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Located in the Roman Market (Agora) in Plaka at the foot of the Acropolis, the octagonal Tower of the Winds (Aerides) is the most appealing and well preserved of the Roman monuments of Athens, keeping time since the 1st century BC. It was originally a sundial, water clock, and weather vane topped by a bronze Triton with a metal rod in his hand, which followed the direction of the wind. Expressive reliefs around the octagonal tower personify the eight winds, called Aerides by Athenians.

If you take an evening stroll to Plaka, include this location in your route. As you can see in the panorama, there is a restaurant right outside the gates of the Roman Agora. I haven't tried it but the quality of the food would be a secondary consideration to me. The atmosphere is awesome!

Roman Agora on the web
• Culture.gr - Short presentation by the Ministry of Culture
• Frommer's - Article

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Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for culture, the Fête de la Musique is held in more than a hundred countries in Europe and over the rest of the world. It takes place every 21st June, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

In Athens the celebration lasts 3 days and it includes street rock concerts, modern and traditional Greek Music, Ethnic music, Jazz, etc. Admission is free and the events are held in various open spaces like plazas, and parks throughout Athens

Fête de la Musique
• MusicDay.gr - Official Greek web site of the event
• fetedelamusique.culture.fr - the French started this event and this is their official web site (there is an english version too)

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The Academy of Athens is one of the most beautiful buildings of the city. It was erected in two phases, in 1859-1863 and 1868-1885, at the expense of Simon Sinas on the basis of designs by Theophilus von Hansen; construction was supervised by Ernst Ziller.

On plan the building is symmetrically organised and consists of three wings interconnected by two smaller lateral sections. The main wing houses the assembly chamber. The main floor is constructed entirely of marble. The central wing is in the form of an Ionic temple with a colonnaded portico at each end, in visible imitation of the Erechtheion. The side wings are lower in height and their façades are treated with pillars and an entablature.

Two oversized Ionian columns flank the entrance portico, bearing statues of Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Apollo, god of light, that were sculpted by Leonidas Drosis. The main group on the Academy’s pediment, depicting the birth of Athena, is also his work. The smaller pediments on the side wings, made of terracotta, are the work of Fr. Melnitzky (1875).

The monumental assembly hall is adorned by the wall paintings of Christian Griepenkerl on the theme of the mythological cycle of Prometheus.

Athens Academy of Sciences on the web
• Official web site - Only in Greek
• Culture.gr - A description by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture

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Preveza is a small, quaint town located in the northwest coast of Greece. This is one of the few places in Greece that has not fully succumbed to unruly tourist development. It has miles and miles of unspoiled beaches on the western coast with crystal clear water and very little development on the beachfront.

The area has not been promoted much touristically and it is mainly a vacation destination for Greeks. I searched on the internet for material on Preveza and found very little. The major tourist guides like Frommers, Fodors, Virtual Tourist, etc hardly even mention it!

Your best bet is to not stay in town but rather drive north along the road to Parga and Igoumenitsa (Route E-55). About 10 to 15Km outside the town of Preveza you'll find lots of villages like Mitikas, Kanali (this is where I stay), Kastrosikia, Vrahos, Loutsa, etc. There you'll find plenty of small hotels and studios for rent and advanced reservations are not needed. Prices are very inexpensive; accommodation for 4 people in a studio ranges between 25€ and 40€ per night even in August.

If you get bored, you can always drive into town or take short day trips to nearby destinations like Parga, Lefkada, Ioannina, etc. This is a great place for a relaxing or family-style vacation.

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This is downtown Preveza. It's a very charming, colorful town with lots of little shops, cafes and restaurants lacated mainly along the promenade. The locals are very friendly and hospitable and it's a pleasure to visit here.