Athens is a city of contradictions; it is a place of both beauty and grit. Gleaming 19th century classical buildings sit among a modern city peppered with graffiti. Here, the world of the ancient Greeks permeates the very heart of the city. The aura and physical traces of this great civilization are made manifest though the architecture and soul of the city; their legacy shaped much of the formation of the city in the 19th century as architecture reaffirmed the ancient model. The acropolis, like a beacon on a hill, demands contemplation and reflection. This ritual link to the gods rests high above the city. One can only imagine the beauty of the Greek landscape that surrounded the hill. Today the views of the city are magnificent. One can appreciate the charming neighborhood of Plaka that gives a look into old Athens. The evolution of the Orders makes for an important study in a city full of the columns and entablatures of the past.
