Athens, Greece

A view of the world famous Acropolis with smoke from wildfires partially blocking the sky is seen Friday, June 29, 2007, in Athens, Greece. Athens, the capital and largest city in Greece, dominates the Attica periphery and is one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans at least 3,000 years.

Tourists visit the Parthenon Temple on Acropolis hill, in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon, a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, was built in the 5th century B.C. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art. It is considered one of the world's greatest cultural monuments and is currently undergoing a lengthy restoration.

A New Wonder? — AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

A hot air balloon flies in front of the Acropolis in Athens on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006. The ancient Acropolis was one of the 21 finalist monuments in a global campaign to choose the new Seven Wonders of the World, which were announced July 7, 2007, in Lisbon. The Acropolis did not make the cut.

The ancient Herod Atticus theater in Athens, Greece. A bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. It is also rapidly becoming a leading business center in the European Union.

A double rainbow arches over the refurbished ancient Panathenaean marble stadium, left foreground, in Athens, Greece, after rain on Friday, March 24, 2006. The narrow horseshoe stadium hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, and the archery event and marathon finish in the Athens 2004 Games.

Three of six 2,500-year-old Greek vases returned to Athens by the son of a British professor of archaeology are seen backdropped by the 5th century B.C. Temple of Hephaestus in the Ancient Agora of Athens, Greece, April 18, 2007.

Seeking Shade — AP Photo/Petros Karadjias

A tourist couple takes photos of the House of Parliament during a very hot day in central Athens, Greece, Thursday, June 19, 2008.

Whatever Floats ... — AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

A beach vendor is obscured by inflatable floats on a hot summer day at Alimos beach, near Athens, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008.

A cargo ship sails in the Saronic Gulf near Athens as the sun sets over Salamina island a day before the closing ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2004.

The sun sets as copies of the famous Caryatids, statues of women which support part of the Erechtheion temple, are seen on the Acropolis hill. The originals are displayed in the Acropolis Museum, apart from one, which is located in the British Museum in London.