acropolis

The day before, we stumbled into InStyle's Fashion Week in Athens. The signs hung in front of a government building in the park, and we walked in to find cocktails and a runway show in progress. The event had multiple shows going on at once, as well as exhibits in rooms off a main plaza. In the plaza, Absolut girls dressed in throwback spacesuit dresses (think hot Jetsons mom) served the latest flavor of Absolut, and models took pictues against a logo backdrop after they walked. In the exhibit rooms, designers displayed their new lines in small booths with just single articles of each piece.
We grabbed a table in the central plaza and did some of the best people-watching in history. Jordan had his camera, and I had my oversized sunglasses, so we did a decent job of blending in unsuspected. Models legged through with hair in rollers and oversized tote bags, and designers wandered like puppies trying to get attention from the right important individuals. One of the men looked like he'd just pulled himself off the couch and thrown on a robe before coming over--he even could've been The Dude. Most likely, his robe was Versace and his slippers Prada.
On the other side of the spectrum was the Plaka Flea Market. I used to like the Aptos flea market for the odds and ends you could find, the treasures amidst the junk that jump out at you for their resemblance to something in a history book, or maybe something you used to own yourself. In the Plaka flea market you can find these sparkling little gems, gyroscopes and brooches and pocket watches and model ships. If only I had more room in my luggage, and in my Brooklyn apartment. A vintage silver microphone teased me, and so did a tiny engraved ouzo goblet.
We left emptyhanded and found our way to the Acropolis entrance (like many things in Greece, not clearly marked). The giveaway was the mass of schoolchildren surging up the path, led by tired-looking teachers. We joined the migration and stopped at the top to overhear a tour guide explaining the reconstruction. Apparently the buildings have been taken apart and put back together numerous times in efforts at restoration, and right now Athena Nike's temple is nowhere to be found. The Parthenon is hard to appreciate fully because it's filled with scaffolding, and its columns are a patchwork of plaster. However, when you read what's happened to it--like being burned by the Turks and blown up by other enemies--it's amazing that even this much of it still exists. The museum just southeast of the Parthenon is a better place to see the friezes and statues up close and really appreciate the artistry of the monument. InStyle's appreciation of aesthetics and detail is the modern version of such values.