Tower of Winds, scrappage

On of the neatest things in Athens is the Tower of Winds, it is located just below the Parthenon in the area known as the Roman Agora, I am fascinated by this ancient tower that was built around 50 BC and acted as a Water Clock (how cool is That), Sundial and Wind Vane, with the 8 wind deities decorated in the frieze, I have a close up shot of 2 of them.

clock and star stickers.

Foam letters and words.

Journaling all around.

Linking to CCW Creative Craft World- January Challenge.

Athens, Temple of Olympian Zeus and The Arch of Hadrian

I am putting both of these ancient sights together because they were built so close together and they were finished by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, he admired Greece greatly and wanted Athens to be the cultural capital of the Roman Empire.

Ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus

The Temple sits on top of another ancient sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, after it's destruction 2 sons started to build one of the largest temples in Antiquity in 520BC, but with the fall of their tyranny and the advent of Athenian Democracy the building stopped and was left unfinished for 336 years.  Then a crazy Seleucid King who thought he was the earthly embodiment of Zeus restarted the works with a new architectural plan in 174BC, work stopped at his death in 164 BC, it was half completed.  It was finally completed by Emperor Hadrian in 132 AD, some 300 years later, taking over 600 years to complete, talk about a big UFO (for my sewing buddies). It was badly damaged and sacked in 267 and was never rebuilt.  The ruins are massive and if you use a little imagination you can just picture how big this Temple would have been.  In the picture above you can see the Acropolis in the background.

Arch of Hadrian, just outside the iron fence of the Temple of Zeus

This is right on a major road, Amalias Avenue, it is like a Roman Triumphal Arch and is dedicated to Hadrian by the Athenian Panhellenes, built around the same time that the Temple of Zeus was finished around 132AD.
All of the major sights of Athens are within easy walking distance to each other, especially if you are staying in Plaka or Monastiraki areas, or just down from Syntagma metro station.  The entrance fee for the Acropolis can also get you into the Temple, you can get this ticket at the front gate to the Temple if you go there first.

Ancient Clock

Tower of the Winds

In the Roman Agora of Athens, just below the Acropolis is an Ancient BCE Water Clock and Sundial called The Tower of the Winds.  The 8 sided monument is made out of marble and was truly an ingenious construction that included a compass, weather vane, sundial and water clock.

source

scrap-page

6 years ago

6 years ago I came to Greece on vacation for a month, 2 weeks by myself and 2 weeks with friends sailing the Cyclades.  I had a premonition that the trip would be life changing, in fact I bought life insurance thinking that a plane might fall down or the yacht would sink.  I knew that this trip of a lifetime would be life altering, I just didn't know how.
My first night in Athens I went to a Taverna and was showered with rose petals by the patrons and waiters, a good start to my trip.
The next day I walked around the ancient sights of Athens, I walked through the Plaka region and picked up a bottle of wine.  I went up to the top of the Acropolis before the sun set and watched the Greek Military boys take down the Greek flag, it was a very nice moment, not very many people around at that time of night.  I walked down to Areopagos the slippery rock just below the Acropolis and opened up my wine to enjoy the sun setting over Athens.  You would think I got this idea from Matt Barrett, but really I came up with it on my own.

A very pretty handmade button from South Africa by the company Button Mad

The flower on the page matches the one in my hair.

I cut out little rectangular boxes to look like a flag and placed patterned paper strips behind and then placed the Greek cross symbol that is used on the Greek flag over the top.

 This was just the beginning of a great trip.
Thank you Button Mad for the wonderful button.
I am linking this scrapbook page to :
Creative Craft World 
Purple Pumpkin 
Scraptastic Club

P.S. this is the first scrapbook page that I have done in a very long time, I was going to use some embossing powder and I put it on my page and then used my hot air gun thingie to melt it but instead everything started flying around, I couldn't understand what happened and then I remembered I was supposed to use Versa Mark and sprinkle the embossing powder over that, oops, well I scratched that idea after the powder just flew everywhere.  

Stay tuned to why this trip ended up being so life changing.

My all time favorite Man Made Monument

At the Acropolis you can find the amazing Erechtheum, you will recognize it when you see the photo, each time I go on top of the Acropolis I can't help myself from taking 30-40 pictures of just this one building.

On the south side you can find the "Porch of the Maidens", with six draped female figures (caryatids) as supporting columns, each one is sculpted a little different, to make each one unique.  

 The north and west side are about 10 feet lower than the south and east side, making the building look kind of lopsided, the fact that this was built 400 years before Christ is truly amazing, I am sure that modern society could not replicate.

The engineering of the caryatids was done in such a way that their slenderest part, the neck, is capable of supporting the weight of the porch roof while remaining graceful and feminine, this is with the help of their hair as you can see from the photo above. source

The New Acropolis Museum holds the 5 original carytids, the sixth one is still at the British Museum thanks to Lord Elgin who removed it in 1801, with permission from the Ottoman Empire.  He first had it in his home but later sold it to the British Museum to help with his debt issue.
I still stand in awe even as I look at these pictures at the beauty and symmetry of Greek Architecture.

The Acropolis, Athens

When you come to Greece you must stop in Athens to see the Acropolis.  This can just take 1 day but I suggest at least 2 days a visit in the morning hours and a visit in the evening, I wouldn't suggest going in the middle of the day it's to hot, besides the best photos are taken in the AM and PM.  The ticket price is about 12 euros but this will also get you into some of the other ancient sites including the Ancient Agora (just below the Acropolis), the Roman Agora, Theatre of Dionysos, Kerameikos, Tower of the Winds and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the ticket is good for at least 48 hours and you can also get a 48 hour subway ticket.

Why go to the Acropolis?  The view is probably the best you will get of Athens because that is what the Acropolis is - an ancient citadel located on a high rocky outcrop above the city, affording it some of the best views of modern Athens.  Then there are all of the ancient buildings on top - Parthenon, Erechtheum, Temple of Athena Nike, there are over 20 buildings on top, plus the Theatre of Dionysos is just below.