After last week's tour of inner-city Brisbane, this week we will be visiting Greece. I've been to Greece a couple of times, and I have to say that I really love it. The people are very friendly and hospitable, and the food is very much to my taste too. Not even the experience of losing a suitcase at Athens airport on the day of my arrival of my most recent trip (for the wedding of friends) has spoiled my opinion of Greece.
On my first visit to Greece, in 1986, we landed at Athens before dawn, and then climbed aboard a bus for the journey into the centre of town. As the sun rose, we had the most superb view of the Acropolis that overlooks Athens. To this day, that remains one of my most cherished travel memories. The Parthenon (pictured above) was built on the hill in around the 5th century BC as a temple for the goddess Athena, and remains one of the architechtural wonders of the world. Visiting the Acropolis is awe inspiring, and even competing with the busloads of other tourists for the few shady spots does not interfere with the experience.
The buildings on the Acropolis have suffered badly from many threats: modern pollution, too many tourists, and improper reconstruction techniques. The site is much better managed these days, and tourists are prevented from wandering at will over the marble and limestone that remains, unlike previous times when there was very little supervison. When I was there in 2006, there was another large restoration project underway, and there were workmen and scaffolding all over the hill. However, one can hardly complain if this activity prolongs these antiquities for future generations.
EXIF: Canon A620; full auto.
TFF
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