Acropolis - 2,500 years and counting

So here's the thing. Being slightly addicted to HGTV, living in a 130 year old brownstone and having remodeled a 60 year old condo, I think of repairs as a way of life - a Loews credit card as a distinct possibility.

Then when in Athens, we visited the buildings of the Acropolis. The coffered ceilings are intact. The pillars secure and the marble facing doesn't seem to need polishing or resealing. Marble deep plunge tubs and their clay pipes are certainly in better shape than the 60 year condo plumbing I just replaced.

In all fairness work has been done since the Parthenon was built in 438BC. The big remodeling job came in 1204 when it was converted into a Christian church. In 1460 the Ottoman Turks added a mosque's minaret and dome. In 1687 an artillery shell caused a fiery explosion and in 1820 the British removed to London over two-thirds of the statuary and relief work.

A quick glance at what remains may look like a general contractors dream. However, I compare it to the homes I know and somehow think the ancient Greeks had a better return on their investment.