Posted on 08/15/2004 11:36:05 AM PDT by nuconvert
Looking for ruins? Pick a Tipiyokti and start climbing
DAVE BARRY
ATHENS -- Greece today is a modern nation, defined as ''a nation where pretty much everybody is talking on a cellular telephone.'' But there are ghosts of another Greece here: the ancient civilization that gave the world such precious gifts as democracy, philosophy, water, television, Greek salad and the Pythagorean theorem, without which -- incredible as it seems -- we would not have the hypotenuse today.
The most visible symbol of the glory that was ancient Greece is the Acropolis, a great big rocky hill that looms above downtown Athens like -- in the words of the poet Byron -- ''a great big rocky hill or something.'' Atop this hill are some ruins, which were already ruined when I got here, so don't blame me.
The Acropolis is the one ''must-see'' attraction in Greece; they will actually detain you at the border if you cannot produce photographs of yourself standing on it. So on my first full day here, I visited it. I took my son, Rob, and my daughter, Sophie, so they could benefit from the vast storehouse of knowledge I had obtained by reading a guidebook, which was full of fascinating information about ancient Greece, the main one being that you should wear comfortable shoes.
To get there, we took the Athens subway system, which is clean, modern and easy to use, except that every stop is named TIPIYOKTI. Fortunately, the Greeks, as I have noted, are very friendly and helpful, so whenever I looked confused, a kindly person would bail me out.
GREEK PERSON: You need help?
ME: Is this the Tipiyokti station?
GREEK PERSON: No, this is Tipiyokti. Next is Tipiyokti, then Tipiyokti, THEN you come to Tipiyokti.
ME: Thank you! (``Tipiyokti!'')
We finally reached downtown Athens, and when we got out of the subway, there was the Acropolis, exactly where the ancient Greeks had left it. Unfortunately, centuries ago barbarians destroyed the ancient Greek escalator, so we had to walk manually to the top, a vertical ascent of several hundred meters, which translates, if you are carrying your 4-year-old daughter in the Athens heat, to eight miles.
But it was worth the climb, because when we reached the top we were treated to a sight that has awed millions of visitors for more than 2,500 years: Katie Couric. She was up there taping a segment for the Today show. But there were also some important ruins, which I, using my vast storehouse of guidebook knowledge, explained to my kids.
''This is very old,'' I would say, gesturing to a ruin. ''And this,'' I would say, gesturing to another ruin, ``is ALSO very old.''
We wandered for a while, pondering the fact that we were strolling on paths that were once the stomping grounds of the famous ancient Greek thinkers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Jimmy. It was a moving experience for me, but I wondered if it was having any impact on my children, especially little Sophie. I got my answer as we were standing next to the architectural perfection of the Parthenon, looking out over teeming Athens, the surrounding mountains and the blue of the Mediterranean in the distance.
We were quiet for a moment, and then Sophie spoke.
''Daddy,'' she said, with excitement in her voice. ``There's a girl in my class, and HER name is Sophie, too!''
I could not have said it better myself.
At least they're not all named 'Marklar'...
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