This is a painting of a view of the Acropolis from Filopappou Hill in Athens, Greece.

In January of 2020 we stayed in an apartment in Thissio, near the foot of this hill. During the first week I was jetlagged, waking up very early in the mornings. Twice I took the opportunity to hike up the very steep hill and take some photos at sunrise.

On my first visit I saw a guide giving a very detailed explanation of the historic sites — he had curly hair and a wild beard that would have done Socrates proud.

The hill is scenic, with pine and olive trees jutting out from expanses of flat rock. The Acropolis and Parthenon loom in the distance, less than a kilometer away across a green valley that hides entire neighbourhoods. It is hard to believe this is near the very center of Athens.

A few steps from this spot is the Pnyx, a large assembly area with a carved rocky platform where figures like Pericles, Themistocles and Aristides spoke and debated at the world's first democratic assemblies 2,500 years ago.