool and just one more example of the seemingly infinite opportunities to get out and enjoy all types of different events and activities around the LA area.