Parthenon in the wee hours of the morning

Parthenon…in the wee hours of the morning. Literally.

Looking at the full moon is magical, but getting up at this hour with horrible jet lag may have driven me over the edge.

As I planned my trip I realized that I would be in Athens during the full moon, so I hoped to get some shots of the Parthenon with the full moon behind it.  Just what i need, another picture of the Parthenon, I have lots.  I am absolutely smitten with it, and never tire looking at it. Here are three shots I've taken over the last 24 hours.

However, clouds, rain and even severe thunderstorms have kept  me from going out at night to see the Parthenon.

Finally the weather seemed like it would cooperate. After consulting moon rise and set schedules, I decided to go out at 9pm to look for the moon. Alas it was rising behind me, I was on the wrong side of the Acropolis. Jet lag and museum fatigue prevented me from walking a couple miles around the base to reposition myself. So, I envisioned a master plan. I would photograph the moon setting and then it would be on my side of the Acropolis. Moon set was around 5:30 am.  I told Andrea to wake me up at 5 am.

Andrea woke me up, and we stumbled out into empty Athenian streets. I was still dressed in my pajamas!  Not a soul around as we walked down a main boulevard, searching for the perfect angle, tripod and camera gear in hand.

We set up the tripod in the dark, struggled with the camera position and adjusted the handles (which Andrea refers to as “screwdrivers”). I pointed my camera at the Acropolis, and was shocked that there was no moon. In my consternation I dropped one of my lenses onto the cobblestone street. It skittered away from me. I let out a shriek as I chased it. Two Athenian girls nearby smoking and gossiping barely noticed my antics.

After I recovered my lens, which was luckily undamaged, I looked for the moon. It was overhead, high in the sky!

I asked Andrea what time it was. 3:30 am she replied.  "What?” I said! "I thought it was 5 am." She then shared that she didn't want to miss the moon set so she woke me up early, thinking that 5 am would be too late.  Aaahh! There was no way I was waiting two more hours in the dark, wearing my pajamas just so see the moon setting.

Enjoy the photo of the Parthenon in the dead of night, I only have a few.

More soon.