by 8:30am of my first full day, i was walking the hill up to the Acropolis, stopping to look at the sites along the way, like the
Theatre of Dionysus. it was the prototype for all the theatres in ancient Greece and apparently for Berkeley's Greek theatre as well (if you click the pic at right for a larger view you can see the throne chairs just below the main stands, just like Berkeley's). this was my second time to the Acropolis, and just like the first it activated my imagination. i worked to imagine what the buildings would have been like whole and the crowds of young philosophers in togas and sandels gathering on the steps of the Parthenon. i also struggled to imagine away the scaffolding and hoards of tourists. and i tried to put back in the Temple of Athena Nike, my favorite Acropolis structure, which they apparently dismantled and took away for repairs.being at the Acropolis alone among so many families and tour groups was my first taste of what it meant to travel alone. one upside was that i didn't have to take pictures of my family or friends in front of the Parthenon like these giddy fools. the downside was that i didn't get to take pictures of my family or friends in front of the Parthenon like these giddy fools. i made a couple rounds and ducked and weaved my way back out amongst the snapping cameras.
i spent a few more hours wondering the Plaka neighborhood near the Acropolis and some other ancient sites. i hit the Roman Agora (agora being the word for markeplace), then the Ancient (Greek) Agora, which was the political and commercial center of ancient Athens. it was amazing to think i was standing on the ground from which our culture grew.
in the afternoon i went back to Christos' and Efi made me more food, including tiropitas, savory cheese-filled pastries, just like my grandmother used to. then i
napped through the hottest hours of the afternoon, and after i got up, the Papadimitrious family arrived home. i was more relieved than i expected to speak again in full, English sentences. that night they had a small dinner party out by the pool (they live in a small enclave of duplexes clustered around a clubhouse and swimming pool). everybody there spoke English, but most of the conversation was in Greek. it was actually fun to figure out the tone of the conversation, if not the subject, from the pattern of interactions between the nine people at the dinner table. every once in a while Christos' daughter (who goes to an English-speaking school) would lean over and fill me in on the current topic. i went out that night with a guest from the dinner party and her cousin to the patio of the Hilton's top-floor bar, where i sat in the warm night air, sipped Jameson and looked out over downtown Athens. he's from South Africa, living in England, and she's born and raised in Athens, just back from university in England and working for Coca-Cola in Athens. our main topic of conversation? American politics.
e Acropolis. i got there too late to get in that night, so i walked all around and then up the hill across from it. there i sat on a warm rock and watched the colors of the setting sun reflect off the Parthenon. after dark i walked through the Thission area back to the Metro. it was a weeknight, but the cafes, bars, and restaurants were packed and the night was filled with Greek conversation and laughter. only a few hours in Greece, and already it was amazing.