Flying to Heathrow

Currently sitting in the Athens Airport after getting here 3 hours early. We are arriving at JFK at 8:55. Excited to be heading home and putting the toilet paper where it belongs...

P.s. Another thing about nafplio

Crazy, right? But excellent dark chocolate gelato!

The sanctuary of Asclepius

 We went to Epidavros yesterday. Our last big archaeological site visit planned for our trip. The weather here has become so hot for the past few days And yesterday was 99 F . We drove out from pretty Nafplio in the morning and climbed up to the top. If you look really hard at the stage, you might be able to recognize a guy in the red shirt standing in the stage... Grandpa mike! Find some shade!

The theater was very beautiful and trees were planted along the top like awnings. We walked around napflio in the afternoon and evening. everyone comes out after 9pm, when things cool down. The kids all play until late and the World Cup is on flat screen TVs in almost every terrace.  We strolled up the hill to our place and had to go to bed early to get the ferry to spetses today, but that is another story...

Nafplio

Its been a while! Monemvasia put us in a trance, actually it is the island of the lotus eaters... We are now in the Argolid Coast. Right now we have finished eating breakfast on a balcony in Nafplio with a beautiful view of the fortress.

Olympia

Yesterday we visited the site of ancient olympia. This is where they held the Olympic Games from 776 BC to 393 AD. The temple in this picture is the oldest building on the site,  the Temple of Hera. We were able to walk through a lot of the site and piece together the gymnasia, the baths, and "run" in the stadium.

DELPHI

Yesterday we drove from Athens to the beautiful town of Arachova where we were staying the night. We tried to find a monastery but ended up turning off the main road onto a narrow road twisting steeply up to a mountain (grandpa mike put a bandana over his eyes so he would not see and faint). It stopped midway overlooking whole valley of greek renewable energy: wind and solar farms. I ran up the gravel path to get a better view and who did I see but Zeus in the shape of Benedict Cumberbatch, just a little way up the path.  I started climbing higher and higher, leaving the rest behind... climbing the top of the mountain disappearing from view, "Come! join the cast of Sherlock!" He said. But then I heard the desperate calls of my mother and realized what was truly important. The ruins of the sanctuary of Delphi is nestled high in the mountains and as one gains altitude the view becomes more and more impressive. One of the coolest parts is the fact that we were walking in the steps that the pilgrims would walk to ask questions to the oracle of Delphi. And remember: γνώθι σαυτόν.

Temple of Zeus Olympic and Protests at Syntagma Square

Today we walked though the National Gardens to get to the Benaki: a museum that is a history of Greece through objects. After having lunch at the Benaki, we headed to the gardens again to go to the temple of Zeus (above) and were surprised by the number of police. They had closed the garden because of the protest, though there was no information on the protest.  The temple to Zeus was very impressive!

The Acropolis

We went to the The Acropolis today. It was hot but breezy.  If you ever thought that the Parthenon (pictured) was the only structure on the top of the mountain (the acropolis), you would be surprised as We was by the many buildings, all dedicated to the gods or goddesses, and being restored.

(I touched a pillar illegally....)

In Athens

We just arrived in Athens! This is the view from our apartment.

Greece here we come!

After a labyrinth of hallways we are waiting for out flight to Greece in Heathrow airport. We are boarding shortly!

In the Airport

We are waiting for our flight to Heathrow and then to Athens

In NYC

My mum and I arrived at Penn Station at 6:30 after a nine and a half hour train trip. Our glorious travel companions picked us up and drove us to dinner over looking
mighty Hudson river.
This picture is of the sunset over the Hudson through some trees

Back again!

Two more days until the big trip! For half of us the journey begins tomorrow at 8:54.