Looky what I found. 🩵💛🖤💚❤️
Who wants diamonds rings when you can have Olympic rings. I would also like to point out that I was wearing my Paris 2024 sweatshirt from the Olympics for this visit.
Hello from the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens! Home of the first modern day Olympics in 1896. You had to assume that I was going to search for Olympic stuff while visiting the birthplace of the Games!
Fun facts about the stadium according to the Internet and the tour brochure.
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It was built in 330 BC as a venue for the Panathenaic Games, a festival held in honor of the goddess Athena.
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The stadium sits in the heart of Athens on the site where the original Ancient Olympic Games would have been held…back when it was men only (participating and watching – no women allowed) and they competed in events like wrestling and track and field in the nude. (Personal commentary: “Ouch”)
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The current stadium is built entirely of Pentelic marble.
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The stadium was the finish line for the marathon in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
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Seating capacity 68,000 (maximum).
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The stadium is designed in the shape of a horseshoe, a traditional feature of ancient Greek stadiums.
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It measures 204 meters long and 33.6 meters wide.
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It remains a venue for significant cultural and sports events in Athens.
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It serves as the ceremonial site for the handover of the Olympic flame to the host country.
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Apart from the Olympics, it has hosted significant events, such as the Athens Biennale, concerts, and other celebrations.
At one end of the stadium are several plaques listing all of the Olympic Games since 1896 and the host cities (written in Greek of course).
You don’t need a ton of time here (I spent maybe an hour snooping around and taking photos) but it’s a fun venue to visit especially if you have kids and want to let them work out some energy…and to be a kid again yourself.
Good Things List
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Finding The Rings
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Playing like a kid again
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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I loved that this person was just chilling alone and taking it all in.
The steps are steep!
A photo of a modern day event from the brochure.
A statue of an athlete across the street from the stadium.
These ladies look like the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover to me (plus two extra).
I bought a fun souvenir at the gift shop. A Euro printed on actual “money paper” but worth 0. Don’t spend it all in one place.
You can never have too many selfies with The Rings. 🩵💛🖤💚❤️
