Pro Travel Tips for Visiting Athens:
It’s important to know Athens is one of the oldest cities. The coffee cups are lined with extra layers of gravity. If every city is a secret handshake, this one is an elaborate exchange of snaps, hand slaps and a touch of shoes, left to right, right to left. A hop in a circle, a final clutch of hands, biceps pulling heart to heart in embrace. Being here is a staring match with an extreme evidence of time— in this density, you can see our future more than trace the past.
Ok. It is very likely that your BF will want to see the Acropolis. Ancient structures allow men to feel the depth of their mortality. In LA, we construct the faux eternal. Holding the tight rope across pretend worlds is easy when you don’t look down. Athens makes it impossible not to see the solid perspectives of concrete and marble worn smooth by countless feet. Go with BF, wear a hat and sunscreen and maybe even glasses, but don’t be shy about critiquing the ruins. If I wanted to see chiseled marble, I could have gone to CB2. At least they have air conditioning.
But maybe I’m seeing The First Marble Bench, and if so, I’m sorry. Deep breath. Think of your daily step count, be assured this errand will count for something.
BF is studying the tablets set up along the path, detailed explanations of the structures. I cannot learn on the fly, it’s too hot for these descriptions. I’d appreciate a kids version right now, but instead I ask BF for summaries. So what’s that? I accurately guess that one structure is Athena’s Temple, and feel satisfied that I know enough within my heart. Intuition reigns supreme.
For all the hype around these landmarks, I never hear mention of its wabi sabi elements. The Acropolis pillars were not always roped off and guarded. They were vulnerable to attack. After centuries of lying in half shambles, someone came along to fix the pillars. I think BF probably knows the details, because he read informational tablet. But look, you can see: slabs of new marble chiseled to fit every nook and groove of the historic stuff. If I have to come and worship, I will bow to the imperfection. Truth is revealed in timely decay. The really ancient marble is a buttery cream, the new slabs are pearly white. We marvel at stone’s unflinching nature. We praise the slow atoms governing over every sunrise and sunset. Do all rocks sound the same?
If you’re lucky, take a cat pic, cementing your status as an Indie Tourist. 2011 Tumblr would go crazy for this. BF asks what you’re muttering and you flash a smile. If you feel generous, gesture at the wild animal.
Maybe try to talk to the stylish Germans standing by the pile of unmarked rubble. One sports a classic fit: paper white shirt tucked into tan shorts, tortoise shell sunnies. The other takes the opposite approach: futuristic sun glasses, thick black oversized tee—BALENCIAGA stamped on the back of the collar and long black shorts, soaking up the 95 degree sun. Each clutching the best accessory, a water bottle. People are the real prize here—they are fleeting, the Acropolis is not. Stock up on humanity. When planning your visit, know the lighting is best at 5 or 6 pm. You will see girls in wispy white robes tilted off the shoulder, hair piled around golden leaf crowns. If it wasn’t for the platform Crocs, you might mistake them for apparitions from century’s past. Don’t forget, this is an attraction, an opportunity for costumes, for Goddess posing and wistful eyes, blinking Athena, we are here for you.
Don’t get in the way of other people’s selfies, but make sure you get your own. Your mother is at home in Los Angeles, enjoying the implications of your Athens trip. Your great grandmother stood on those stones, your grandmother. And now you. It is unspoken that one generation is missing. I am here representing both of us, a package deal for souls.
Thank Goddess for those opaque sunglasses. No one can see the emotion clouding up your eyes. Stay strong, remember you are here for BF. Take a picture, frame the sun behind your face, use flash. Angle away from the Parthenon, the star of the show, you are not like the other girls. Let BF get in a couple pictures. Later you can show him the most flattering shot and say Remember this? When we contended with our fleeting nature? I do that every day when I pluck the hairs under my chin. But still. We climb the hill to history.
Also, if it’s Father’s Day or something, T-Mobile has great reception on the sunny side of the Acropolis. Hop on Postmates and send your loved one a treat, all the way across the globe. Thank you technology!!
Exit the preserved past and find a cafe. Appreciate the luxuries of electric fans and ice water. Scrolling through Acropolis info on Wikipedia, you finally try to retain some information. Now your phone is too hot to touch. You shrug and realize there is so much you will never know. Later, when you dip through a melancholy undertow, you will think of the Acropolis. The unwavering pillars baking in the sun. The marble steps polished slick by tourist shoes. Once a focal point for war, it stands all day to be admired. If I could, I’d go back over and over, day after day. Set up a chair and watch the light travel from east to west. Jotting notes, counting visitors, sketching shapes of unnecessary complexity. Squinting at the stone. Searching for a shift. When I am old, too old to climb the stairs, I’ll tell everyone—I never saw the marble wink back.
I love your writing🙏 thank you for sharing. This is touching