The Tower of the Winds

I have been looking for the Tower of the Winds every day since we arrived. There is no address anywhere that I can find. Of course, if I could speak or read Greek, I would probably be able to find it easily. I have finally given up finding it as this is our last day in Athens. We fly out at an early hour in the morning. I know it is in the Monastriki area but that is about it. We have wandered all over this area. We have gone in search of it several times to no avail. Today we are enjoying what the street vendors have to offer.

I considered one of these rugs but there is not a chance it will fit in the suitcase. The balalaika was wonderful to listen to. We listened for quite a while. Then we wandered among the vendors. Nick found a sweater he liked. Jon was being Joe Cool for the afternoon. We wandered up the streets toward the little village area of Anifiotika and on past some tiny streets and quaint, well-kept houses.

We passed a few restaurants and had a wonderful afternoon. We found a wonderful statue of Lord Byron who, in addition to being a fabulous poet, came to Greece to fight against the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence. He is a national hero in the eyes of the Greeks.

We kept walking up the hill. Suddenly, there it was – the Tower of the Winds. It has the faces of the eight winds carved on its eight sides around the crown of the building. It stands in the midst of rubble from other buildings which did not survive. It was used by a priest in medieval times and so was saved the wrecking ball that seems to have demolished all else around it. It was built by an astronomer in the first century BCE.