In the Land of Athena and Poseidon

My recent visit to Greece included a couple of outings to places I’ve long wanted to visit.

I’d read that the view from the highest place within downtown Athens, Mount Lycabettus, is quite spectacular and indeed, it was lovely and, in a way, informative too.

Upon my first trip to Greece, I noticed that the Athens metro area, which includes D’s neighboring city of Piraeus, is incredibly densely built with little green space. It was also a surprise that so many buildings seemed to be from the same era – 1960’s – 1980’s four-to six-story apartment buildings. The Athens metro area had a population of about 1.3 million people in 1950 and the population now is over 3.1 million, so a lot of new housing was indeed required over this period, helping to explain in part why it looks the way it does. Athens is also surrounded by mountains and the sea forms a border for nearby cities like Piraeus, so the space for building is quite compact.

From the well-heeled neighborhood of Kolonaki, one climbs to meet a funicular that takes you to the top of Mount Lycabettus. The myth about Mount Lycabettus is that as goddess Athena was carrying limestone rock to aid Athenians in building the Acropolis, she heard upsetting news which made her drop the rocks, creating Mount Lycabettus.

Stairs up Plutarch Street lead to the funicular. The profusion of flowers gave some pleasant distraction from the uphill climb.
Once atop Mount Lycabettus, you can see the sea in the distance and the mass of buildings with little green in between.
A close-up of the above, where you can more clearly see the Parthenon on Acropolis Hill. The Parthenon was a temple to the goddess Athena. The ancients clearly understood strategic placement of temples.
Another viewpoint, this way with sight of the mountains and dense housing.
The downhill ascent shows the mountains that ring Athens. Even though there are relatively few parks, you’ll see that people use their balconies to dot their environments with green.
Super green thumb here.
I love these old olive oil cans repurposed as patio pots filled with fresh herbs.

Athens got its name from the mythological struggle between the goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, the god of the seas. They were feuding over which god’s sphere of influence would rule the city. The king, Cecrops, challenged them to make an offering to the city and whoever gave the prize judged as best would be the city’s official protector.

Poseidon, ground his spear (trident) into the rocks and brought out salt water. Given the nearby sea, this wasn’t judged to be a very useful gift. Athena, in her wisdom, planted an olive tree – a gift that gives oil, olives and wood. Clearly, she won the contest and the city’s eternal love.

Poseidon may have gotten second place in this contest, but he’s still a god after all. We made a journey to another place that’s been on my wish list for some time – the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

Again, the ancients knew their geography and placed this temple and the surrounding fort in a strategic location where they could easily monitor the sea for any incoming invaders.

Now, many visit to take in the beauty of the ancient marble temple, wonder about the ancients who built it, and the romance of the cape, particularly at sunset.

The ruins of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion


I hope you enjoyed this wee exploration around Athena and Poseidon; thankfully, I didn’t have to choose between them. It was great fun for me to learn about ancient Athens, Greek mythology, and modern Greece interwoven in each step.

Bonus section:

I’m including a few extra pictures below that didn’t fit in my theme, but I hope you’ll enjoy.

One more cat photo (!) from outside the home of a devoted cat minder. The funniest thing is that if you look on the shudder above the cat, you’ll see the cat minder has put up a cat portrait outside to decorate. That’s devotion.
These orange trees line many streets.
Unfortunately, they’re bitter oranges, so not edible.
One of the marinas in D.’s city – Piraeus

5 comments

  1. Thanks for the great photos and history. I hadn’t known the story about Athena/Athens. In 1979, I didn’t spend much time in Athens – even then it was too crowded. I was in Piraeus twice – to get ships to Lesbos & Crete. I spent 7 weeks camping in Greece, sometimes in olive groves. I loved the rural areas. And the museum in Heraklion, Creta.

    Reply

  2. Thank you for the beautiful photos and history lesson. You are really talented and we are lucky to benefit from this talent. And you are very fortunate for your adventures and I, for one, am very appreciative.

    Reply

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *