Marveling at the Ancient Agora in Athens

The Parthenon sits on top the hill.

The ruins of the Ancient Agora in Athens 

sits in the shadow of its newer neighbor, the Parthenon.

The Agora dates to the Archaic, Greco-Roman and Byzantine times

and was a public space where Athenians 

would go to market, do business, and celebrate religious festivals. 

Stoa of Attalos

Since 1931 this site has been undergoing excavations, 

preservation, and in the case of the Stoa of Attalos--

rebuilt from the ground up based on its ancient appearance. 

(The inside is a small museum.)

A Byzantine era Church of the Holy Apostles

Wandering around the Agora 

you'll see the ruins of many structures, 

but it is easy to imagine busy Athenians

going about their day to day life here. 

An original Corinthian column capital. 

We marveled at the architectural remains 

and the size of the stones hoisted into the air 

without modern day equipment. 

Temple of Hephaestus from the Stoa

The preserved classical Temple of Hephaestus 

is the only ancient building still standing. 

Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0

You are walking where such greats as 

Sophocles, Socrates, Protagoras,

and the apostle Paul walked before you. 

We spent about 2 hours here 

in the morning (beat the heat)

and then explored more of Athens. 

Location: 

24 Adrianou, Athens
Αρχαία Αγορά Αθηνών, Αδριανού 24

10€ In season, 5€ Off season as of 2023
also available on a city pass unified ticket. 

Click for Additional Information

A Successful Reinvention

Change.
You can't have life without it.
Surviving change calls for effectively adapting.
In some cases, that can mean a reinvention.

re·in·vent
to change (something) so much that it appears to be entirely new.

Enter: Bethlehem Steel.



You can probably picture it in your head.
Smoking stacks
Blasts of heat
Holes of fire
Whistles, Alarms, Shouting Men
That was then,
when Bethlehem Steel helped build the America we know.
Today, Bethlehem Steel stands silent.

But that is not the end of the story.  

The legacy lives on through such structures as the 

Golden Gate Bridge 

Alcatraz Island 

Hoover Dam 

George Washington Bridge
Madison Square Garden 

While silent, Bethlehem Steel is not forgotten. 

There is a vision.



Bethlehem Steel has survived,
and not just in the memories of those who once worked here.

The Hoover Mason Trestle
was once a rail path along the blast furnaces.
Today it is a footpath
providing visitors with an open air museum-like experience.

Around these old blast furnaces
the reinvention continues.



The site surrounding the furnaces
is dedicated to arts, culture, celebrations and entertainment.
Annually this new venue (opened 2011) offers 1,000 concerts and 8 large festivals.


Steel Stacks from the Hoover-Mason Trestle 

Funded by tax grants, corporate and private donors
the Steel Stacks looks to a promising future.



Although I find it rather poignant
that where men labored 12 hrs a day, 7 days a week,
with over 400 deaths by accidents,
we are able to find frolic and fun.


View from the Trestle 

Let's call it a
Happy Ending
and a
New Beginning.



Bethlehem Steel Stacks
101 Founder's Way
Bethlehem, PA 18015

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All images by Rebecca Haegele have been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Click on any image to go to its gallery for purchasing information.