Athens on Uncle Sam

What a deal! I got to go to Greece to pick up jets, along with two other guys, Face Glynn and Rip (aka FNG) Perry. Because our commercial flight got into Athens late, we could not fly the F-16s out the next day, so we had a day to kill in Athens. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. We booked rooms at the Hilton, and because it was January (low season), got the US Embassy rate, but an Executive Suite. Very nice!

Bright and early, it was off to the Acropolis, the rocky outcropping in the middle of town that holds the Parthenon, the temple of Athena, as well as a temple to Poseidon, the Dionysus Amphitheater and Atticus Odeon theater.

The Dionysus Theater, seated 15,000:



Here I am sitting in the Dionysus theater, which has been there for 2,500 years, having been constructed around 500 B.C. However it was NEWLY renovated in 326 B.C., so it's not all that old. I wonder how many people saw Antigone or the plays of the Oresteia sitting right here?



Up the steps and past the dogs of the Acropolis (random dozens of dogs that roam free, but are kept healthy by the city and the locals) We arrived at the Parthenon, getting its once every millennium or so restoration. They just don't build 'em like they used to!



Walking around the top of the Acropolis was a dream come true for a guy who minored in Western Civilization. From early childhood through present day I have been fascinated with Greek civilization, the origins of Democracy, philosophy, literature, military foundations, etc.



It was cool. We went down into town for some good seafood and stopped at this little bar with Ouzo and every flavor liquor you could imagine, and then some:



Oh yeah, here's a view, from the top of the Acropolis of the ORIGINAL Olympic stadium. You can see the stands on the left. It makes a horseshoe into the mountain. At the lower right, you can see the remains of the Temple of Zeus.



Here's a closer-up view of the stadium:



Turning back, here's a view back up to the Acropolis:



Here's a view out of the hotel overlooking the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis:



Free trip to Athens. Not too bad. All I had to do was fly an F-16 back through Italy the next day. With maintenance problems, snow and bad weather, I earned a bit of that trip after all.