Athens, the ancient heart of Greece. Home of democracy and countless contributions to culture, philosophy, and even language itself. Quite possibly, no other city may have more significance to Western history. At its core stands a rocky outcrop, jutting from the the low-lying urban sprawl that surrounds the city center almost to the horizon. Atop the rocky cliffs stands the magnificent Acropolis, a towering ancient citadel with monumental stone columns reaching to the sky. A weary cat takes shelter in the shadow of an ancient column, as millennia of felines have before it. A sole cloud rolls overhead, linking one edge of the ancient marvel down to the sprawling city center below, where a weary local pulls off his cap and glances up at the shady respite from the relentless heat.
Church bells call out through winding corridors, a young couple has just been wed across the alley from a group of friends having a casual Sunday drink in the late afternoon. Around each corner, and in every branching street, throngs of locals and visitors keep this city as vibrant today as it was when those stone columns were first hoisted to the ancient sky.