Gold Star Moment in Athens

The Artist, the camelridingcowgirl, and I had a plan.  We'd go get greek yogurt for breakfast (more on that later), then head up to the Acropolis to see as much as we could before it got too hot or we got too hungry, grab some gyros for lunch, take a nap during the heat of the day, and then go see what was left of the ancient monuments before heading out to dinner.  Believe it or not, we actually pretty much stuck to that plan!

First off was a major theatre.  While it's pretty easy to imagine Paul speaking to the crowds here, it wasn't where he gave his Athens speech.  This is more where all those Greek tragedies you studied in high school were acted out.  

I was trying to capture the reflection of the theatre in the camelridingcowgirl's sunglasses.  While I could see the reflection plain as day, the photo just refused to work.  Oh well.  

We climbed up and up a bit more and saw another awesome view of Lycabettus Hill.  Can you tell that I might like it as much as more than the Acropolis?  All because of that kebab stuffed...

So here's another confession: I didn't take as many photos at the Acropolis as I should have.  Why?  Well, reason number 1: ancient columns became boring to me about 17 European countries ago.  They all look the same.  They're all old.  Reason number 2: everything was under construction at the Acropolis except for the one building I did take plenty of pictures of.  I mean, who wants to look at pictures of old columns under construction and scaffolding?  Not me.

 After spending a good amount of time looking at the famous caryatids of the Erechtheion temple (in other words: the lady statues holding up the old temple), we moved on to see the Parthenon.  (You can see some of the scaffolding behind the columns).

While I was having a great time with my friends up there, I just wasn't that impressed with the building, honestly.  Maybe I've lost my sense of imagination or wonder or whatever, but I couldn't even drum up in my head what it might have looked like in its glory.  And I didn't care what it looked like in its glory because it would have been non-glorious in its worship of false gods.  Having once seen a full-sized completed replica in Nashville didn't help either.

While I was trying to take a photo of the Parthenon, the Artist decided to jump up and photobomb my picture.  She did pretty good, don't you think?  Love her.

I don't think this tourist was trying as hard as the Artist was, but oh man...tourists always ruin my photos.

This next photo made me think of that statue in Washington D.C. with the soldiers pushing up the flag...

 Having a grand ole time!!!

So we headed down towards Mars Hill, the site of the Areopagus where Paul preached his discourse in Athens.  This was the part I'd been most looking forward to.

Why was I looking forward to a hill that didn't even have a monument on it?  Well, you see, I've been working on memorizing Paul's Athens discourse for years.  It's a long one, and I used to really get stuck on some of the words.  I put it aside for a couple of years, and picked it back up back in February.  I've got it down now (although, in this video, I mess up a few words here and there, I think out of being shy from being video-taped for all the world the three people who will watch it to see).  Since I don't have the full discourse memorized (yet), I tell part in story format, and insert the memorized section into the story.

Before you click play...um...the sound came out so terrible (because of the wind blowing over the microphone) that I recorded my voice over it again in my living room.  So...just as any good foreign film that's been dubbed should be, the sound and my lips are a bit off.  But you can see that I really did say it all!  If I'd left the original sound, you would have only heard wind, wind, "temples made by," wind, wind, "Paul," wind, "God," and wind.  This way's much better.

We had to shoot the video three times.  The first time, well, the Artist didn't realize it wasn't recording.  The second time, this guy was trying to find a comfortable spot to sit behind me on the rock, and kept standing up and sitting down and well...I didn't really want his booty all up in my video.

The third time was a charm, though (except for the wind).  While I was doing take three, a couple came up to the camelridingcowgirl and asked if I was quoting Paul's speech.  When she said yes, they sat down, and asked me to tell it again for them to hear!  So I told it a fourth time.  It was a sweet moment.

The camelridingcowgirl said she had this vision of God pulling back the curtain of heaven, telling Paul to look down and listen as I quoted the inspired words God had given him in that very spot so many years ago.  Paul's work was not in vain as we are all results of his journeys to spread the Good News.  

Looking down from Mars Hill, we spotted our next location, another temple and the ancient market (which is now a museum).  

On the way down, we passed a small church dedicated to the apostles.

At the ancient market that is now a museum, we sat in the shade to cool off a bit.  I saw this statue of Aphrodite and thought, "Wowzah, that girl had some sass!"  I mean seriously, girls strike that pose nowadays, for sure...but to think that they did over 2000 years ago is mind-boggling.  (What is the matter with me?!  I'm blown away by a sassy-posed statue but not the acclaimed Parthenon?!)

At this point, it was time for food.  We headed out to find us some yummy yummy gyros.  We were thrilled with the famous Greek sandwich that only cost us 2 euros.  (TWO EUROS!!!)  We usually pay five here in France, and some people would say they're not as good.  (Others, ahemcoughmecoughahem), might be homebodies that like the French version just a smidge better.)

There was one more monument to see before we headed back for our vacation afternoon nap.  Another temple.

View of the Acropolis from the other (can't remember to who) temple.  Here's the thing about the Acropolis, for me: it just seemed smaller than what I'd imagined.  Every photo I've seen of it, it looks bigger.  Much bigger.  Maybe all the angles I saw it from were the wrong angles.  But I never saw it looming larger than life over the city.  But I'm glad I went and saw it.  I'm glad we didn't book a third day in Athens, because it felt like we'd seen everything by the time we headed back for our afternoon nap!

After our nap, we were ready for some dinner.  We'd Facetimed with the Bodybuilder and the Crazy Cajun (who were also in Athens at the same time) to find out where they'd had dinner the night before (when we'd been climbing the mountain).  They told us about a place near the Acropolis and we told them about the kebab stuffed.  Off we headed to find their restaurant...

Until we passed a place that was jam packed and hopping!  We figured, if it was that full, it must be good!

As we approached, they explained their concept: they were a family style restaurant.  So you pay per person, and they bring out a huge tray of food that you all share.  We decided to try it.  Here was our tray to choose from:

It was good and we enjoyed the atmosphere and had a great discussion about gold-star days.  (Gold-star days are those days that are just extraordinary and that you won't forget the rest of your life because they were so special.  THIS was a gold-star day and THIS was a gold-star vacation and THIS was a gold-star moment and the list could go on...)  I was wondering if that day in Athens was a gold-star day?  I've been saying since then that it was probably a silver-star day.  But that moment on Mars Hill?  That was the gold-star moment that made the day so memorable.

You know what else made the day memorable?  This terrible awful dessert.  Never have I put a worse-tasting thing in my mouth ever.  EVER.

 Here we three are outside the restaurant.

 Last view of the Acropolis before we headed back to the Green for one last night.

Overall, did I lovelovelurve Athens?  No.  Did I thoroughly enjoy my time?  You betcha.  Would I go back?  Probably not.  Am I glad I went?  Yep.  Little did I know, though...that Greece would only get better and better from Athens...