Later we wandered the streets of Greece & did a lot of site-seeing & market hopping & window shopping. I thought that we would crash by now because of jet lag, but we were trying to make the best use of our time. So we visited...
... the Agora -
(but it closed before we got to see the Hephaisteion - the only thing I felt like we
really didn't get to see in our time in Athens)
... the Tower of the 8 winds
... we wandered the streets and admired the architecture
... grabbed a bite to eat. One thing that I love about Greece is their food! One thing Michal loves about Europe is their Nutella w/Banana's Crepes. So I got a crepe that had olives, peppers, feta cheese & tomatoes inside. It was really yummy. Another food item I wish was in America is Magnum white chocolate ice-cream bars & green apple Fanta. Every time I go to Europe, I am not shy in making sure I have at least one of these items with every meal of mine!
... & visited as many churches as we could.
I was really excited to visit these churches from the Byzantine Art & Architecture classes that I took.
However, I was a little disappointed because the churches either were closed or looked like the one above with lots of scaffolding - inside & out. The outside architecture of all the different churches was amazing. Michal & I loved it. I swear he took like 100 pictures of just buildings while we were in Greece.
By the time that we had dinner & our day came to a close, we were pooped & we slept well that night. But (thanks to Jet-Lag) we were up early & I was out planning on our balcony the next morning about what we could do that day & where our adventures should continue.
Here is a picture from our Balcony.
Day Two started with a visit to the Temple of Zeus - where we met some new friends who were from Germany.
We tried to teach them how to take jumping pictures, but they failed miserably at it. They were terrible. But even though they weren't good jumpers, we became friends on facebook!
We then visited the Olympic Stadium, which was originally built during 300 B.C. but later restored for the modern olympics (in 1896). At this historical site they gave you these headsets and you could listen to a narration which had lots of interesting facts about the place. I found it interesting that in the 2004 Athens games the runners (who started in Marathon) ended up finishing the race in this very stadium. When compared to BYU's stadium, it's very tiny - but considering how OLD this place is - it is very impressive.
Michal even got his chance to run on the track. I laughed because he was working up a sweat because I kept on making him "re-do" the picture because I couldn't figure out how to work our new camera, but in the end - we got a good shot of him.
Our last stop of the day included a trip to the National Archeological Museum (where there was a turtle walking around in the museum that scared the crap out of me because I almost stepped on it). This place had all of the artifacts in one building that I learned about (including: Zeus/Poseidon, Mask of Agamemnon, Mycenaen Daggers, & Minoan Octopus Vases, Dipylon Amphora, and rooms which housed "The Spring Fresco", "Two Antlers", & "Boxing Boys.") I got to be Michal's tour guide - and I like when he lets me tell him all about the artworks & artifacts because it makes me feel like I actually learned something in college.
Even though this museum was a definite must for visiting Athens, I was disappointed because about 1/3 or maybe even 1/2 of the museum was closed when we went through. It was a bummer because there were so many more things to see, but were closed from the public the days that we were there.
At the close of this day we were too tired and just went home and crashed. But we planned out the next day - which was an adventure we will never forget. Michal & I decided to rent a car. It was crazy, but there were a few things that we wanted to see that were just far enough outside of the city - that you couldn't get their by metro or rail.
We first went to Delphi. I'm surprised that we figured out our little GPS & that it took us to the right place. But we made it and had such a delightful time there. This place reminded me a lot of Rock Canyon Park in Provo. It was really scenic and Michal & I appreciated the tiny hike that we were able to go on while being able to look at an ancient city unearthed.
Our next stop was to Sounio where we visited the Temple of Poseidon. They keep this site open until Sunset - and you can see why. It was breathtaking. I was caught up in the beauty of the place and felt so grateful for the opportunity that we were able to go on this trip. Everybody that we met was so friendly & kind to us, and our trip went so smoothly... and this being the last place we visited - it was definitely worth the hassle of a rental car and making our way down here - and out of here.
On our way back to Athens, we ran into some trouble. Apparently some protestors decided to block the highway because they were upset about a landfill which was going to be built in their city. We got caught right in the middle of it. The protestors surrounded our car - but they were friendly - and wanted to let us through - unfortunately there was dirt & concrete piled 10 ft high so we couldn't get through. The Police kept on telling us to find a dirt road and go around, but everywhere we drove brought us back to the same place. We were lost!!! Finally the police blasted their way through the blockade and they let us pass. It took two hours to finally make it through. This story made the headlines of the Greek newspaper the next day. I got a newspaper, hoping that someone on the plane would translate for me, but I forgot.
Overall, it was a fun trip to Athens. Definitely one of my favorite places! I feel so lucky to have gone & so happy to have experienced the people & culture there. The Greeks are such wonderful & kind people! It made our trip so much more enjoyable because of how they treated us there. I can't wait for my next adventure with Michal.
