And now it gets really crazy
As if the hike up to the summit wasn't crowded enough with tourists, once we reached the "Propylaea", or entrance we had to push our way through the crowds. The people just stood around gawking at the base of the Temple of Nike which is to the right and out of the picture. From this point in the way was a little tricky because of the steeper ascent over very well-worn marble paving blocks. As we walked through the Propylaea we could see construction scaffolds everywhere and mini-cranes set up to hoist up some of the fallen marble that once again seemed to be everywhere.
Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In Worl... ... read more 
