I couldn't sleep after napping the entire afternoon, so I got up around five AM and set out into the remarkably warm air of pre-dawn. Bakers were delivering loads of soft-pretzel-like bread and time-shifted tourists were getting off of buses. I went back to parliament, as we were supposed to do the day before (1). The guards are really there 24 hours it seems, and they also have a security guard guarding them.
    The ruins were nicely illuminated (2) as I made my way over to the Acropolis area. The first red blush of dawn came up over the city as I gained higher ground (3). I made it to Areopagus hill adjacent to the Acropolis, joining a group of Athenian youth, still up after a night of partying, a lone photographer reading his guidebooks, and two stray dogs (4). Just after six, the sun rose crimson, staining the sky behind Lykavittos hill (5). The Athenians sang along to their radio, and pigeons came to peck between the cigarette butts and empty beer cans. The sun then faded into a pale grey sky, and the first drops of rain began to fall.
    The Acropolis looked cold and deserted in the weak light (6), and I made my way down sticking to back alleys, heavy with the scent of jasmine (7). I passed the Roman Agora and Tower of the Winds (8) when the rain began to fall in earnest. It was soon a steady downpour, and I returned to the hotel streaming water, in time to wake Tree up for breakfast.

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