The agony of Athens

Twelve hours! 8-to-8 tramping around the Greek capital's sights in Augustine heat, from the Agora to the Acropolis and everything in their foothills. Despite the acreage of Nikons and the fact the Parthenon's got the builders in. (They're repairing damage caused by Turks in the 1600's. At least there's something in a building schedule the Poles can't be blamed for!)

It is impressive. It really is, even swathed in scaffolding and sunk in a demeaning sea of tourists. The only truly 'properly' proportioned building in the world, not in cold maths but human perception, columns and porticos arranged in regular 9:4 ratios but flared and distorted in the marble to fool human eyes into thinking they're seeing perfection. Which they are. The thing's huge, but thanks to the optical illusions it retains its human scale. Majestic.

And because I like to see a city's geography rather than burrow down into subway tunnels, today's resulted in two raw inner thighs, chafed by twelve hours of urban trekking. It's a pain in the ass. (Now, I know that too is a bit of a Greek thing - remember all that Alexander business? - but I'm Modern enough to think my ass is my own.)

Sooo..painful. But content, as I collapse over a cold beer in the shadow of the rock. Definitely something flatter tomorrow though.