variety of smells wafting in the breeze at the stoplights was enticing. There was the sweet jasmine from the blooms dotting the landscape on the left, the appetizing aroma of the cubed meat from the souvlakia on the charcoal grills, and the tantalizing scent of the sea on their right.
The cliffs dropped into the azure water, calling Sammy for a swim. On each twist and turn, she tightened her hold on the muscular body pushing against her, and found herself enjoying his clean masculine scent above all the others.
This wasn’t a ride, but a surreal flight into something she didn’t quite know how to identify. As if burdens rushed off her shoulders, she was lighter, free of concerns that had previously weighed her down.
Glorious, she felt glorious, just like the gold speck that glittered in the distance on the edge of a cliff. What was it?
Slowing the bike, Demo pulled off to a small space between some shrubs on the cliff. He removed his helmet and turned to speak to her. “This is Cape Sounion, and the Temple of Poseidon is atop that cliff.” He pointed to the gold shimmer she’d been admiring. “The ancient Athenians built it to make offerings to the god of the sea. They believed it would keep their men safe when they sailed away from the city-state.”
“Is it covered with gold?” Sammy asked.
Shaking his head side to side, he smiled. “No, but seeing it from here, a person could make that assumption. It’s the sun reflecting at just the perfect angle off the age-worn marble. You’ll be able to see it as we get closer. It’s my favorite spot near Athens to watch the sun set.”
He replaced his helmet, and returned to the road. As they approached, the columns on the temple took shape, and the magnificence of the mount was inspiring. She’d read stories of an Athenian king committing suicide here, but she couldn’t remember why.
They arrived at the archeological site and parked. Demo took her hand and quickly led her past the café and gift shop. Once inside the gates, she noticed the awning pulled over the ticket booth window.
“Don’t we need to pay an entrance fee?” she asked, tugging on his hand.
“ Ts ,” he made the peculiar noise through slightly parted lips. “I mean, no. The visitors are required to leave at sunset, and nobody in Greece would dare charge us for less then ten minutes to visit a public place that belongs to all Greeks.”
Their feet hurried over the well-worn marble path as they passed ruins Demo identified as belonging to Athena’s temple. Walking beside the roped off area of one of the best-preserved structures from ancient times, Poseidon’s Temple, they veered off the trail.
Demo spoke as they climbed over the fallen marble spewed on the grounds. “This is a Doric-style temple with six columns on the front and thirteen columns along the side. Archaeologists have restored some of it, but these are the original stones the ancients rested on. What you see is truly a treasure,”
“Not all,” she said, saddened by the graffiti on the marvelous structure dating back hundreds of years.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t always roped off. Much of this is centuries old, but most of it is from World War II. It’s rumored that Lord Byron left his mark here, but I spent many afternoons as a kid looking for it and never found it.”
“It’s too bad people didn’t respect it and vandalized it,” she said.
“The Greeks were struggling to stay alive at that time. Others didn’t know any better. Today, it’s under government control, and people can go to jail for defacing antiquities.” Demo picked a large marble slab and they sat down side by side.
An entranced Sammy studied the beautiful temple as he relayed the story of the competition between Poseidon and Athena to be the patron of Athens. “They both wanted control of the city. Obviously, Athena won, but the Athenians wanted to honor Poseidon for his dedication to them and for protecting them and looking out for
The cliffs dropped into the azure water, calling Sammy for a swim. On each twist and turn, she tightened her hold on the muscular body pushing against her, and found herself enjoying his clean masculine scent above all the others.
This wasn’t a ride, but a surreal flight into something she didn’t quite know how to identify. As if burdens rushed off her shoulders, she was lighter, free of concerns that had previously weighed her down.
Glorious, she felt glorious, just like the gold speck that glittered in the distance on the edge of a cliff. What was it?
Slowing the bike, Demo pulled off to a small space between some shrubs on the cliff. He removed his helmet and turned to speak to her. “This is Cape Sounion, and the Temple of Poseidon is atop that cliff.” He pointed to the gold shimmer she’d been admiring. “The ancient Athenians built it to make offerings to the god of the sea. They believed it would keep their men safe when they sailed away from the city-state.”
“Is it covered with gold?” Sammy asked.
Shaking his head side to side, he smiled. “No, but seeing it from here, a person could make that assumption. It’s the sun reflecting at just the perfect angle off the age-worn marble. You’ll be able to see it as we get closer. It’s my favorite spot near Athens to watch the sun set.”
He replaced his helmet, and returned to the road. As they approached, the columns on the temple took shape, and the magnificence of the mount was inspiring. She’d read stories of an Athenian king committing suicide here, but she couldn’t remember why.
They arrived at the archeological site and parked. Demo took her hand and quickly led her past the café and gift shop. Once inside the gates, she noticed the awning pulled over the ticket booth window.
“Don’t we need to pay an entrance fee?” she asked, tugging on his hand.
“ Ts ,” he made the peculiar noise through slightly parted lips. “I mean, no. The visitors are required to leave at sunset, and nobody in Greece would dare charge us for less then ten minutes to visit a public place that belongs to all Greeks.”
Their feet hurried over the well-worn marble path as they passed ruins Demo identified as belonging to Athena’s temple. Walking beside the roped off area of one of the best-preserved structures from ancient times, Poseidon’s Temple, they veered off the trail.
Demo spoke as they climbed over the fallen marble spewed on the grounds. “This is a Doric-style temple with six columns on the front and thirteen columns along the side. Archaeologists have restored some of it, but these are the original stones the ancients rested on. What you see is truly a treasure,”
“Not all,” she said, saddened by the graffiti on the marvelous structure dating back hundreds of years.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t always roped off. Much of this is centuries old, but most of it is from World War II. It’s rumored that Lord Byron left his mark here, but I spent many afternoons as a kid looking for it and never found it.”
“It’s too bad people didn’t respect it and vandalized it,” she said.
“The Greeks were struggling to stay alive at that time. Others didn’t know any better. Today, it’s under government control, and people can go to jail for defacing antiquities.” Demo picked a large marble slab and they sat down side by side.
An entranced Sammy studied the beautiful temple as he relayed the story of the competition between Poseidon and Athena to be the patron of Athens. “They both wanted control of the city. Obviously, Athena won, but the Athenians wanted to honor Poseidon for his dedication to them and for protecting them and looking out for
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