Baron's Wonders of the World #8 and #9

.....Although a few friends and family wondered why I didn't follow David Letterman's formula for his "lists" by starting out with #10, and then keeping his audience in suspense as to what #1 would be, I thought I have answered that by saying that my first nine awe inspiring experiences were placed in no particular order--but that I will save the "best" for last. And the reason for that is simply that it is not possible for me to go from the least to the most. I cannot say which is better than another, since all that I have written about thus far are pretty equal in my mind--except for the last--which I will get to in due time. How can anyone choose between Michelangelo's Pieta and David? Or between the Mona Lisa, the Sphinx and the Pyramids, Mt. Rushmore, or Stonehenge, the islands of Bali, Tahiti, Bora Bora, and the wonders of Venice and Florence? Although I have never seen the Pyramids, I have seen all the others I have mentioned in addition to the two that I will write about today. Who can say which is "best"? I have chosen ten experiences in my life that have meant the most to me, but I cannot say which of the first nine is best.

.....#8)Mt. Everest-The highest mountain in the world attracts well-experienced mountaineers as well as novice climbers who are willing to pay substantial sums to professional mountain guides to complete a successful climb. The mountain, while not posing substantial technical climbing difficulty on the standard route still has many inherent dangers such as altitude sickness, weather and wind. By the end of the 2008 climbing season, there had been 4,102 ascents to the summit by about 2,700 individuals. Climbers are a significant source of tourist revenue for Nepal, whose government also requires all prospective climbers to obtain an expensive permit, costing up to US $ 25,000 per person. By the end of 2009 Everest had claimed 216 lives, including eight who perished during a 1996 storm high on the mountain. Conditions are so difficult in the death zone (altitudes higher than 8,000 m/26,246 ft) that most corpses have been left where they fell. Some of them are visible from standard climbing routes.-

(Description by Wikepedia)

.....the feeling that I got just being at the foot of this great mountain, the highest above sea level in the world, was a chill up and down my spine (or perhaps it was because it was cold in Nepal?) At any rate it was simply a great thrill to be in such a place that I read about and learned about all my life. I also had the experience of flying over it, and the view from the aircraft was magnificent. So, then, I come now to number nine--the precursor to number ten, my most awesome, incredible, emotional, and unforgettable experience in my lifetime.

.....#9)the Acropolis & the Parthenon--In Greek "Acropolis" means "highest city" and indeed when I was in Athens, there it was! And the Parthenon, also, as a bonus! After the decay of centuries of attrition, pollution, destruction by acts of war, and misguided past restorations, a project that "meant business" began in 1975.

.....The aim of the restoration was to reverse the decay. The project included collection and identification of all stone fragments, even small ones, from the Acropolis and its slopes and the attempt was made to restore as much as possible using reassembled original material - with new marble from Mount Penteli used sparingly. All restoration was made using titanium dowels and is designed to be completely reversible, in case future experts decide to change things. A combination of cutting-edge modern technology and extensive research and reinvention of ancient techniques were used.

.....The Parthenon colonnades, largely destroyed by Venetian bombardment in the 17th century, were restored, with many wrongly assembled columns now properly placed. The roof and floor of the Propylaea were partly restored, with sections of the roof made of new marble and decorated with blue and gold inserts, as in the original. The temple of Athena Nike is the only edifice still unfinished, pending proper reassembly of its parts all of which survive.

.....What made this experience even more "awesome" was meeting John Collum sitting next to me on a bus. During our conversation I asked him what kind of work he did back home, and he responded saying he was an actor. So, I asked him what he enacted. He said he had currently starred in "On a Clear Day". It really freaked me out! Subsequently, John appeared in "On the 20th Century", "Shenandoah", and "Death Trap". He also starred in the CBS series, "Northern Exposure" and played Mark Green's father on "ER". I can go on and on about his long career in film, television, and the Broadway Stage. Rhoda and I went backstage to see him while he was playing in "Death Trap." But getting back to Athens, John and I spent an entire week "paling around" together--especially in bars and restaurants.