Athens and the Olympics

The modern Olympics were first held in Athens in 1896 and the city hosted again in 2004.  We didn't make it to the 2004 Olympic facilities, but we made sure to stop and visit the Panathenaic Stadium.  This is the only stadium in the world made entirely of marble and it hosted several of the events during the the 1896 Games.  The stadium is located within the historic center of Athens and provides a nice view of the back side of the Parthenon and Acropolis.  Today it hosts the finish line of the annual Athens marathon.  From 7:30am to 9:00am each day, locals are allowed to jog around its track.  Although we didn't take advantage of the jogging, we did wander around and admire all of the gleaming white marble that surrounded us.

1984 Los Angeles Games

One of the cooler aspects of the stadium is the small museum that you access through a stone tunnel carved out under the marble seating areas.  Within the museum are the torches that have been used in most of the prior Olympic games.  Each Olympic year the flame starts its journey from this stadium to the host country.

View of the Acropolis from the Stadium