Around 2500 years ago the Greeks built one of the most recognized buildings in the world. It was situated on top of a giant rock outcropping that put it in an almost perfect defensive position. Now the Parthenon is being reconstructed after the Venetians destroyed most of it when the Turks controlled Greece. The Venetians, who I appreciate less and less every time I learn something new about them, not only looted the Orthodox churches in the crusades, but they also destroyed this building!
The Greeks are in the process of reconstructing it stone by stone. Scaffolds and cranes fill the view. Similar to many of the buildings in Europe, scaffolding is now a permanent part of the landscape for the next couple of decades. They’re not going to fully rebuild everything, but they are putting up the columns and the entablature (the horizontal cross-beam on top of the columns and capitals (the top decoration pieces on the columns)).
This morning I went up and just browsed around the Acropolis. I watched workers putting small individual stones in their places and securing them with mortar — paradocially with the same name at the things that helped destroy the Parthenon. I spent half an hour sitting on the outer wall of the Acropolis (looking down at at least an eight-story drop) and wondering if all of the reconstruction was worth it. Sure, the Parthenon is Greece’s national monument. Still, the effort seems so much more than the gains.
Then I went inside of the Acropolis Museum and completely changed my outlook. The reconstructions they have of the two facades at the end are amazing. If they can recreate them to look even half as good as the small sculptures in the Museum, it’s definitely worth it. The facades give a mini narrative of the Greek pantheon. The sculptures are detailed up close but also look great far away. Hopefully it looks as good when they reconstruct the real thing (if they end up doing the facades).
When I came out of the Museum I looked to the other side of the Acropolis and saw three of the TCU girls from Florence. I’d planned on meeting them there later tonight, but to see them at that spot that early in the day was surprising.
When we picked a spot and time to meet, I left them and grabbed some lunch before wandering around. Have you ever heard of a Souvlaki? It’s perhaps the unhealthiest, but best tasting, food in the world. McDonalds has nothing on it. A Souvlaki is a flat pita bread wrapped into a cone. Inside is pork that is shaved off of a giant skewer of meat that revolves on a rotisserie. With the pork are onions (which I couldn’t stand three years ago but I now love), tomatoes, lettuce and Sadziki sauce. Imagine a greasy (and as my Dad likes to point out: Greecey) pocket of goodness that drips oil onto you if you try to eat it too fast or drips oil onto the street/plate if you wait too long. The only thing better than the content and form of the Souvlaki is the price: 1.5 euros. In Florence I can’t get a Coke Light for that cheap!
The Agora was only open for another hour when I got there, so I’m saving that for tomorrow afternoon! Now I’m off to find a great hill to climb and take sunset-lit pictures from. 
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