Nobody told me it was illegal. Maybe it wasn’t, back in 1971. I still feel a bit like a criminal.
That was the year I came into possession of a stolen item. Okay, that’s being disingenuous. I picked it up and put it in my purse. Better? Also, I’d like some praise for the fact that this is the first time I’ve ever used the word “disingenuous” in a sentence. Thank you.
I’ve written about my stay in Greece on three previous occasions. Oh, what the heck, I may as well tout my own posts… they were: Meanwhile, Back In Greece; Greece: Episode Two – I knocked harder; and Greece: Episode Three – How to steal a stroller. (Ah, I see I’ve spoken of my larcenous streak before!)
This is what happened with the rock. We’d gone to Greece to make a movie: my then-husband, the producer; some other Canadian members of the creative team; me – the producer’s wife; and our two-year-old daughter.
One day, after my little girl and I had been mostly on our own for a few weeks (hubby’s work hours were very long), I was fortunate enough to do some sightseeing. I had a great babysitter for Kathy so I was free for the day.
Two things you need to know before we go:
- We were living near Athens, home of the Acropolis.
- My sightseeing companion was the young actor who was to star in our movie, who looked like a young Albert Finney – the star of the 1963 movie Tom Jones. 😀
So this young man – I don’t know why I keep saying that, as he was just a year younger than me… Anyway, I only mention him because it helps to explain why I abandoned my usual good sense. (Har!) In fact, I abandoned any sense at all, due to my state of total distraction. Also, I was tired. Yeah, that’s it. Very tired, because we did a lot of walking to get to this amazing ancient ruin waaaay up on a hill, overlooking Athens.
It was a gorgeous day, hot but breezy – rather like my companion, come to think of it. So we’re up there at the Parthenon, which looks very much like its depiction on this Wikipedia page. In fact it looks exactly like that.
But my point is this: As we circled the amazing Parthenon, a temple built almost 2,500 years ago, marvelling at its size and beauty – I don’t know what possessed me, but suddenly I looked down, spied this rock (see above) lying on the ground near the temple base, bent, scooped it up and stashed it in my purse.
The rock in the photo above is actual size. It feels petrified. It’s beige and looks like dried clay, but when you tap it lightly with a fingernail, it makes a slight clinky metallic sound. For 46 years I’ve had it in my dresser drawer. It’s just a rock, yes. But it’s almost two thousand, five hundred years old. Boggles the mind.
Every once in a while I take out my stolen rock and just look at it, caressing its craggy surface, and I smile. I’ve kept it safe and sound, just like I’ve kept all my memories of Greece. I’ll keep them as long as I live.
Crossed Eyes and Dotted Tees 
The Greece stories are great! Really cool experiences and fun to read. Love the photos, too! The Parthenon is indeed awesome. Easy to get distracted and pocket something 😉
(I confess I did the same thing in Scotland. I found what appeared to be a prehistoric chert blade and into my pocket it went. It was the only time I ever did that! I hope the Parthenon/chert police are not reading this!)
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Thanks Magick!! So glad u liked ’em!! Yeah, I hope the antiquities cops are, um, out to lunch right now! Wait, maybe the statute of limitations will come into play. I think for me, at least, it will! 46 years… 😀
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Fair enough. I shall join this “confessional”. I have a piece of pink rock from Petra. I made sure nobody saw me take it. I can’t lie. I wanted it. Book me! 😀
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OMG Judith! Maybe the three of us can share a cell! Could be fun! 😀 😀 😀
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I’ll take the bunk on the bottom. I don’t want to fall out of bed 😀
I have heard that one must never take piece of lava from a volcano in Hawaii as the Goddess Pele will cause you to have very bad luck. So that’s one place I will definitely leave all rocks where they are!
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I’ll take the top then. What’ll we do with Judith? We’ll cross that jail sentence when we come to it! 😀 … re that Goddess, is she the bad one responsible for that volcano that erupted eons ago killing many thousands? Wait, that was Mt. Pelee, right? Named after her? I wouldn’t be surprised! She sounds downright bloodthirsty! 😀
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Mt Pelee is in Martinique. Krakatoa, in Indonesia, erupted in 1883. Destroyed most of the island and the ensuing tsunamis killed 36,000 people. The explosion was so loud it was heard 3,000 miles away.
The Hawaiian Goddess Pele is a goddess of fire, volcanoes, wind and lightning. She lives on top of the volcano Kilauea. She is said to have created the Hawaiian islands. I think, like us, she doesn’t want people pocketing any of her things when visiting. 😉
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Thx for all that! Next time I’m in Hawaii (“yeah, right!”) I’ll remember the warning! 😄
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I have never taken a rock from anywhere, mainly because I know what would happen to it. I’d take it home, stash it somewhere, forget its significance, and throw it away.
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Oh funny! I’m a pack rat. I still have stones I took 20 years ago when I went to Vancouver to visit my son who was living there then. They’re so lovely, round and smooth, picked them up from a partly dried up riverbed, keep ’em in a little basket.
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