The Marble Jewel of Greece
Greece’ beautiful work of art; the Panathenaic Stadium. Built with shiny, cool marble wrapping around a jet-black racetrack that looked as if it was a work of the Olympian Gods, the Olympic Stadium looks majestic as ever.
Getting there
As you walk out of the Acropolis Metro Station, turn left and head past Hadrian’s Arch. Walk around the ruins of The Temple of Zeus, until you get to a junction. Cross that and keep walking until you see signboards directing you to the stadium. Follow Google Maps if you’re unsure and prefer getting to the attraction directly instead of wandering around.
The Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium is more than 2,500 years old. Having gone through major restorations over the years, it’s Greece’ shiny monument that’s a jewel in the city. The stadium is often referred to as ‘Kallimarmaro’, which translates to ‘made of fine marble’. The Greeks were obviously a creative bunch.
The Marble Steps
The stadium; i.e. the steps and seats that wrap around the track are built entirely of Pentelic marble, at the request of Herodes. With an actual seating capacity of 50,000 seats, the stadium hosted up to 80,000 spectators when a Greek athlete won the first Olympic marathon! Since we travelled to Greece in winter, the marble was pretty cold to sit on, but quite enjoyable to our weary butts after walking for miles.
What you MUST DO
Muster up all your strength and climb to the top of the Panathenaic stadium – i.e. the highest row and walk around the stadium. Not only do you feel ‘on top of the world’, but you get to witness some jaw-dropping views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill and the rest of the city.
The Museum
Head to the opposite head from where you entered the stadium from, and you’ll find a tunnel to navigate through. WALK RIGHT INTO IT – trust me. The beautifully dug out tunnel leads you to the museum, featuring Olympic torches from every Olympic event EVER, along with its posters and the big ol’ Olympic altar.
The Discobolus of Myron – A.K.A. the discus thrower.
While we had tons of fun visiting the stadium, stay tuned to find out what else was in store for us that day!
Yours truly,
Imperfect Traveller