The Acropolis




The Acropolis is the icon of Greece. It towers above Athens, drawing the eye to the timeless and ancient temples that crown its peak. The Acropolis is, quite literally, the pinnacle of Ancient Hellenic culture, mythology, and thought. Any trip to Greece must include a trek to this infamous peak.



Unfortunately, in summer at least, the Acropolis is also perhaps the most densely populated locale in all of Europe. I was fortunate to have visited early in the morning, and even then the queue stretched halfway down the hill. By midday people were lined for hours waiting in the sweltering heat for a view of these old, well-stacked rocks. Even when you finally gain admission and can mill about within the confines of the Acropolis itself, the hordes of tourists makes the experience less than enchanting. It is impossible to stand in wonder at these monolithic temples and imagine yourself a denizen of Ancient Athens, as I so like to do when I visit ruins of the ancient world. The screaming hordes too quickly break one's reverie, and the steel scaffolding forming an armature about the Parthenon does nothing to help the illusion of antiquity. Even photography is an exercise in patience. One must stand and wait for untold minutes to catch a snapshot with fewer than ten people in the foreground. Even then, one's memorial photos of the Acropolis look like some other family's vacation photos.








Eventually, I gave up trying to take decent photos of the temples on the Acropolis and took advantage of the splendid views of Athens the Acropolis provides.



Ultimately I came to realize that the best sights, however, were to be found amongst the visitors to the Acropolis themselves. I don't know if this is a new worldwide trend or if was happening only in Greece, but some of these girls were wearing shorts that were just short! I don't mean to come off as a pervert or anything, but oh my god!






So, if you can't take a photo around the crowds, make the crowds the subject of the photo. In Greece, as I soon came to realize, it is not the icons of the past that one should occupy oneself most with, but the revelers of the present.