Athens: The White City

I'm serious. Athens is the White City. Not quite like on LOTR; the only part on a hill is the Acropolis. Our hotel in Athens rose above the level of most of the buildings in the city, and breakfast was on the top floor. WHAT a view. The hill of the Acropolis is right in front of you, and is amazing. The city itself stretches for miles around, all across the valley to the slopes of the surrounding mountains. In the morning the sun rises and all the white buildings sparkle hazily. It is beautiful and huge. We started off through the city streets to the Pnyx, the low, rocky hill where the Athenian Assembly, or ekklesia met. Standing on the speaker's platform, the Acropolis is very close to one's right. Some kids in our class read parts of Pericles' Funeral Oration to get us all fired up for democracy. We climbed down to the agora, and explored the marketplace. Then back up to the Areopagus, on the slopes of the Acropolis. This was where court cases were held. The white rocks there were so slippery! After lunch we went to the Archaeological Museum of Athens, and it is probably the largest museum I've ever been in. There is no way I could have seen everything in there. There was Greek and Roman sculpture and even Egyptian artifacts. Then my roommate and I found our way across the city to our hotel, where we changed and went shopping on one of the main streets, where we bought new dresses.

I went up to breakfast on Wednesday for the same beautiful view. Again we walked through Athens, to the foot of the Acropolis, where we visited the colorful Theater of Dionysus. Then we started the slow trek up the hill, shuffling behind more and more tourists. The Parthenon itself is quiet and still among all the gaping tourists. It's under construction, as is one of the other temples on the hill, but it is still a wonder. The huge building is restored to its perfect proportions, but most of its decorations have been moved to England. We climbed down and bought some gyros, which are also delicious, and ate them on the go. I bought an Athens hoodie, and then we went to the hotel to change. The day was so warm; Greece in October still embraces summer. Then we had a quick stop at Socrates' prison, a cave in a green park. Then we caught a bus to Cape Sounion, where we walked to the top of the cliff to see the Temple of Poseidon overlooking the water. Visitors from the 1800s had carved their names all over the base of the temple. The view of the blue sea was amazing, and we couldn't wait to climb down to the beach. The water was cold, but so clear, and I got out to dry and read some. I was probably the only person to ever read Kipling at a beach.
The next morning we got one last view of the white city, then moved on.