ATHENS, Greece _ The Parthenon is a part of you, even when you haven't seen it in person. It's the quintessential Greek temple. Think how much this famed 2,500-year-old building, the ruins of which still tower over Athens, has come to mean in our visual culture. It symbolizes strength and sturdiness.
The architecture is referenced in our government buildings and libraries. It is the First National Bank of Whatever Older City You're In, all in glistening white marble, an illustration of secular solidity and the rationality of Greek thought.
Yet as I climb to the Acropolis, the ancient citadel on which the Parthenon is perched, I'm thinking of more than just architecture and science. I'm attuned to the spirituality of the place. And thus my love of reading and travel combine once again.
On a trip to Greece last January _ which can be a wonderful time to travel, with few tourists and a good chance for mild weather _ two special books are downloaded on my Kindle. One is William J. Broad's "The Oracle: Ancient Delphi and the Science Behind its Lost Secrets," which adds immensely to my appreciation for that memorable site.
And for my visit to the Parthenon, I have been reading Joan Breton Connelly's "The Parthenon Enigma," which offers an intriguing hypothesis on why the Athenians built this structure.
Once again, a book can make a place come alive in a way that no blurb in a travel paperback or short spiel from a guide can.
