Temple of Poseidon

South of Athens lies the coast on the Aegean. A place of many Greek naval battles but also the location of religious centres for the god of the Sea, Poseidon. This one in particular is quite well preserved and holds a wonderful sunset view. 

Mars Hill and the Agora

At the foot of the Acropolis lies Mars Hill, a place for the orators to speak from to the public (also where Paul spoke to the Epicureans and Stoics). The Agora is the main marketplace which also served a political role as a democratic state.

Acropolis

This is was a day with a lot hiking. It was all worth it though. Architectural and historical icon of the western world!

This olive tree is historically known as the tree Athena planted to win the favour of the Athenians.

Athens Museum (National Archaeological Museum of Greece)

Spent about three hours here, browsing items from all eras and place Archaic to Classical; Crete to Athens. This museum holds some famous pieces, some of which you may recognise below.

Θερμοπύλες (Thermopylae)

While travelling from Meteora to Delphi, we came upon Thermopylae. Given that there is absolutely nothing in Thermopylae (despite its rich history), no more than the 15 minutes we took was actually needed. I did however get pictures of both the monument and the pass.

Monument dedicate to King Leonidas at Thermopylae

The Pass of Thermopylae

So (for those who don't know) here's the history:
During the Persian Wars (ie Greco-Persian), the Persians were flying through Greece, taking cities all through the Aegean Coast. The Greeks (now including Athenians and Spartans), met the Persians at Thermopylae, meaning hot gates in Greek due to the pass the mountains naturally formed as well as the hot springs in the area.
The Greeks were heavily outnumbered, but the Greeks were on homeland. However, a traitor told the Persians about the pass and the Persians were able to cut through and surround the Greeks. 
At this point, the Greeks foresaw their defeat. King Leonidas (of the Spartans) began telling all of the Greeks to return to their hometowns to defend them from the invading Persians. While some obeyed their orders, others (about 300) decided to say with Leonidas to fight to their deaths. Thus the entire plot line of the movie 300, sorry for the spoilers.

Icon Workshop

This is probably my favourite event of the day. We had the opportunity to visit and tour one of the oldest icon workshops in the world. While visiting, I was able to see the overview of the long process it took to make these beautiful pieces of art.

Workshop overview

Woodcutter among wood

 The wood you see in these pictures and on which all the icons are painted are not considered to be 'good' until they have dried out for two to three years. The wood selected for the icons must have no blemishes and only from a certain area of Greece.

Another Large Woodcutter

After they showed us the process of the wood conditioning and cutting we moved inside where the gold leaf application and painting was all done: the final steps of an icon.

The other thing that I admired about the icon painting process is that they use an egg tempera, which involves a mixture of egg yolk and vinegar combined with a dry pigment. These pigments are often extracted from plants and natural minerals. They have amazing vibrance which can be seen below.

The Icon Painters' Palette of Pigments

The finished icons are sold in their store, displayed wonderfully upon shelves of vivacious colours. The production rate for these paintings is actually quite impressive considering the details.

At the end of the day, I ended up buying one. Last time we visited here, I got one of Jesus. However this time, I chose my namesake, Luke the Evangelist. Note that I have no intentions to pray to any icon, they are only representations of my respect and appreciation towards them, similar to how tweenage girls buy posters of Taylor Swift, etc...

Here's what I got!

Icon of Luke the Evangelist