to Athens. PIRAEUS. 39. Route. 327
after the traveller's arrival the steamer starts for Piraeus. R. the
mountains of Corinth and Argos remain in view; the summits of
Kyllene afterwards appear to the W. with Acrocorinth; to the
E. ^Egina emerges from the sea; 1. the barren heights of Sala¬
mis, which here descend abruptly to the sea. As soon as it is
passed, the mountains of Attica become visible; in the fore¬
ground the hills surrounding Parnassus, farther S. the heights of
Hymettus. Landing at Piraeus see p. 325.
The new part of the Piraeus through which the steamboat
steers presents nothing worthy of note. As soon as the town is
■quitted, traces of the ancient walls of the Piraus are observed
on the r., at the point where the road rises slightly. The road
itself is constructed on the long N. wall whicli anciently connect¬
ed the Pira'iis with tlie city. Then to the r. appears the Monu¬
ment of Caraiscakis, one of the heroes of the war of independence,
■situated near the spot where the long S. wall united with the
fortifications of the Piraus. Beyond it is the Bay of Phaleron.
running far into the land, with a royal bath-establishment. —
The mountains on the 1., now termed Scaramanga, the .Egaleus
and Poikilon of antiquity, are low buttresses of Parnes. A stone
bridge here crosses the generally dry bed of the Cephissus. Vine¬
yards are then passed, and farther on, the outskirts of the an¬
cient olive-grove (p. 356) which occupied the plain of the Cephis¬
sus, are traversed. A halt is usually made at some taverns half¬
way in order to water the horses, and the traveller may here
order a Xovy.ovfitec (ov pron oo), a kind of sweetmeat composed
of sugar and rosewater, much in vogue in Turkey and Greece.
or a 'petit verre' (£>axt) of fxaartyii (y slightly guttural), a
liquor of not unpleasant flavour, which becomes milky in appear¬
ance when diluted with water. Each of these refreshments costs
10 lepta (Siy.a Xtnxix). — The olive-plantations are soon quitted,
and a hill passed which conceals the Acropolis from view. Beyond
the hill the well-preserved Temple of Theseus becomes visible
below; on the r., above it the Acropolis, in the background the
monument of Philopappus, in front of the latter the Areopagus,
and farther to the r. the observatory. — The miserable houses
of the Hermes Street soon exclude this view. Farther on the
houses improve; on the 1. the broad Athena Street diverges.
The traveller then readies the centre of the city, at the inter¬
section of the /Eolus and Hermes streets, passes round the
interesting church of Capnikaraa, and (with a view of the lofty
modern cathedral on the r.) arrives at the spacious palace square.
where the hotels are situated.
The Railway between the harbour and the city, after much
delay, has at length been completed (1869). It crosses the road
soon after the Pineus is quitted, and traverses higher ground, af-
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