Greece- Some Shots from My Trip

[JCMach1]

Aegina at Sunset
Aegina Port
Rainbow From Mars Hill
In the Shadow of Athena
Pynx Hill, Birthplace of Democracy

Moonrise, Parthenon
Full Moon over Lycabettus Hill
Parthenon Sunset

More pics are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/9008613@N06/sets/72157622808874349/

[trusty elf]

1. Thanks, those are very pretty.

How did you like the new Acropolis museum? Also, how much evidence did you see of all the fires they've been having there recently?

I'm hoping to go to Athens in July.

[JCMach1]

2. Didn't see any evidence of the fire, except lots of bees looking for homes

Our hotel was about a block from the new Acropolis Museum... The museum itself is stunningly modernistic. I am not a particular fan of the style, but it got a thumbs-up from almost everyone. It is certainly a fitting home for the Elgin Marbles when they return.

[trusty elf]

4. I wonder if the Brits are ever going to give back the Elgin Marbles.

The Greek delegation sent to London to get them back was not too pleased when they arrived at the British Museum to find this:

[Mira]

6. TrustyElf - you are so bad! Now you made me look up Elgin marbles,

and here is what I found, for the others who don't know either:
===============

What are the 'Elgin Marbles'?
The 'Elgin Marbles' is a popular term that in its widest use may refer to the collection of stone objects - sculptures, inscriptions and architectural features - acquired by Lord Elgin during his time as ambassador to the Ottoman court of the Sultan in Istanbul. More specifically, and more usually, it is used to refer to those sculptures, inscriptions and architectural features that he acquired in Athens between 1801 and 1805. These objects were purchased by the British Parliament from Lord Elgin in 1816 and presented by Parliament to the British Museum.

The collection includes sculptures from the Parthenon, roughly half of what now survives: 247 feet of the original 524 feet of frieze; 15 of 92 metopes; 17 figures from the pediments, and various other pieces of architecture. It also includes objects from other buildings on the Acropolis: the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the Temple of Athena Nike.

In the nineteenth century the term 'Elgin Marbles' was used to describe the collection, which was housed in the Elgin Room at the British Museum, completed in 1832, where it remained until the Duveen Gallery (Room 18) was built.

Material from the Parthenon was dispersed both before and after Elgin's time. The remainder of the surviving sculptures that are not in Athens are in museums in various locations across Europe. The British Museum also has other fragments from the Parthenon acquired from collections that have no connection with Lord Elgin.
=================

Now that I know more, tell me about that spectacular photo of the headless ones, and I would not put it past you to have created the whole thing in
photoshop.
( :) )

[JCMach1]

7. I have pics of the Elgin Marbles from my trip to the British Museum in 2005

for the curious...

I hope Greece and Britain can work it out. I don't see it as complete robbery as they also protected theses precious objects. The ones left on the Parthenon (now in the new Acropolis museum) are degraded from years of wear from acid rain.

[trusty elf]

8. Those headless ones are extremely photogenic, aren't they!

All of the Parthenon sculpture is spectacular, and it's all beautifully lit too.

I took that picture several years ago while in London visiting friends....

The "lost your marbles" carving is definitely a photoshop prank :D That would be funny if it did actually say that. I might just send them the photo and suggest it!

There's a terrible story about the fate of the Parthenon. In the 17th century a Turkish garrison on the Acropolis was besieged by an army led by a Venetian general. One of the besieger's shells fell on the Turkish powder-store, which was in the Parthenon. :scared: The explosion destroyed the interior, and the middles of the sides were blown outwards. :(

It's a wonder that any of the sculpture survived to the present day! I suppose that had it not been for Lord Elgin, very little of it would have.

One of my favorites is Metope XXVII



:hi:

[JCMach1]

9. That is an awesome one... I knew about the near destruction of the Parthenon

... the good news is that reconstruction is coming along nicely. The small temple to Athena Nike on the entrance is nearly complete. Anyone visiting by Summer may get to see the scaffold off.

[Celebration]

3. These are great!

Love the sculpture plus shadow.

[Mira]

5. Yeah - I'm so glad you got to go - and I'm so glad we get the photos.

They are splendid and surely take us away from our own back yards for a minute.
Each one has special charms, and I will, on my next visit go and study the others at flicker.
Thank you!

[Celebration]

10. Nashville's Parthenon and Athena

I have posted a couple of pics of the Parthenon but not really all together, and since I have a bunch of the Nashville artist's interpretation of the original Athena statue, I thought that would be interesting. Here also are pics of the casts done from the London Museum. Unfortunately, I did not get a night picture of it.

Although it is definitely on a little hill, there is a much better hill nearby that they could have put it on. They decided against it because they didn't think people would make the trek. I am throwing some in here to show the scale of the place.

Fortunately the Parthenon allows pictures inside this part of the museum.








Here is the relatively new Athena-over forty feet tall or something







These are from British Museum casts

[JCMach1]

11. Been to that one too, before the days of digital photos though...

nice pics BTW...

The pic with the shadow is of the most exact existing copy of the original Athena statue... notice the one in Nashville is almost identical... was probably the model for the one there.

[Celebration]

12. that is what I noticed

Although the Nashville artist embellished quite a bit I think. It's pretty incredible but a bit too gaudy for me, personally. Definitely interesting, though.

Thank you for the trip to Greece. Those were great!!

[trusty elf]

13. Thanks for posting these Celebration.

Very interesting.

I'm going to respond to this later on tonight when I get back from Zurich.

:hi:

[JeffR]

14. Just went through the set on Flickr

Some great stuff there. :thumbsup:

[JCMach1]

16. Some of the set belongs to my daughters

:)

They are still learning.

[qnr]

15. Gorgeous. Really brings back some memories, thank you. n/t