From New Orleans to Greece – Part 5
Here is the last part of From New Orleans to Greece. Check the rest here.
Athens
As the largest city in Greece, our first impression of Athens was congestion. After traveling eight miles in just over an hour, we arrived at the Acropolis Museum, which houses artifacts relating to the Parthenon.
Above: The Acropolis Museum
After learning about what the Parthenon looked like in ancient times, and getting the chance to see what exists of the original sculptural reliefs, we went on to see the National Archeological Museum, which displayed a dazzling array of ancient artifacts, predominantly pottery and sculpture, but also a wide array of weaponry, household items, and religious relics. After a delicious lunch on a rooftop overlooking the Parthenon, we were finally able to see the iconic monument up close. Few words can describe the excitement that we felt when getting to see first-hand, one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
Above: Auditorium on the way to the Acropolis
Above: More ancient structures on the way to the Acropolis
Above: The Porch of the Caryatids on the Erechtheum
Above: The Parthenon
Above: Restoration of the Parthenon
After leaving the Parthenon, we saw the stadium that housed the first modern Olympic games in 1896.
Above: Old Olympic stadium
Messina
While in Sicily, we were able to see an incredible natural phenomenon, Mount Etna. Mount Etna is the second most active volcano in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity, with a major eruption coming just a few months after we visited. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. Due to its history of recent activity and nearby population, Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations. Walking through the lava fields of Mount Etna was a completely alien experience, one got the feeling that this is how Mars would feel.
Above: Crater from one on the previous eruption on Mount Etna
Above: Lava fields on Mount Etna
The 1991–1993 eruption saw the town of Zafferana threatened by a lava flow, but successful diversion efforts saved the town with the loss of only one building a few hundred metres from the town's margin. We were able to see how close the lava came to destroying the town, with lava completely encompassing some of the town’s buildings with lava pressed up against the glass of a window.
Above: Look how close the lava got to consuming this building
Above: More lava fields on Mount Etna
After re-boarding the cruise ship, we passed by the Island of Stromboli, a small island off the coast of Sicily, which contains the fourth most active volcano in the world, with minor eruptions occurring daily (something we witnessed first hand) with the last major eruption on April 23, 2009.
Above: You can see the volcano smoking