The name is absent

Chapter 1

Point of Departure: A View of Athens

Figure 1: Athens from Lycabettus Hill.

The view from the highest point in Athens, Lycabettus Hill, the ancient “hill of
light”, reveals several otherwise hidden qualities of the city. Athens is relatively small,
but it blends seamlessly into the neighboring suburbs making it seem much larger. The
urban totality resembles a nearly solid mass of white∕gray limestone and concrete
stretching from the feet of the surrounding mountains to the ocean, utterly filling the
Attica plain. Dotting the expanse are a few large archaeological sites, the Acropolis
being the most famous, and two or three large parks. High above the city the din of street
life becomes a distant murmur accompanied by the chirp of birds, cicadas and the
clinking of glasses from a nearby café (see figure 1). Lycabettus Hill has become a

<<   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   >>

More intriguing information