Art and Architecture

It was recommended that we take a gander at The Parthenon in Nashville's Centennial Park. So, after the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and before the Grand Ole Opry, we headed over. This is a stunning full scale replica of the original Athenian Parthenon in Athens, Greece. This one serves as Nashville's art museum. We were certainly up for more art, but we arrived after closing time and we missed the recreated 42-foot statue Athena which is housed inside. The Athena statue is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. Though not an artistic statement or a testament to stunning architecture, this Parthenon has chicken wire (or something resembling it) covering the friezes and the tops of the columns, presumably for pigeon protection. If I couldn't get inside to appreciate the works there, then I was at least glad that the Parthenon has a sophisticated Pigeon Poop Protection System. The little tiny person in the picture with the dark top is Barbara. Being deprived of our tour, we cruised through a craft fair on the grounds. There was certainly an impressive variety of local art to be appreciated (and bought) and included all sorts of wooden items (from furniture to sculpture), metal sculpture, stained glass, photography, pottery, jewelry, painting, and more. That was worth the park visit. From there we headed east to check into our hotel and get ready for the Opry.