Athens Day Four

After a long wonderful day walking around Athens after the sun had gone down and the stars came out, we came across this wonderful sight of the Panathenaic Stadium which was illuminated by lights.

It was late so there was hardly anyone around so a great opportunity for a night time photograph, my first of this holiday hopefully not my last.

The Panathenaic Stadium lies between two pine-covered hills between the neighborhoods of Mets and Pangrati. It was originally built in the 4th century BC as a venue for the Panathenaic athletic contests. It's said that at Hadrian’s inauguration in AD 120, 1000 wild animals were sacrificed in the arena. Later, the seats were rebuilt in Pentelic marble by Herodes Atticus.

After hundreds of years of disuse, the stadium was completely restored in 1895 by wealthy Greek benefactor Georgios Averof to host the first modern Olympic Games the following year. It's a faithful replica of the original Panathenaic Stadium, comprising seats of Pentelic marble for 70,000 spectators, a running track and a central area for field events. It made a stunning backdrop to the archery competition and the marathon finish during the 2004 Olympics. It's occasionally used for concerts and public events, and the annual Athens marathon finishes here.

Another site not to be missed if you visit this great city

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