So, I consider myself a classicist. Not as a profession, but having spent a good part of my life thinking in classical terms, musing over classical stuff and boring strangers at parties about classical topics, until I get myself a "proper" job and a "proper" profession I shall continue to think of myself as a classicist.

Following in this frame of mind I just wanted to write a blog about some of my favourite ancient greek and roman moments - CLASSIC memories if you will. ho ho ho.

My most prominent memory has to be when I first saw the Parthenon. I remember being extremely excited about seeing something which already, at the tender age of 16 I had dedicated so much of my time to. I was confident that I would be able to impress my mother with my knowledge of "metopes", "pediments" and that from 100 yards I could easily point out "a lapith". And yet, aside from a teenage angsty sense of wanting to prove myself (i would later discover that citing classical knowledge to a parental unit only really gets you so far) I was genuinely excited. I've always loved the classical stuff and was preparing myself for an onslaught on the senses. A magnificent, glorious structure which had risen above it's age and modern society to still inspire awe within its thousands of visitors.

What I however, had not anticipated, was the Greeks. Although this could easily turn into a rant about one particular American tourist who I saw wandering around the Acropolis at one time stopping to point at the Erectheum and announce to the rest of the tour group "y'all go on ahead, i'm gonna check out the naked chicks" I shall restrain.

No no, far more disturbing to my impressionable 16 year old mind was the site of a bleary eyed, club-handed Greek builder in control of a bloody great big crane. Which, to my dismay was in situ right in the middle of the bloody Parthenon. Now in its time the Parthenon has put up with quite a lot. Turks and Christians have had a pretty good bash at it over the years - most epic fail has to be the Ottoman turks who stored all their gunpowder in it. It was subsequently blown up.

And yet, despite all of these attempts to destroy it, it has survived. I think it can also be said that no one has ever doubted that it would survive. However, when I was standing there seeing this crane swinging wildly in the middle of it, I, experienced doubt. Not proud of it, but I did. Thankfully, I have subsequently been proven wrong i.e the building is still standing... So clearly the manically eyed Greek had some skills, or maybe just luck. Anyway, point is, it's still there, and that makes me happy.

So this definitely makes one of my top classical moments. I will write more about other moments for me but right now, I could do with a cup of tea. Sweet.