Writes of Passage

^{East pediment D: … a young male deity reclines on a rock …}

The British Museum
Great Russell St,
London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, Yelp, TA

A slice of Greece in London.

I would not have gone if it were not for the Greek tour manager in Athens, who repeatedly bemoaned the Elgin Marbles being in the British Museum. One or two times is enough. But she couldn’t give it a break, mentioning it at least ten times during our hour-long visit to the Acropolis Museum.

The Elgin Marbles story.

Some tresures in the The Parthenon Galleries in BM (Room 18), and more

• pdf The Parthenon @ BM
• pdf: Minoan @ Crete @ Room 12A & Mycenaeans @ Room 12B
• the treasury of Atreus @ BM

The Minoan 米诺斯 civilization was a Bronze Age culture on the island of Crete (c. 3000–1100 BCE) known for its advanced architecture, vibrant art, and extensive maritime trade networks.

The Parthenon Galleries in BM (Room 18) houses a collection of the Parthenon Sculptures originally from the temple of Athena in Athens, Greece, which arrived in the early 19th century. The galleries display about half of the surviving sculptures, including a 247-foot frieze 饰带, 15 metopes 间板, and 17 figures from the pediments 山墙饰. They’ve been a source of controversy with Greece, which requests their return. The British government has stated there are no plans to change the law that protects the collection.

• 247-foot frieze 饰带
• 15 metopes 间板 / 间饰
• 17 figures from the pediments 山墙饰 triangular gable ends

The Parthenon frieze 饰带

The frieze ran for 160 metres around all four sides of the Parthenon. It represents a festival procession made up of the different members of the community of Athens.

The procession departs from the south-west corner of the frieze and divides into two. Both divisions arrive at the east end where the gods are seated.

The casts in this room are all from the west frieze. They show horsemen preparing for the cavalcade on the long north and south sides of the temple. The west frieze comprised sixteen blocks of carved marble. Two are displayed in Room 18 next door and the other fourteen, represented by casts in this room, are at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

帕特农神庙的雕带

这幅雕带环绕帕特农神庙四面,绵延160米,象征着由雅典不同社群成员组成的节日游行队伍.

游行队伍从雕带的西南角出发,分成两队,最终抵达神庙东端,那里是诸神的坐席.

本展厅的铸模均来自西侧雕带.它们描绘了在神庙南北两侧长长的街道上,骑士们为行进做准备的场景.西侧雕带由16块大理石雕刻而成.其中两块陈列在隔壁的18号展厅,其余14块(本展厅的铸模代表)现藏于雅典卫城博物馆.

metopes

A Centaur exults in triumph as he rears over the dying body of a fallen Lapith. We feel pity for the boy who is barely of an age for battle. The left arm of the Centaur holds up a panther skin whose tail and paw fly into the open space behind the Centaur’s human body. The other hand brandished a wine maxing bowl (now lost), a sign of hospitality, which is used here as a weapon. The contrasting moods of these two figures make this one of the most effective of all the metopes.

SOUTH METОРЕ ХХVН 

一位半人马在倒下的拉皮斯人垂死的尸体上昂首阔步,洋溢着胜利的喜悦. 我们为这个尚不成熟、尚未达到战斗年龄的男孩感到惋惜.半人马的左臂举着一张豹皮,豹皮的尾巴和爪子飞入半人马身后的空地. 另一只手挥舞着一个盛酒的碗(现已遗失), 这是好客的象征,在这里被用作武器.这两个人物的对比情绪使这幅作品成为所有间饰中最令人印象深刻的作品之一.

南间饰

East pediment: … A youthful male deity reclines on a rock, cushioned by the skin of a feline animal. He is probably Dionysos, god of wine and the irrational side of human nature. As one of the infernal gods, he forms a triad with Persephone and her mother Demeter, shown to the right. His missing right hand perhaps held a cup.

一位年轻的男神斜倚在一块岩石上,身后垫着一张猫科动物的皮.他很可能是酒神狄俄尼索斯,以及人性中非理性的一面.作为地狱诸神之一,他与珀耳塞福涅和她的母亲德墨忒尔(右侧)组成了三位一体.他缺失的右手或许握着一只酒杯.

东山墙D

EAST PEDIMENT D

pediment

This horse’s head was one of those that drew the chariot of the moon-goddess Selene. She balanced the group of Helios in the other corner of the pediment. The horse is weary from its night-long labour: the eye bulges, the nostrils flare, the mouth gapes, the veins stand out and the skin is stretched tight over the great cheekbone.

EAST PEDIMENT O

这匹马的头是拉着月亮女神塞勒涅战车的马头之一. 她与山墙另一角的赫利俄斯雕像群保持着平衡. 这匹马因整夜劳作而疲惫不堪: 眼眶鼓胀,鼻孔张开,嘴巴张开,血管凸出,宽大的颧骨上皮肤紧绷.

东山墙

The text of The east pediment

Pediments are the triangular gable ends of a Greek temple, which were often filled with sculpture carved all the way round.

An explosion in 1687 destroyed much of the Parthenon. Jacques Carrey’s drawings, made in 1674, show that the colossal figures which once occupied the centre of the pediment were already missing at this time. Pausanias, a Greek travel writer of the 2nd century AD, reports that the east pediment of the Parthenon showed the birth

Drawings by Jacques Carrey from 1674 show the composition of the sculptures before they were damaged by an explosion in 1687.

东山墙

山墙是希腊神庙的三角形山墙末端，通常四周都雕刻着雕塑。

1687年的一场爆炸摧毁了帕特农神庙的大部分建筑。雅克·卡雷于1674年绘制的图纸显示，曾经占据山墙中心的巨大雕像当时已经不见踪影。公元2世纪的希腊旅行作家保萨尼亚斯记载，帕特农神庙的东山墙展现了……的诞生。

雅克·卡雷于1674年绘制的图纸展示了雕塑在1687年爆炸损坏之前的构图。

… more

• BM Greece: Parthenon 帕特农神庙
• BM The Parthenon Sculptures 帕特农神庙雕塑
• BM trustees’ statement on Parthenon Sculptures
• UK parliarment

@ Ath, Athens, Greece,
Attiki Odos,
Spata Artemida 190 04

… more pix n videos on Google Maps & TA

Will return.

Airy, light, modern decor, elevator music, the ambience relaxes me immediately.

The three ladies at the front desk are friendly.

Seatings are comfortable. The food is excellent. 

Goldair Handling Lounge is a Greek company. This one at ATH opens ungodly hours, 3:30 am to 12 am daily. 

The bathroom is spacious, no shower tho.

Wifi kicks users off when the lounge gets busy.

Nik. Nomikou,
Oía 847 02, Greece

… more pix n videos on Google Maps

Will return.

Great view and hospitality.

Thanks for taking us in for a drink during your dinner hour.

We’ve their local white Nixteri dry and red Syrah Avantis – both are good but I like the white better. Good stems. The olive is wonderful.

Órmos Athiniós 847 00, Greece

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This is one of two ports in Santorini for cruise ships to tender their passengers from their ships to shore.

There is nothing around it, except for the extremely winding and narrow upward road. So, the transfer from the tender boat to the bus takes just a minute or two.

Cruise ships can’t anchor because it’s too deep, according to Nicklas, so they drift while we’re onshore. The tender boat ride to shore is short 8 minutes, including the load and unload. We’re the last few got on, and the transfer to bus is only about a minute or two. But the ride back to our boat takes much longer. Get on at 8:21, left port 8:34, off 8:46.

Chiou 7,
Athina 104 38, Greece / Athens, Greece

… more pix on Google Maps

Will return: very good food:

anchovy
shrimps
sea bass

All of the above is great.

Thinalos Seafood Restaurant – Θίν’αλος is a 3-minute walk from The Stanley hotel.

Simple, clean decor. Bare wooden table tops and chairs. Good stem and water glasses with two droplets or tears or baby fish logo, that are made with half plastic, from a catering company Αφοί Κάτου – another first.

For the seafood, they’re not exactly like the Chinese, where you pick your seafood from the live tanks, then they cook and serve it to you. Here, they show you the kind of seafood available, such as shrimp, squid, a chunk of tuna, a couple of fish, with two dark lobsters in the middle. The drawers beneath the ice tank hold more fish, specifically the larger ones. Although many refrigerators have drawers, it’s the first time I’ve seen them as the morgue – in a good way, all in all.

Not that their food needs it, but while waiting, I tried the salt and pepper shakers: the set is of good quality and easy to use.

They provide sweet snacks and popsicles on the house: thank you.

Ok, saving the laugh for the last bit… you can watch the short video to laugh at me.

Free advice for your bathroom trip: look at your feet …

That’s all people.

Pl. Avissinias 3,
Athina 105 55 / Athens, Greece

… more pix and videos on google maps

Will not return: the food is bland. We’ve

– Pork chop: tastes similar to mine.
– Sardines: bland.

The restaurant is located b the flea market, marked by four artificial flowers at the entrance.

The service is very good. The server offers menus in English, French, and other languages. 🙂

The bread is delicious, and there is plenty of it, served with olives. They do not offer wine by the glass, only in carafes or half-carafes.

I. Gennadiou 14,
Athina 106 76 Athens, Greece

… more pix n videos on Google Maps

The Monastery of the Holy Incorporeal Taxiarchs (Άγιοι Ασώματοι Ταξιάρχες), or simply Petraki Monastery, is a Byzantine-era monastery in Kolonaki, Athens. It serves as the seat of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece.

It’s beutaiful. We’re passing by, on our way to the trail.

Athens 114 71
Lycabettus Hill
Athens, Greece

… more pix on Google Maps

Holy Church of Saint George of Lycabettus is a tiny white church perchs on top of the Lycabettus mount, that dates back to 1870.

Inside, although beautiful, but is in need of repair.

The courtyard offers  panoramic view of the city, inlcuding the Acropolis and Saronic Gulf, and the islands beyond the water.

A few steps below is a restaurant.

• hill 1

Meandrou 15
Athina 115 28 / Athens, Greece

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, TA

Def will return: light and breezy with good food.

The resturant is located directly across street from Crowne Plaza, which is the most convenient. They’ve an indoor, and two outdoor sections. We choose inside. Both walls are filled with art. There is a small ‘second floor’. 

We’ve

1. zucchini top
2. foursome dipping
3. fresh mushrooms
4. carlamari
5. house white (Sauvignon blanc) and red 

All are very good.

This is our first restaurant meal in Greece. My last time in Athens was in 1983. Many decades have passed by, and I can’tremember what the food was like back then. But the four small plates we’ve are similar to the Greek cuisine in the US: light and flavorful. 

The olive green aprons look good. Oddly, they have cloth table tops but use rather shabby paper napkins.

We get our bill at 5:54 pm, and have to pay at the counter. And again, they don’t take Amex. I couldn’t survive in Europe when they eat at seven or beyond.

Throughout our meal, the floor is being continuously swept, and garbage bag(s) is/are transported. 

Athens, Greece

… more pix on Google Maps gm

~ Goldair Handling Lounge

We fly in and out of Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos for our Greece portion of the trip.

This is the home of Aegean Airlines. It’s a modern structure that began service in 2001, and it’s packed both times we use it.

We didn’t go through custome because we came in from Fra/Muc and out to Waw.

It has a luggage storage service on the floor 0, below the departure level.

landing in Athens & departing Athens