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