Athens, The Acropolis, The Parthenon

Now for another happy-go-lucky vacation to Europe post!  Right, so Athens is pretty spectacular despite the grafiti, no-so-friendly shoes salesmen, and hoards of tourists.  But in itself, it is a spectacular city, nestled between two hills, with ritzy bourgeois cafes, cloud-dotted blue skies, fabulous parks, and oh ya... a few incredible historic sites.

Honestly, I think the three of us, Mom, Sister, and I, were pretty awe-struck when we walked a few blocks from our hotel and landed right at the bottom of the Acropolis.  We climbed up and marveled at the Parthenon.  It was sitting right there.  Unlike in the US, the historical sites are almost completely open and accessible.  There is no glass wall between you and ancient Greece.  No "please stay behind the yellow line" deal.  You can walk right up, sit at the ancient theater as if you are waiting to see Dionysus himself start the ceremony.  This lack of regulation was pretty cool, but it was also met a lack of care for the sites.  There were few signs posted naming sites or telling us what the history of the structure was.  Many things seemed to be mid-restoration but no work seemed to be getting done.  Obviously, Greece, has a lot more to deal with right now than putting marble finishes on the Parthenon, but perhaps a few small regulation/ restoration measures could be taken that would help avoid massive destruction in the future.... just a thought...