Guy's Trip to Greece in 2003

Greece July 2003

The 3rd IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT 2003), held in Athens, brought together academics, researchers and industry practitioners who are involved or interested in the design and development of advanced and emerging learning technologies with ultimate aim to empower individuals and organizations in building competencies for exploiting the opportunities of the knowledge society.

The Esperia Place Hotel, Athens Greece The Hype: "Esperia Palace is a four stars hotel, ideally located in the heart of the commercial and historical part of the city of Athens. -Built just a short walk away from Acropolis and Plaka -the old city- and just a breath away from Syntagma square and the National Garden, the hotel is situated within close range of all major banks, exclusive stores and theaters, as well as the fashionable night-life for which Athens is famous." Address: 22, Stadiou Str.-105 64 Athens, Greece
The Lobby (Click on the picts to view larger image.)	Room 211	Room 209

The ICALT conference venue, Athens July 9-11, 2003 The ICALT 2003 Conference was hosted at the Cultural and Athletic Center Dais. It is located about 20 km from the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (About one hour travel time via metro & bus from downtown Athens.) and within a short distance from the Athens OAKA Spiros Louis Stadium. Address: 151 Mesogion Str., 151 25 Paradissos Amarousiou
Venue from bus stop. It's just past the Opel dealer.	Front of the venue. (I've noticed revolving doors are still common in Greece)	Me in front of the conference venue.
Room B That's me next to the redhead from Norway (Ekaterina), next to the brunette from the UK.	The Auditorium: This is where the guest speakers presented.	Dr. Slator & I at the poster session. I think we're looking at the one from ~~Latvia~~ Estonia.

2004 Olympic Venue, Athens Greece Friday July 11th, 2003 Photos blatantly stolen from Brian Slator. But I was there at almost the same time and I could have taken these pictures if I had remembered the camera was in my pocket.
		The new --- metro station.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 Looking southish over Athens from 2/3 of the way up the Acropolis.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 Odeum of Herodes Atticus: SW side of the Acropolis A Roman theater addition to the Acropolis hilside, built around 167 AD.
It's been partialy restored and is still used.	Looking over the edge of the Acropolis.	Then straight ahead.
Down near the sw corner.	I climbed the fence to take this one.	Looking up at the Acropolis from sw side.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 Moving east, halfway up the side of the Acropolis
Looking up.	zoom zoom!
		At the SE corner.
Looking down.	zoom zoom again.	There was a nice shady spot to take some additional pictures... (It was 92° F today)
... like looking SE over Athens...	... and in the distance... The Temple of Olympian Zeus.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 Theater of Dionysus Eleuthereus; SE side of the Acropolis ... Built ca 350 BC. ...
Looking down from the Acropolis.	Half way down...	Looking back up. Now I have to go back up or all the way around to get to the other side! Up it is!
...almost there.	It's a row of the headless.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 Looking North-Northwestish from the Acropolis
That bit of wall is part of the propulaia ("entrance") to the Acropolis.		That's the Thission temple in the lower right.
da bird! da bird!	That's the Areopagus ("Mars Hill") down in the lower left.	It's where St. Paul made his famous "Men of Athens" speech in 51 AD.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 Looking southish over Athens from the top of the Acropolis.

Filopappos Hill, also known as The Hill of the Muses. The monument on the summit was built in 114-116 AD.	Look really close there's some ships.

A panoramic view of the above six shots.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 The Parthenon The temple of Athena, the Virgin ("parthenos") Goddess, protector of Athens, at the top of the Acropolis. Built by the order of Athenian Statesman & General, Pericles, during the years 447-438 BC, and accidently blown up by the turks in 1687.
Southwest corner.	West side.	North end of west side.
West end of south side.	Middle of south side.	Rest of south side.
Southeast corner.	...zoom...	zoom zoom! Looks like someone added a piece.
East side.	See above.	North end of east side.
Another east side shot.	Northeast corner.	North side west end.
West end north side.	Closer.	Closeup of column segments.
Back to the west side.	North end west side.	A nice Japanese girl volunteered to take this picture.
The sun was so bright, she had a bit of trouble aiming. So this is a shot of the Parthenon's steps.	South end west side.	A nice Japanese girl volunteered to take this picture.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 The Erechtheion (Erechtheum) Despite the impressive nature of The Parthenon, it was not the most important religious building on the site, that role fell to The Erechtheion. It was built on the most sacred part of The Acropolis, where the gods Poseidon and Athena battled for the name of the city. In the contest, each was challenged to bring forth the most useful gift for mortals. Athena produced an olive tree which is seen as a symbol of peace and prosperity. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident and a horse sprang forth, a symbol of strength and fortitude. The gods ultimately favoured Athena's useful gift over the warlike horse of Poseidon. The building's name comes from a mythical king of Athens called Erichthonius. The temple was home to the cults of Athena, Poseidon and Erichthonius.

	The North Porch The floor of the porch supposedly shows the fissure left by Poseidon's trident in his contest with Athena.
Closeup of a corner.	As you may have noticed everything is under (re)construction.
The Caryatids. Their name is derived from the models used for the statues who were women of Karyai in Lakonia.		Looking up from Ancient Agora.

The Acropolis, Athens The Propulaia The enterence to the Acropolis, also known as the Belu� gate. Named after the French archaeologist Ernest Belu� who uncovered it in 1852.

The Acropolis, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 ...
Looking south.	zoom.		Looking east at the enterance.
Looking over the south side at the Sanctuary of Asclepius. (I think?)	More people comming to visit the Acropolis.		Some bits & pieces of something.
Messy southeast corner.	Same corner but looking south this time. The building is the top part of a little museum.		Looking over the north wall.
Some of the top surface.	Back of the propulaia. Now restrooms. (WC's)
Check out the hi-tech roofing methods, not the native girl.
		Athens & the Acropolis in 1890.
Miscellaneous shots from the Acropolis.
	An thing that's not Hadrian's Arch.		Cool building.

Ancient Agora, Athens Greece Saturday July 12th, 2003 ...
It's the area just to the right (east) of the big temple.
A tiny Byzantine church.	It's smaller than it looks.	The Stoa of Attalos. Reconstructed in 1952-1956.

The Areopagus (Mars Hill), Athens Greece

Saturday July 12th, 2003
...

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD." ...

The Thission temple, Athens Saturday July 12th 2003 Built in 449 BC and is virtually intact. Supposedly named for Theseus because his exploits were shown on the frieze (The hero who in mythology killed the Minotaur of Crete), it is now believed that it was actually a temple to Hephaestos and Athena. It is probably the best-preserved Greek temple with its 34 columns and roof almost intact. Later the temple was used as a Church, dedicated to Saint George, known as Saint George the Lazy because it was only open one day of the year.
The Thission as seen from "Mars hill".	Eveything seems to be on a hill.	Looking through from back to front. It's dark in there at noon.
Looking through from front to back.	A better front to back view.	The intact roof and a bit of the frieze.
More roof, from the side.	A better front to back view.	Forgot who this quadriplegic dude was. (Emperor Hadrian 117-138 AD)

The Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens Greece Saturday July 12th, 2003 ...

Reststop, looking towards Livadia Sunday July 13th 2003 On the road to Delphi. Stoped at a reststop where a sign to Delphi pointed straight ahead and left. (Left was right.)

Amalia Hotel, Delphi The hype: Amalia Hotel Delphi, in harmony with the awesome landscape, is superbly situated on a mountain slope and is located within walking distance (1-3km) from the famous attractions of Delphi, the Archaeological Museum, the temple of Apollo and the Castalia Fountain.
View of the front of the hotel, from the road.	Hotel pool, from the deck.

Delphi (Del-fee) Sunday July 13th 2003 Delphi was the navel of the earth, the most venerated religious site according to ancient Greeks. Today, a small village of 1,500.
Looking up the first street I traversed in delphi. Notice the typical greek parking space.	Looking back down. You'd never guess this is the eastbound lane of a major east-west highway. Tour busses passed through here every few minutes.	Tavern with the Best! "Pork Gyro Pitas" Did you notice the add for "Toast" in the previous picture? Don't know what the big deal is about toast but it was advertised everywhere.
The view from the street leading to the hotel.	... and again ...	In the distance, at the edge of a plain full of olive groves and vineyards, is the port of Itea.
... this one too.	Got this postcard from a nice old guy who ran a t-shirt shop. (need to resample)	Looking up at the Phaidriades, upon which Delphi sits, from the street near the hotel.

The Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, Delphi Monday July 14th 2003 I thought it would be smart to start with the site farthest away from the hotel and work back. It would've been if I hadn't left my sunglasses at a kiosk near the hotel and had to turn around and walk half-way back to retrive them. Good thing crime is low in Greece. The shrine is dedicated to the Goddess Athena, whose duty it was to protect the sacred precinct of her half-brother Apollo. She performed her task well, for Herodotus recounts that it was here, in 480 BC, that the Persians were stopped in their tracks by an earthquake on their way to pillage Delphi.
Look closely. You can see the sites entire security force.	The newer Temple to Athena. Built ca 370 BC to replace the earlier temple, to the east (left), destroyed by falling rocks.	Obviously not original.
The circular building in Doric order, known as the Tholos, was built ca. 380 B.C.	Its function is not exactly known but judging from the multi-coloured stone, the fine workmanship, and the high-standard relief decoration it was an important building.	Considered one of the architectural wonders of the world because of its mathamatical precision. It was partly reconstructed in 1938.
Looking up at the Phaidriades upon which Delphi sits.	You can see the Temple of Apollo in the background.	Bush, tree, or just wierd?

The Gymnasium, Delphi Monday July 14th 2003 A complex of buildings used by the youths of Delphi for their education and practice. It was constructed in two levels: on the upper was a stoa and a free open space used for running practice, and on the lower was the palaestra, the pool and the baths (thermae).
The pool. Too bad it's dry, could've used an icy plunge about then.	The Gymnasium center, Temple to Apolo forground, and Temple to Athena far right.

The Sanctuary of Pythian Apollo, Delphi Monday July 14th 2003 After a quick stop at a clifside Ice Cream Shop I headed down the road to the Castalia Fountain. Unfortunatly it was closed do to falling rocks. There was a huge one just inside the gate and directly on the path. ...
		The Stoa of the Athenians. Erected by the Athenians, after 478 B.C., to house the trophies taken in their naval victories over the Persians.

The Theatre of the Sanctuary, Delphi Monday July 14th 2003 Originally built in the 4th century B.C. but the ruins we see today date from the Roman Imperial period. The theatre was used mostly for the theatrical performances during the great festivals of the sanctuary.

As a somewhat warped panorama.
Taking a break under a tree & looking back the way I came.	Even if the show bombs, there's still the view.	Site Map

The Stadium, Delphi Monday July 14th 2003 If you expend the considerable effort to climb up above the sanctuary and above the amphitheater you will find this amid the woods... The Olympic games are the best known, but were not the only games of ancient Greece. Next in prominence to them were the Pythian Games which took place at Delphi every four years, two years after the Olympic games. Constructed in the 5th century B.C. and was remodelled in the 2nd century A.D. at the expense of Herodes Atticus. There's seating for 6,500-7,000.
Restroom or Concessions? Wine prohibition inscription in stadium wall	Looking west. Off to the right are the starting gates Ready, set, go! Half way there! The thicker seats, center right, are for officals.	Looking back.

The Archaeological Museum, Delphi Monday July 14th, 2003 Stopped in for a visit of the museum's "rich 13 galleries". Ha! There were barely 13 items in the museum let alone 13 galleries. Maybe if they count each wall. Anyway, it was free and a couple of items surpassed anything the bigger museums had. It was also where I saw the first and only "wild" animals in Greece.
A bronze charioteer from a four horse chariot. (A Quadriga) 478 B.C.	Statue of Antinoos. (An early Teen Idol!) or the gratuitous naked picture just for Bell.
Beware of wild kitty.

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