Sunday, May 28
The Acropolis rises out of the sprawl of modern Athens. Atop this high plateau is ancient Greece’s tribute to the goddess Athena, including the Parthenon. You can see it from just about anywhere in town. In the evening, folks pay big euros to view it lit up from roof-top bars (we didn’t). We wondered whether we could climb up to something so imposing.
We set out early to avoid the crowds and the heat. Apple Maps guided us up gradually. It was mostly a gentle slope or steps. Soon we were impressed with the view of the city that we had. We continued on to the Disneyland-style line to get in. Then more climbing. Finally, we passed through the entranceway of the Propylaea, and stood by the Parthenon, much bigger and grander than we had imagined. Once there had been other magnificent tributes to Athena, now merely suggested by piles of carved stone.
We went back down, being careful on the slick marble steps, and celebrated our trek with gyros in a café on the square, where we watched the buskers and hawkers of modern Athens.