Part Three: Athens

To say Naxos was our favorite part of the trip is saying something indeed. Crete and Elefanisi were spectacular, yes; but don't forget, we also finished our trip with three divine days in Athens,

the thriving, still bustling capital city of Greece

--oh, and pretty much the origin of Western Culture.

Art, literature, architecture, Democracy, the Olympics, Theseus, Athena, Poseidon, Greek yogurt,

yes, and salads--there was hardly a step I took, hardly a photograph, a bite or breath that did not give me back to myself. Under the rubble and ruin and tourist-trap gimmickry, or even in the vaccuum of what was stolen or utterly destroyed hundreds or thousdands of years ago,

the pulse was still clear--and it's true: "This, my wayward friend," Athens sings, "is you, and you matter." No siren song, this is more like the voice of your mother, whom, at last, you think you might want to believe. So, grab up your mom,

your dad,

your grandma,

your family

--your whole family,

and take your marks,

get set,

and Go!

It's time for Athens.

The Parthenon sits atop the Acropolis and the Acropolis commands the city, day and night.

But on the way up to the Parthenon, just beyond the Stoa, you pass none other than the birthplace of tragedy. As Nietzsche well knows, Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus and others held their famed contests in this Theater of Dionysus.

Several hundreds of years later, and as many meters toward the west entrance, a Roman rich dude (Herodes Atticus--a real Philhellene) had this "little" theater built.

Apparently, it's still in use. Right, at the top of the hill just beyond the theater, there is a temple for the Muses, and it's no surprise to me that they're still active (--I still matter, remember?) Can you see it in that second picture above? Here, here's a better look.

Feeling creative?... Grand as all that is, though, you cannot help but be distracted by the fact that you have finally made it to the Acropolis. Get up you guys, that's The Propylaia right behind you! Maggie, lead the way.

And the Temple of Athena Nike, a celebration of Victory. Now, what do you think of that, Scout?

Yes! The pictures explain her reaction better than I can. Check them out.

I can just eat all that stuff up. In addition to what I already mentioned, we're talking the pedestal of Agrippa, The Erechtheion, The Porch of the Karyatids, and, of course, The Parthenon... Are we done yet? Hardly. There's still the Acropolis Museum, the Agora, the run Suzy, her sister Katy and I took around everything

--oh, and did I forget to mention, it was also Halloween?

After a Ramen dinner, we bought candy, divided it out among our three rooms, and let the kids trick-or-treat at each of our doors. But even if you, now in the Thanksgiving spirit, were willing to stuff yourself into a photo-coma, I still could only give the flimsiest idea of how great this all was. Let me instead close with one last serving of our time at the site of the very first international Olympics (1896, or something). I think it is the only stadium in the world made out of marble. Here's a picture of it from the Acropolis. Do you see it there, in the center?

We had a ball there, checking out the museum, running the track, the stairs, and standing upon the first-second-third place podiums, or jumping from them, as it were.

Actually, if you take a second look, you might see that both Bob and Kiefer were hurting a bit on that day--both a little sick. Yep, they both ran around the track nevertheless, and ran a fever, too, we later discovered. But no matter. Nothing could dampen their spirits. Nor ours.

And of course, there were these two champions--our glorious ones,

who brought us to Germany, and then took us to Greece--and who have a thousand more plans just to show us all how wide our horizons actually are--yes, Katy and Suzy, sisters!

(I'm not sure who gives this card to whom, but say whatever else you want to say about them, these two INSPIRE.) And with that, I'll sign off on Greece.

Suffice it to say, we loved it. We loved everything, including the Greeks themselves--as gracious, generous, fun as the legends have it--just like our wonderful neighbors the Drakos... Of course, as I told you in the introduction, Greece was quickly followed by a trip to Hamburg (for me and the three), and to Luxembourg for Suzy, Katy, and Martha. But that photo-dump is for another day. Or maybe it will come from Scout, whose shadow grows longer every syllable I utter...