Lead Guitar

IMG_4668-2, originally uploaded by iwynx.

Shot this during the Jumping Bean Cafe Official Opening. I sure hope the business there can be get started after this…

The bands rock!

Acoustix Jam…

IMG_4458-1, originally uploaded by iwynx.

Not really…This is a one of the many shots that I shot during my coverage of the Jumping Bean Cafe in Tampines West CC on 18th Oct 2008.

Up in smoke…

Smokey20080123-1.jpg, originally uploaded by iwynx.

Day 2: Acropolis and other ancient sites…

Well, day 2 have come…the day we are supposed to join up with the contiki group. Had breakfast, there’s FETA cheese. Something to share about this cheese.

Feta (Greek: φέτα, also spelled fetta) is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece with goat’s and sheep milk. Since 2005, feta has been a protected designation of origin in the European Union, and defined as having at least 70% sheep’s milk, with the remainder being goat’s milk.

I like the taste of it together with oregano and a dash of olive oil. Viola! Instant greek salad.

Anyway, day 2 is a sunday in Greece and seems that they are rather religious…We chanced upon some kind of military procession outside a church.

Attention, Day 2 Begins!

Plaka not quite the same like yesterday

1st stop, the roman agora.

One of two surviving mosques in Athens. This one is used for storage, and the other one is restored, but used as a museum for Greek folk art.

The inscription of Julius Caesar and Augustus. They say this is only visible during mid day. It is supposed to have said this, The People, from the funds given by the divine Gaius Julius Caesar and the Emperor Caesar Augustus, son of the god, (dedicate this) to Athena Archegetis during the archonship of Nikias, son of Sarapion, of Athmonon, when Eukles of Marathon was Hoplite General, and also Ambassador, who had succeeded his father Herodes as Epimelete.

In truth, it was rather difficult to make it out cos I do not understand greek or roman. Well, then again, digital photography helps here. If you are interested, read this to gain an insight of what’s inscribed and the history behind this forum –> Link

The Gate of Athena Archegetis has a row of four Doric columns and a socle (base) made of Pentalic marble. It was built in 11 BCE with the donations of Julius Caesar and Augustus.

The view of the temple of Hephaestus midway our hike up the Acropolis

The Theatre of Dionysus was a major open air theatre in ancient Greece, built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis and forming part of the temenos of "Dionysus Eleuthereus". Dedicated to Dionysus, the god of plays and wine (among other things), the theatre could seat as many as 17,000 people, making it an ideal location for ancient Athens’ biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia. It became the prototype for all theatres of ancient Greece.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped amphitheater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof, and was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000.

Any visit to Athens would not be completed without a trip up to see the Parthenon upon the Acropolis. Acropolis means Holy Rock.

The Parthenon (ancient Greek: Παρθενών) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art.

The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy, and is considered one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of restoration and reconstruction.

If you notice the small frame of the lady on the far right of the picture, you will know how great a builder the athenians were. Marble blocks moved meticulously in place all without the aid of modern day machinery. That makes it even more amazing. You can really feel their dedication to their God…

Another view of the Parthenon. The sky was really that blue that day!

The Marble Carvings…Witnessing the wear and tear of time.

The Erechtheum (Greek: Έρέχθειον Erechtheion) is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece, notable for a design that is both elegant and unusual.

The Theatre of Dionysus was a major open air theatre in ancient Greece, built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis and forming part of the temenos of “Dionysus Eleuthereus”. Dedicated to Dionysus, the god of plays and wine (among other things), the theatre could seat as many as 17,000 people, making it an ideal location for ancient Athens’ biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia. It became the prototype for all theatres of ancient Greece.

It was the first stone theatre ever built — cut into the southern cliff face of the Acropolis — and the birthplace of Greek tragedy. The remains of a restored and redesigned Roman version can still be seen at the site today.

Word of caution: If you don’t like crazy crowds! Then start your hike up the Acropolis as early as 7am location. And not to mention, it will be cooler and probably get better light for photography.

After the hike up to the Acropolis, we made our way down to the ancient Agora.

The lower left…..The location where the ancient agora is.

The Agora, the marketplace and civic center, was one of the most important parts of an ancient city of Athens. In addition to being a place where people gathered to buy and sell all kinds of commodities, it was also a place where people assembled to discuss all kinds of topics: business, politics, current events, or the nature of the universe and the divine. The Agora of Athens, where ancient Greek democracy first came to life, provides a wonderful opportunity to examine the commercial, political, religious, and cultural life of one of the great cities of the ancient world.

Byzantine church of Agii Apostoli (Holy Apostles)

The portraiture of Jesus on the dome of the byzantine church

Bust of Roman Emperor Hadrian with Athena supported by a wolf sucking Romulus and Remus, at the Ancient Agora.

The Temple of Hephaestus and Athena Ergane (Greek: Ναός του Ηφαίστου και της Αθηνάς Εργάνης), also known as the Hephaisteion (Ηφαιστείον) or Theseion (Θησείον), is the best preserved ancient Greek temple. It is a Doric order peripteral temple, located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos (Αγοραιος) hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of St. George Akamates (Ἀγιος Γεώργιος Ακαμάτης).

At this point, the sun is really getting fierce…we decided to hide away in our hotel room and come out to play after lunch. Next stop, the Middle Stoa within the Ancient Agora plus the temple of olympian zeus…and Arch of Hadrian.

We had a gryos each for lunch and a can of coke to share. Damage: 9 Euros . It is really nice and yummy.

Street Art in Athens…

Some of the artwork we see while walking around in Plaka…

After lunch, we took the metro to visit the Kerameikos archaeological site

Kerameikos site also boast a museum where archaeological pieces from the site are actually housed. I took quite some pictures..I guess this one is what the viewers of the blog would like..

The hot outdoors….

The area took its name from the city quarter or dēmos of Kerameis, which in turn derived its name from the word κέραμος (keramos, “pottery clay”) from which the English word “ceramic” is derived. The “Inner Kerameikos” was the former “potter’s quarter” of the city and “Outer Kerameikos” covers the cemetery and also the dēmosion sēma (a public burial monument) where Pericles delivered his funeral oration in 431 BC. The cemetery was also where the Iera Odos (the Sacred Way, i.e. the road to Eleusis) began, along which the procession moved for the Eleusinian Mysteries.

The walls of Kerameikos

The view of the Parthenon from Kerameikos, Street of Tombs…

Temple of Zeus and the Arch of Hadrian awaits…

At 5plus..it is time to head to the temple of Zeus…

We passed this house while heading towards the Temple of Olympian Zeus. This area is called the Anafiotika. It is the cluster of small houses built on the slopes of the Acropolis above the Plaka. It’s like being on a Greek Island. It’s named Anafiotika because the original inhabitants were stone masons who came from the island of Anafi to build Athens in the mid 19th century.

The Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gateway resembling – in some respects – a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It has been proposed that the arch was built to celebrate the adventus (arrival) of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and to honor him for his many benefactions to the city, on the occasion of the dedication of the nearby temple complex in 131 or 132 AD.^[1]

The Temple of Olympian Zeus (Greek: Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός or Naos tou Olimpiou Dios), also known as the Olympieion, is a colossal ruined temple in the centre of the Greek capital Athens that was formerly dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. Construction began in the 6th century BC during the rule of the Athenian tyrants, who envisaged building the greatest temple in the ancient world, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD some 650 years after the project had begun.

During the Roman periods it was renowned as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest cult statues in the ancient world.

That’s all we had time for…We had to head back to the hotel to meet up with the tour group…I guess this is goodbye…Athens..We shalt return in 6 days after the cruise before we set off for Rome..

By the way, sample our dinner on mooncake festival in athens…

Our dinner, thanks to the damm filling Gryos…We can decided to celebrate moon cake festival in our room with our ration. Very nice and round moon at Athens..

Tommorrow, it is the port of Piraeus and then our first port of Mykonos…

Expect tough times ahead….

Expect tough times ahead….

This news hits me with many thoughts…

1. Didn’t the government approve the cost in increase in transport(taxis, buses, MRT), utilities, phone bills?

For the record, the below are listed as the profit

For the record, the abovementioned list of profits belongs to:

$3.6b – Singtel, which raised phone charges this week.

$1.086b – SingPower, which raised electricity prices by 22% this month.

$505m – S’pore Press Holdings, which upped its newspaper prices this month.

$150m – SMRT, which raised its train fares on Oct 1^st.

$50m – SBS Transit which also raised its fares on Oct 1^st. (Its parent company, ComfortDelgro, netted $223m last year).

Read this article on the online citizen, Greed run amok. A very poignant point made. If it is not greed, what is it?

2. How to reduce operational cost? When utilities and rent are constitute a large percentage?

Perhaps, this is a call for more foreign talent to come work in Singapore? What tightening of the belt is all about? I honestly, rent and utilities are not major impediment for businesses along with wages. With higher cost of living in Singapore, I do think that many will be under pressure. This is a vicious cycle, sad to say.

3. Times are going to be tough and why did they have to raise rates before the bad news hits?

I have one only conclusion! Times are indeed bad now. And belt up and hope we can all come out of the ride unscathed! And one more thing, brace yourself for pay cuts and increasing prices in daily commodities. All in the name of Greed

Honeymoon…1st stop..Athens

Athens..our 1st stop of many..on our honeymoon…

Flight path: Singapore –> Bangkok –> Athens, Greece(Elefthérios Venizélos) International airport

Arrival into Athens and boarded the subway, conveniently located across the airport. At the cost of 10 Euro, both of us were able to get to Syntagma Square. Compared to the leonardo da vinci express in Rome, our other destination, this is compared cheap!

Anyway, on the train, it is a 1/2 hour ride into the heart of Athens. We met this nice old gentleman whom we met on the metro who was kind enough to guide us to our hotel, Hotel Hermes along apollonos street.

What do you know, we are of the opinion that Greek are friendly! And we don’t quite remember meeting anyone that is not. They usually are not very tall, rather dark and have black hair that is not straight.

Breakfast along the road and taste of cappuccino…

Traditional Greek Bread..we found the street.

Something that we did not try. Kinda regret now!

# Taking the day easy, since we have another day in Athens before we meet up with the contiki group. Acropolis to be conquered tomorrow!

After that, we went to see the Evzone soldiers doing their hourly change over parade. The time was 0900hrs.

Change of Guard by the Evzones Soldiers. Happening every hour in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier, syntagma square. It is very interesting to see the way they march. After seeing them do this, I though we in Singapore do marching a lot more better. The north korean beats anyone in marching.

Hanging around Plaka for most of the day…We will conquer the acropolis tomorrow!

The byzantine Church which we saw in the middle of Plaka.

The painting on the dome of the church. All Byzantine Churches looks the same to me..

Not too sure what this is. But most of the greek men I seen have one. Probably something religious like the rosary. Btw, the most of the greek are greek orthodox christian. I don’t really know the difference…between roman catholic and that. I should have asked the contiki guide!

Brettos Pub.Many bottles of different colours. It really makes me wanna go in and order something blue. Anyway, there are many stores along plaka that sells greek liquor such as the Ouzo and of course we saw absinth in all kinds of colors. Alcoholic content ranges from 60% to 80%. Goodness!

Sliced Meat served with french fries, onion, Tzaiki Sauce(Yoghurt), Chunks of delicious tomatoes served on a pita bread…freshly toasted! Yummy!

Gyros for late lunch…

The busy busy plaka

Along the way, we see many indians selling squashie toys.. They are all over plaka selling their golden pigs, tomatoes, eggs. A sales demonstration is always on.

Cappuccino Freddo. Delicious strong brew of expresso topped with freshly whipped fresh milk. If you ask me..this has to be the best cappuccino I ever tasted. Cost =$1.80/$3.60(Takeway/Seat In)

This paint looks as if it is about a hot woman but on a careful look it actually is an altered map of the land of Greece along with its many islands. Crete is down right below.

Well, spent most of the day roaming around the plaka area. It has been a nice day after all. Next time, if you are staying in Athens, do stay in electra palace hotel, the only hotel that we discovered that has a unblocked view to the Acropolis from Plaka. Be warned it is a 5 star hotel. Very expensive.

See you tommorrow!

You will get $300 for every 2 days of hopistalization, isn’t that good?

MY FOOT!

Some sales people! What’s so good about being admitted to hospital. If she wants that 300 bucks, she can probably admit herself into hospital