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Further Distractions Green Spaces The Ethnikós Kipos (National Gardens) on Amalias Avenue are a welcome green haven in the centre of the city. The gardens have peacocks and a small botanical museum and they are open every day from dawn to dusk; admission is free. Another calm spot is the Kerameikós cemetery at Ermou 148, named after the patron saint of potters and ceramics and dating from the twelfth century BC. Tombstones range from the grand to the poignantly simple. A museum on site (tel: (01) 346 3552) is open daily 0830-1430 (except Monday) with admission priced at Dr500. Sound & Light Show Pnyka (Pnyx) is a green and hilly area across from the Acropolis that contains an 18,000-seat amphitheatre originally used for the Assembly in the age of Pericles. The amphitheatre is now the evening setting for a sound and light show that tells the history of Greece and the Acropolis. Tel: (01) 322 1459. Transport: Bus 230. Opening hours: Daily Apr-Oct (except Good Friday). English-language programmes 2100; French-language programmes (except Tues and Fri) 2200; German-language programmes (Tues and Fri only) 2200. Admission: Dr1500 (concessions available). Mikrí Mitrópoli (Little Mitrópolis) Although Megáli Mitrópoli (Great Mitrópolis) which serves as Athens' cathedral dominates the square of the same name, visitors may well prefer Mikrí Mitrópoli (Little Mitrópolis), an exquisite twelfth-century church with a mystical atmosphere and a charming name: Panaghía Gorgoepiíkoös - the Madonna who swiftly hears. Plateía Mitropoleos Tel: (01) 322 1308. Transport: Monastiráki metro. Opening hours: Daily 0700-1300. Admission: Free. |
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