Return to the Tower of the Winds
While you are reading this post I will have taken advantage of WordPress’s scheduling feature to become a time traveller and make a return trip to the Tower of the Winds in Athens.
The Tower of the Winds is an octagonal structure built in 50BC by the Macedonian astronomer Andronicus. It functions as a compass, sundial, weather vane and water clock (said to be powered by an underground spring) and is carved with the faces of the 8 winds:
- Boreas
- Caecias
- Apeliotes
- Euros
- Notos
- Lips
- Zephyros
- Skiron
These are the classical winds which used to be shown on old city maps.
The reason for my return is to revisit the Acropolis, the location of my engagement to Ian over 30 years ago, and to take photographs of the key sites which hold meaning for us. Unlike the Tower of the Winds, our original copies appear to have disappeared over time.
The Tower is one of the less well known landmarks which I remember for its colour (burnt orange according to my memory) and proximity to the narrow street which houses a reconstructed Roman Bathhouse. Well worth a visit and signposted from the Tower.
judithlesleymarshall 