My Big Fat Greek Adventure (Part 1)

I have a lot of pictures and a lot of stories, so I have a feeling it will take several posts to tell/show everything. Ok, let's start at the beginning. Kim, Kara and I left Dulles the evening of April 29th, and we arrived in Amsterdam the next morning. Kara goofing off in the airport gift shop. I kind of regret that I didn't buy anything there.

We arrived in Athens that afternoon and took a taxi to the InterContinental Hotel. This is the view from our hotel room. That hill in the background is Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in Athens, and that's where we'll be going next. Kim has a family friend (Stacey) that's from Athens, and Stacey and her cousin Artemis took us on a driving tour of the city. We first went to Mount Lycabettus, at the top of which sits the chapel of St. George (Ayios Georgios).

And there's a great view of the city.

That's the Acropolis to the right, and the sea is off in the distance.

We drove around some more, then went to the beach to watch the sunset.

The next day we planned to visit the Acropolis and do all the touristy stuff, but it turned out to be May Day, which is like a huge holiday over there. Everything was closed, even the Acropolis. But everyone puts these pretty flower wreaths on their doors!

So we took a little field trip out to the Cape of Sounion, which is about an hour's drive away. That's where the Temple of Poseidon is located. And wouldn't you know it, that was closed too! But at least we were able to get some pictures of it.

That evening we went to dinner in the neighborhood of Psirri, which I think is known for its nightlife. There were some musicians at our restaurant playing traditional Greek music, so that added some nice ambience.

Out on the town.

This picture is a little blurry, but it gives you an idea of what the neighborhood looks like. So cute! The next day we started out at the Acropolis. And it's amazing. I wish we had more time there. You enter the site through a grove of olive trees...

Then you come face-to-face with the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (an ancient theater), and the Parthenon above it.

Here's the other side of the theater:

The entrance to the Acropolis is through the Propylaea, which was supposed to prepare the ancient Greeks for worship. Now it's occupied by tourists and stray dogs. (Seriously, dogs are everywhere in Greece.)

Now I have to confess my ignorance for a minute. I originally thought the Acropolis was just the Parthenon, but it's not. It's a whole complex of different temples dedicated to the goddess Athena. The Parthenon just happens to be the most famous one. Maybe now I'll have more tolerance for the ignorant tourists in DC....maybe.

The Erechtheion.

The Parthenon!

It's truly amazing seeing something that's thousands of years old, and is still in the same place it was back then.

To the left is a rock called Areopagos, which is where St. Paul preached to the Athenians. To the right is the Ancient Agora, where the Greek philosophers met.

The base of the Aeropagos.

From the Acropolis we walked to the Roman Agora, which was sort of a marketplace. All that's left are some columns.

We continued on to Athens' modern marketplace: Monastiraki.

Located in one of the squares is the Church of Panaghia Kapnikarea, built in the 11th century on top of ancient temple ruins.

We continued on the main avenue and came to the Parliament building.

We watched the changing of the guard, which is a lot more colorful than the soldiers at Arlington!

After a long day of walking around, it was time for a late lunch. Stacey's sister generously offered to cook a meal for us, so we went over to her apartment. So much food! It was like Thanksgiving. And they wouldn't take no for an answer when you said you were full.

Our adopted family in Athens.

After resting in our hotel, we did a night tour of Athens - our last night there! I wish we could've spent another few days in Athens.

The stadium built for the first modern Olympics in 1896.

Hadrian's Arch (with a view of the Acropolis).

Temple of Olympian Zeus.

We walked to the Plaka neighborhood and sat at a cafe in the shadow of the Acropolis.

And I've realized I need a new camera because mine takes horrible night pictures. Argh!

And that's it for Athens. I'll try to post more soon!

Back from Greece

I just flew back today. It will probably take me a while to post all my pictures and whatnot, but here's a little teaser in the meantime...

This is where I'll be in a few days

Tomorrow night I will be on a plane to Greece!!

Shenandoah

Yesterday was a perfect day for another pilgrimage to Shenandoah. I went with a group from church, and even though we did a rather strenuous hike, everyone had an enjoyable time.

I love that Erin was able to climb to the top of this boulder before any of the guys could figure out how.

Horseys!!

Cherry Blossom Time!

The good news: at least this year it was sunny, unlike in past years when the weather was cloudy and gray. The bad news: there were more people than I have ever seen at the Tidal Basin and it was insane. Also, it was crazy windy. Like, I thought I was going to get blown into the water.

Look at all the people!!

They won't get out of my way! Gah!!

I went with my friend Audra and her boyfriend Dan. And I just realized I got a little sunburn.

Isn't God's creation beautiful?

Picture of the Day: After the Rain

I love spring, but I'm getting sick of this cold/rainy weather.

I'm going to Greece, y'all!!!

Some girlfriends and I are planning a trip to Greece in early May! It all just sort of materialized this past week. One of my friends has a couple nights' free hotel stay, so it's something I couldn't pass up. The plan is to go to Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini.

I am SO excited!! I've never been anywhere in my life, and I've always wanted to travel and see the world. Greece is at the top of my list, but I never thought I'd be going there so soon.

Ice skating in "spring"

Just a week ago we were having record low temperatures and 7 inches of snow. And today? It's 70 degrees outside. If only it would stay this way....

Yesterday I went ice skating in the Sculpture Garden on the Mall....in short sleeves! Due to the warm weather, conditions were less than ideal. But we had fun anyway.

There were a few puddles....

National Archives

Navy Memorial

Snow day!

Finally - we got a big enough storm to keep me home from work! This morning, I woke up to this:

I really didn't want to go outside, but I felt I should try to get some pictures around town.

Look what I did!

For the first time, I can say that I had a direct hand in making a museum exhibit. The Navy Museum recently installed an exhibit on President Lincoln and his connection to the Washington Navy Yard. And they came to me to make all the photos!

I made those!!

Presidents Day

Today was Alexandria's annual George Washington Birthday Parade. Luckily it wasn't too cold today, so I walked down to the parade route and snapped a few pictures.

One of the staging areas

Happy Presidents Day, y'all!

First snowfall of the season

Pretty!