Mosaics in the National Garden

Caught in the act! This is in part of the National Gardens, across from the Olympian Zeus...

In the Park

Mythical and Majestic Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus (/əˈlɪmpəs, oʊˈlɪm-/; Greek: Όλυμπος; also transliterated as Olympos, and on Greek maps, Oros Olympos) is the highest mountain in Greece and the second highest mountain in the Balkans. It is located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, between the regional units of Pieria and Larissa, about 80 km (50 mi) southwest from Thessaloniki. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks, deep gorges, and exceptional biodiversity. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,919 metres (9,570 ft). It is one of the highest peaks in Europe in terms of topographic prominence.

Olympus was notable in Ancient Greek Mythology as the home of the Twelve Olympians, on the Mytikas peak. Mount Olympus is also noted for its very rich flora with several species. It has been the first National Park of Greece, since 1938, and a World's Biosphere Reserve.

Every year thousands of people visit Olympus to admire its nature, to tour its slopes, and reach its peaks. Organized mountain refuges and various mountaineering and climbing routes are available to visitors, who want to explore its nature. The usual starting point for it is the town of Litochoro, on the eastern foothills of the mountain, 100 km from Thessaloniki, where, in the beginning of every summer, the Mountain Olympus Marathon terminates.

A Boy and his Turtle

this very much reminded me of my Taylor, who loves turtles

in the National Gardens

the layout of the National Park

Four Hellenic Women

In the National Gardens

Zappeion

The Zappeion is one of the most important buildings of Athens next to the National Garden, its construction was financed by Evangelos Zappas. The neoclassical mansion is inherent with the modern history of Greece and now is used for public and private exhibitions and ceremonies.

In 1869 the Greek government donated 80,000 square meters of public land for the building of Zapeion in the area between the palace, the gardens and the ancient Temple of Zeus. The Greek Parliament also passed a legislation on 30th of November 1869 specifically for the construction of buildings for the Olympic Games in 1896, the Zappeion was the world's first building that was built exclusively for the Olympic Games.

Evangelos Zappas

The Zappeion has about 25 rooms. The initial use of the building and the courtyard space was for an agricultural, industrial and technical exhibition set to take place every four years. Zappeion was also used by the National Institute of Radio EIR from 1938. The building was Used in the Olympic Games in 1896 for the fencing championships, while during the Olympics of 2004 was a press and events centre. Many historical events took place in Zappeion with paramount the historic signing of the Treaty of Accession to the European Union (then EEC) of Greece in 1st of January 1981 by the Greek prime minister K. Karamanlis. Zappeion is the press centre in all General Elections of Greece where the leaders of the major political parties give an interview to the mass media after the end of the elections.

Information taken from http://www.athensguide.org/zappeion.html

In the National Garden

In the beautiful National Garden park across from the Marble Stadium-