{"id":111980,"date":"2023-02-01T09:27:27","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T17:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/?p=111980"},"modified":"2023-02-01T09:27:27","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T17:27:27","slug":"odeon-of-herodes-atticus-geocache-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/odeon-of-herodes-atticus-geocache-of-the-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Odeon of Herodes Atticus \u2014 Geocache of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
Traditional<\/dt>\n
GC50NAA<\/a><\/dd>\n
by papalia<\/a><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Difficulty:<\/dt>\n
3<\/dd>\n
Terrain:<\/dt>\n
1.5<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Location:<\/dt>\n
Greece<\/dd>\n
N 37\u00b0 58.220′ E 023\u00b0 43.465′<\/dd>\n
<\/dd>\n
<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Athens\u2014a city defined by its greatness. The Greek capital has produced some of the world\u2019s most significant cultural, scientific, and philosophical advancements. But did you know that among the ruins of past civilizations lies a secret?<\/p>\n

Step back in time with us for our Geocache of the Week, Odeon of Herodes Atticus (GC50NAA<\/a>)! <\/p>\n

On the southwestern slope of the Athenian Acropolis is an odeon, a stone theater, constructed in AD 161 by Roman senator Herodes Atticus. Not long after, the venue was destroyed and remained unused until the 1950s when the stage and audience benches were restored. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus<\/a> then opened its doors and hosted countless artists of worldwide acclaim. But in March 2014, the odeon became host to something else extraordinary\u2014cache owner papalia<\/a> hid an elusive Traditional Cache mere feet from the structure, enabling geocachers to earn a smiley in historical fashion.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Image by Wyldreams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As one might expect, navigating the Athenian Acropolis and finding GC50NAA will involve some climbing. To reach the summit, it\u2019s about a twenty minute climb up the stairs from either side. It\u2019s worth noting that GZ (the odeon) sits outside the citadel walls at a lower elevation. However you choose to cache, sensational views await you.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Image by kiyojo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As you ascend, the entire metropolitan area, the expansive Mediterranean Sea, and the craggy mountains and hills that surround the city all come into your field of vision. Enormous dilapidated columns of marble, with their intricate chiseled designs, are in constant view as they tower over you.<\/p>\n

The longer you climb and snake your way around the Acropolis, the further you can feel yourself being immersed in the past. Deep in thought, you hardly notice the Geocaching\u00ae app send your phone a vibration, signifying your proximity to the cache. Indeed, you round a corner, and the magnificent odeon sits before you! After taking in the stunning sight, it\u2019s time to begin the search.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Image by davargg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To claim the smiley for this Geocache of the Week, you need to find a small plastic container with the cache\u2019s GC code written on it. Hiding a geocache at a destination as popular as the Acropolis requires some ingenuity, so to locate the cache, try thinking like a cache owner. After you do some careful sleuthing, double-check your coordinates, and wait for the perfect moment, you finally can go in for the find. Aha, you got it!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Image by jupo1986.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You crack open the cache container, sift through the abundance of trading items, and ink your name in the logbook. Before replacing the cache as found, you find yourself grinning ear-to-ear. But who could blame you? There\u2019s something special about this moment; you just used multi-million dollar satellites to help locate treasure in the ruins of an ancient civilization. The contrast is a profound reminder of how far we have come\u2026 or depending on how you look at it, how far we have to go.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Image by Mokkel75.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world. Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week<\/a> on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Traditional GC50NAA by papalia Difficulty: 3 Terrain: 1.5 Location: Greece N 37\u00b0 58.220′ E 023\u00b0 43.465′ Athens\u2014a city defined by its greatness. The Greek capital has produced some of the world\u2019s most significant cultural, scientific, and philosophical advancements. But did you know that among the ruins of past civilizations lies a secret? Step back in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":111995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[125,127,1254],"series":[],"class_list":["post-111980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geocache-of-the-week","tag-geocache-of-the-week","tag-gotw","tag-greece"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blogassets.geocaching.com\/blog\/uploads\/2023\/02\/tomsetki.jpeg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blogassets.geocaching.com\/blog\/uploads\/2023\/02\/tomsetki.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/inside-geocaching-hq-podcast","embedCode":"

Odeon of Herodes Atticus \u2014 Geocache of the Week<\/a><\/blockquote>