I’m sure all serious travelers will agree with us when we say that there are certain sights that seem to etch themselves into our “special places” memories more than others. That sight certainly has for us. It is something never to be forgotten.

The bus rounded a corner, and we lost sight of the edifice almost as soon as Peg got her glimpse. We rumbled on, until finally the bus stopped, and everyone disembarked. To us that meant only one thing: end of the line.

It was our very first trip to Greece, and the prelude to years of wonderful adventures that were to follow.

We had landed the day before, and had gone to our hotel reservation in Glifada: that turned out to be a disaster. On arriving, we learned that our room had no hot water or shower, and it was quite shabby.

We searched the area, until we found a better place to rest our weary bodies. Early the next morning, we boarded the bus for Athens.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but the place the bus let us off was probably the best location in the entire city. Studying our map, we discovered that we were in Thission Square, a location just adjacent to an ancient archeological site, and within view of the Parthenon.

We discovered a gem of a hotel just off the square, and settled into our room which was in a corner of the building. There was no a/c, but the small balconies on two sides allowed a cooling breeze to circulate in the evening.

We were overwhelmed with awe the first time we walked out onto the front balcony, and there before our eyes was the Parthenon in full view only a half mile or so away. To say we were ecstatic was putting it mildly. On top of that, our room was a fraction of the cost of “Americanized” hotels in the city.

In broken English, our friendly desk clerk provided a wealth of information to us on exploring his native city, and armed with our Greek to English directory and our guidebook, we set out to explore.

Just up the street on the way to the Acropolis, as our desk clerk had informed us, we passed a small cave by the side of the road. There were crude steps hacked out of the stone leading down to it, and this was the place that Socrates had been imprisoned and died thousands of years ago.

We followed the walkway up the hill to the Parthenon, and I’m sure our enthusiasm showed plainly. There we were, standing at one of the most revered and famous places in the world. Long recognized as a classic example of construction, the Parthenon stands by its self, along with a small number of other elite buildings around the world.

Constructed nearly 2500 years ago, we were amazed to learn that the structure had been intact until the year 1687, when during a war the magnificent building was used as a storehouse for ammunition. During a bombardment, a shell landed on the temple, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that blew off the roof, knocked down many of the columns and statues, and effectively destroyed one of the most magnificent structures ever constructed by man.

Even in its state of ruin, what remains still evokes visions of grandeur, and of an elite civilization. Peg and I wandered around the site, noting the massive chunks of stone that had traveled hundreds of feet from the blast. A slow and painlessly exacting attempt is being made to restore the temple, but at the rate the project is progressing, it will take centuries.

As we wandered, I recalled a story told to us by a friend back home. She had been here a few years before, and while walking around the site, she had kicked up a clump of dirt, and behold there was an ancient Greek coin lying there. Needless to say I kept a close watch on where I walked, but no such luck.

After the exciting but hot afternoon spent on the Acropolis, we returned to our room for a “siesta”. It didn’t take us long to discover that here in Greece, as in most of the Mediterranean countries, the custom was still quite alive. Many shops and stores closed during the heat of the afternoon, and reopened in the evening. When I say heat of the day, it was torturous at times. I’m sure we experienced temperatures in access of 120 degrees even out on the Islands in the Aegean Sea.

Not long after our arrival in Athens, we discovered the most delightful spot to dine. Around the corner from our hotel, on what amounted to a median strip between two intersecting streets, we found our first wonderful Greek restaurant. The view made the location a prime spot. There were only a few tables, but we could watch the incredible flow of pedestrians and vehicles pass while we dined. Also in view, was the park where the ancient Agora was, and the Temple of Hephaestus stood, still in good shape.

A magnificent meal of pastitsio, moussaka and a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese swimming in olive oil washed down with our favorite wine served cold – Domestica – made for never to be forgotten experience that we duplicated time and time again.

Another sight from our balcony that became more and more intriguing as time went on, was partially hidden in smog much of the time. It appeared as a large hill that jutted above the city. Obviously there was a large building on the top. We consulted our guidebook, and learned that it was called Likavitos. We got on a bus, and off we went to investigate.

Likavitos was actually the highest hill in Athens, but evidently was outside the city limits at the time the Parthenon was built. The bus dropped us off at the base of the “mountain”, and we proceeded to climb to the top, following a narrow, tortuous trail up the forested slopes. There we found the Chapel of St. George, along with a tabepma (tavern). After the long, hot walk, we weren’t really interested in the Chapel, that is, not until we had downed several cold beers.

Over the following years, we thoroughly explored the cities every secret – at least the ones that interested us.

Athens and the Parthenon waited over 2000 years for us to show up and critique its splendor. We only hope that it can withstand the ravages of time until our children and grandchildren can explore its secrets and past glory, and enjoy its treasures.