The Parthenon, the roughly 2,500 year old temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena, dominates the Athens skyline from atop the Acropolis. The Acropolis has done duty as a church and later a mosque under Ottoman rule. The Ottomans used the structure to store ammunition, which ended up exploding a significant portion of the structure. The Parthenon has also sustained its share of earthquakes. Despite all of this, it stands firmly over sprawling Athens. It feels as if we have spent our days in Athens circling the temple. Every time we see it, we feel a different side of its personality.
It showed us hope at 1AM when we were lost on our cycles.
It seems elusive when we see it down the street of our apartment in Kolonaki.
From the foot of the Acropolis it is domineering.
We have yet to actually visit the Parthenon. Whenever Ava sees it she says, “Look, the building without a roof again.” There are several cranes scattered around the grounds working on restoration projects. “Maybe we should come back after they’ve fixed it.” With that rationalization we may just wait until we visit Greece next to see it’s most popular structure.
