How to Plan an International Trip: Travel Tales and Tips : Greece Trip Report, Day 13: Athens first day, Roman Agora

This is from Benaki museum we visited 2 days later... just getting ahead of the schedule... no rules against posting this as cover pic, is there? haha!

Day 13, Nov 21, 2018, Wednesday:

As planned we got out of our accommodation by 5.45. Kept the key inside and left the door unlocked, pulled the staircase door shut as we exited. Reached Santorini airport in a few minutes, I waited in with our bags. The rental guy appeared at the arrivals bay as promised, signed off the car return.

Ryan Air counter was not yet open, security guys said we should wait 15 min. There was not much crowd, just a Chinese tour group. We could have come in a little late, but we did not mind the wait.

We dropped our bags when the counter opened, went thru security in a few minutes and were sitting at the gate. It was an hour's wait . Flight was at 8, we walked up and boarded the flight. In 30 minutes we landed in Athens.

We collected our checked bags. Took a picture of the sign that says 38 euro fixed rate for taxis... to show to taxi driver in case of disputes

Got into a taxi from the rank after confirming the rate. It was a long ride of more than 45 minutes. The driver dropped us at our hotel Tempi, very near Monastiraki square.

Hotel guy said our room was not yet ready asked us to come by 11.30. We left our bags there, walked to the AB supermarket nearby and bought some provisions.

We walked back to the hotel our room was ready... on the 3^rd floor. Lift is only for luggage. Each flight of stairs has 18 steps... walked up 3 flights. Our room was at the back, a quiet room though we had asked for the front room.

Anyways room was fine. The washroom was very tight though, but we managed. Location is definitely very convenient for walking to all the major attractions.

We unpacked a bit, had some food before staring off for sight seeing. There wasn't much sense of urgency as we had ample days in Athens.

ROMAN AGORA:

Roman Agora came by as we walked. We took pictures of the Tower of winds from outside.

Tower of the Winds (Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes)

is an octagonal Pentelic marble clock tower in the Roman Agora in Athens that functioned as a horologionor "timepiece". It is the world's first meteorological station. It has a combination of sundials, a water clock, and a wind vane. built around 50 BC, or in the 2nd century BC before the rest of the forum.

The 12-meter-tall structure has a diameter of about 8 meters and was topped in antiquity by a weather vane-like Triton that indicated the wind direction. Below the frieze depicting the eight wind deities Boreas (N), Kaikias (NE), Eurus (E), Apeliotes (SE), Notus (S), Lips (SW), Zephyrus (W), and Skiron (NW)—there are eight sundials.

In its interior, there was a water clock (or clepsydra), driven by water coming down from the Acropolis. The considerable height of the tower was motivated by the intention to place the sundials and the wind-vane at a visible height on the Agora, making it an early example of a clock tower

Figured out where the entrance is, the counter person inside directed us to another counter a little down the road for buying tickets. We were buying only individual tickets for each site as tickets are half price in winter Nov-March. In summer 30 euro combined ticket is recommended for a bunch of sites.

We entered the site thru this Gate of Athena Archegetis.

Gate of Athena Archegetis was constructed in 11 BCE by donations from Julius Caesar and Augustus. It was made of 4 Doric columns and a base of Pentelic marble. It was a monument dedicated by the Athenians to their patroness Athena Archegetis.

Roman Agora was built around 100 meters east of the original agora. Agora means gathering place... a market. To its south was a fountain. To its east, behind a marble colonnade, were shops and an Ionic propylaeum (entrance).