Family Trip to Athens

The Parthenon’s site high above the city only adds to its magnificence even as it remains in a state of partial ruins.

My family visited Athens this past summer. One night my daughter and I took the subway from our hotel to the Plaka. We were fascinated by the necklaces, blouses, and icons for sale in the shops and the colorful and jostling crowds on the small streets. With guide book in hand, we searched for a restaurant whose description sounded perfect: a family-owned place that served seven different plates of Greek specialties brought to the table for the two of us to share with ouzo and a honey cake afterward. The map was helpful but we asked a few people to help us to our destination.

It began growing dark. We turned a corner and saw a lively restaurant with outside seating on a grapevine-covered balcony. The food smelled delicious as we realized how hungry we were. We were both thinking it would be great if that were the restaurant we sought. Then my daughter caught the name on the sign – it was the right place! We enjoyed a great meal there. Afterward we took our time walking back to the subway.

From almost every vantage point in the Plaka, the Parthenon was visible high up on the Acropolis. When the evening sky grew dark, the magnificent temple became emblazoned from the lights on the ground shining upward. I have never seen a spectacle like it. Even its state of partial ruin cannot take away from the Parthenon’s grace and grandeur.