Streets bustling with cars and buses. Mopeds and motorcycles weaving their way between the two. Sidewalks providing a path for those choosing to walk to their destinations.
Gas stations, grocery stores. A Starbucks. Name brand retail stores offering all the latest trends. Diners eating al fresco, gathering with friends over a meal, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Much about Athens, Greece, has the feel of a contemporary city.
And then, much of it does not.
Interspersed throughout the many modern features are powerful remnants of ancient history. There’s the Hephaistion, a well-preserved Greek temple. There’s the archaeological site of the Roman Agora. The Odeon Herodes Atticus, an open-air theater.
And while there are so many more, the one that most commands our attention is the Parthenon. The undeniable focal point of Athens rests well above the city in the Acropolis.
After admiring the iconic plateau from below, my husband and I began our ascent. We traversed paved sidewalks and stone stairs lined with restaurants and cafes on either side. Patrons at one establishment, accustomed to those like us trekking to the Parthenon, paid little attention to us from their seats on the cushion-lined steps.
Winding our way up the hill from town, we encountered others who had reached the same elevation from a different origin. Which path best led to our destination, we wondered, at the foot of two different signs pointing in two different directions?
The decision was not difficult for my husband and me. We chose to follow the official-looking sign over the hand-painted one and continued up the hill, while the other travelers headed in the opposite direction.
Eventually, we somewhat confidently reached the entrance and slowly eased into the flow of people already immersed in the majesty of their surroundings.
The imposing stone structures, the columns, the walls all played host to those who had come to honor them. Late in the day is a good time to go to avoid the crowds, we’d been advised. We’d been advised correctly.
All around, small groups and families positioned themselves in optimal poses to create lasting memories with photos. Two young women had dressed in traditional Greek attire to enhance their images. The travelers we’d met earlier had, like us, found their way to the top.
Our presence at this ancient temple constructed in the years 447 to 438 BC and devoted to the god Athena reaffirmed not only its glory, but its prominent role in this modern world.
(Note: Marjorie Appelman is an English, communications and journalism teacher at Mason County High School and co-founder of the travel blog Tales from the Trip, which is on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. She can be reached at marj.appelman@gmail.com.)
