Visit to a Rainy Acropolis

Living in Athens means that I have the privilege to go and visit the Akropolis from time to time. I'm there in under an hour from home. The entrance fee is a bit hefty, but between 1st of November and 31st of March it's free on every Sunday (see official Acropolis info). So yesterday up I went. The day was cloudy, dizzy, with an occasional rain shower here and there, and the sun sending a rare ray through from time to time...

The good thing about the weather was that it wasn't hot for once. It seemed to me that I had all the time I wanted to look around. I spotted beautiful details on finely chiseled column heads. The caryatids, and the olive tree Athena gave to the Athenians.

I was looking out for things to sketch. The Parthenon? Way beyond my abilities, I admitted to myself. Not only would I have to find a way to shortcut all the details (or choose to stay there for an hour, trying to get everything right), but more to the point, I could not get it all into my field of view, I was much too close. I definitely need to practice more. Maybe I should have chosen one detail, work on one column or so.

Instead I wandered around, and then I saw the viewpoint platform, where lots of people gathered to have a look at the endless sea of concrete below. Looking over from the rim of the "sacred rock" at the viewpoint, it gave a nice, deep perspective. Click on the pic to get an enlarged view of the scan.

At first, when I went up there, the place didn't strike me so special. You see, I've been up there a lot. Sure it's great, but one gets used to it. I liked being there anyway. After doing my sketch, I sat down, thumped through my notebook, looked alternating at old sketches and at the scenery. I wondered how I could draw any of the bigger stuff up there one day.

When I went down again, something strange had happened to me. I was smiling. I felt strong and full of power. Before I went up, I had joked that I would sing "I can see clearly now the rain is gone" up there. Now I really felt like singing. I think the old place up there is empowering really. It's not just old stones and a high rock, there's a secret sauce they're not telling us about. I'll be back for sure.