Athens.....

 

Before I get to all the Athens photos, I wanted to show y'all this "Minute Suite".  I had a 5 hour layover in Dallas, so I booked one of these.  All it has it a desk and chair (if you want a quiet place to work) and a sleeper sofa, with a nice blanket (that was warmed, which surprised me) and a pillow.  I booked it for 75 minutes, and rested.  Napped a bit.  Stretched out my legs and tried my best to prepare myself for the nearly 10 hour flight to Munich.  It was really nice!  

Before I made the mad rush to find my gate in the Munich Airport, I bought some water, and wanted so badly to get this apple strudel.  Look at the size of it!!  It was really huge.  I knew it would be too messy to carry and eat on the plane, so I didn't get it.  Wish I had!

 

The only stadium made entirely of marble.  The olympics were held in Athens in 2004 (and also in 1896, and deep antiquity, lol). 

The Erechtheion with the Porch of the Caryatids.

 

It was quite windy and chilly in Athens.  

The wind was trying to blow my hair off, lol.

 

Just one of so many wonderful cafe's as you walk around Athens...

On one of our afternoons off, a few of my fellow travelers helped me find this small chapel dedicated to St Kyriaki, one of my favorite saints.  

 

We took a road trip to visit the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.  Lots and lots of stairs as we walk through the archaeological site.  

The serpent column, made of brass ~ this is actually a replica, as the original was taken by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.  An artist rendering of what it may have looked like below...

The Sphinx of the Naxians.  Originally it was on a 41 foot Ionic column in fron the Temple of Apollo.  

Of course I shouldn't fail to mention the Oracle of Delphi.  Apparently she stood over faults in the earth where toxic gasses would assist in putting her in a transe like state as she prophesied.  

Athens was our first stop, and is a wonderful city to visit ~ there are tons of cafe's and restaurants (many of them outside), and shopping (jewelry, clothing, etc) and site seeing, as Athens is a historical city with lots of history and archaeology.  

Our hotels were all fantastic, which the exception of the first one in Athens.  It was very small, and my view was of the alley behind the  hotel.  It was also weirdly laid out, and I kept fighting with the glass bathroom door, haha.  It was a nice hotel, but I didn't like my room.  

I will post more soon!  There are many more :-)

Love, 365 

I'm still alive!......

 

I survived the loooong flight to Athens!  It was terrible.  I was stuck inbetween two young people, who were very kind and considerate.  The terrible part was being in the middle seat for a 9 1/2 hour flight.  

I don't know if EF Tours waited until the last minute to schedule our flights, but I was in the very back of the plane on every single one.  Which means it takes 20 minutes to get off as you are waiting for everyone else to grab their stuff and go.  If I do another tour with them, I'm going to schedule my own flights.  

Greece was so much fun though!  We did a lot of sight seeing of archaeological sites, did a driving tour of a few places, ate some really wonderful food.  I think I will be sad when I have kalamari here in New Mexico, because it won't be grilled, and it won't be fresh.  😔.  I could certainly live in Greece if it was possible.  

At one restaurant in Santorini I had the grilled, and imagine my surprise when they brought me the entire squid!! It was really good.  I just couldn't quite eat it all.

The flight home was just as awful, with the exception that I picked the window seats.  Still all the way back in the plane though.  It took 3 days to stop waking up around 2:30am.  I was still on Greek time I guess.  

Two days after I returned, the office called and asked me to fill in ~ again.  I said I would, and did so for a month, but I sent an email to the practice manager that I could not stay indefinitely and gave her an end date.  Luckily they hired someone a few days after the email.  Prior to that I had the feeling that feet were dragging, which prompted the email.  

I will post with more photos of Greece....I have a so many!  It was really fun. 

I'll be back!

Love, 365