Greece Day 2: The Agora and Market

Today we got up early and headed over to the Greek Agora, the Roman Agora, and then saw the city market. It was really beautiful and packed with history. I learned that Agora is pronounced Ah Gore Ah rather than the way agora is pronounced in agoraphobia. There’s your fun fact for the day.

The Greek Agora was a place of sales and also government. It was a center of social times and democracy. Up on a hill within (I believe) the Agora, is the longest standing temple in the areal antiquity. It has never fallen, but it has been reroofed. Check it out:

Also, the view from that hill was phenomenal:

We walked into the Agora and saw the corner where the boundary of the Agora was and the house believed to have belonged to Simon the Cobbler, who was a friend to Socrates.

There is just so much history here – if I think about it too hard I get a little lost. It’s overwhelming but in a good, I’m learning so much, kind of way.

The Greek Agora was huge, so I kind of figured there wasn’t much more to see at the Roman Agora that we hadn’t already seen before or something similar to. Turns out, I was very wrong and the Roman Agora may have just been my favorite part of the day for one reason – inside an old mosque on the edge of the ancient Roman Agora, there was a unique display of photographs taken by German soldiers during World War II. Now, I will openly admit I am a bit of a World War II nerd, my first typewriter in my collection is a 1945 Royal and I ready WWII historical nonfiction books for fun. Not that I think it was a fun era, because there was a whole lot of death and war and such, but there is so much to learn from the era and so much economic and scientific innovation that came out of it, as well as some incredible narratives of human endurance to inspire generations to come. Here are some photos of the Roman Agora and the exhibit within the mosque:

Additionally, as a photography nerd I enjoyed the display of antique Leica cameras that were similar to the models used by German soldiers.

After walking through that exhibit, we reentered the city and headed over to the modern market. I think the best two words to describe the market are colorful and fresh.

There were blocks of vendors selling freshly picked fruits and vegetables which was a sweet reminder of the Raleigh Farmer’s Market at home, which I cherish. There was also the meat section, containing fresh catches and kills. Aside from those staples, there were other vendors selling nuts, herbs, spices, and other items.

Today was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed seeing the sights of the Agoras and the market. Tomorrow we venture to the Acropolis, and I cannot wait to see what lies in store there.

Until tomorrow,

Good night!

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