Zappeion Hall

In the heart of Athens is the National Garden - a huge, manicured park. Absolutely gorgeous. At the perimeter of the park is a large building called Zappeion Hall. 

The Zappeion was the first building to be erected specifically for the revival of the Olympic Games in the modern world.  Two cousins named Zappas paid for it to be built and gifted it to the people of Athens.

This is Evangelos. 

Note the head.  

We first saw it when we met the water polo chick for our Olympics day. But we wanted to revisit today to see a very strange part of the Hall. Rumour has it that Evangelos Zappas asked that after his death, they put his head into one of the pillars of the building.

I wanted a picture so we returned today. And it was closed to the public. Doh!  So I waited until nobody was looking and snuck past the barrier to get this picture. Evangelos Zappas' head is in there!

In the park are dozens of parrots, flying around, screeching. They are so cool. We found a big tree they had turned into their own condominium. There were dozens of homes there. They kept being branches to make renos.

 

We are off to the Acropolis museum next.

- Ruth