Go Athena!

Hi Ho...Hi Ho...It's of to Athens we go!

After a ferry ride and a REALLY long bus ride around itty bitty roads we got to Athens. If you decide to visit Athens in the summer, stop and re-think that...it FREAKING HOT!

We did get to cross the bridge that was built for the Olympics a few years ago, however it's 65 Euro to cross it!

Other than that, Athens has some cool things to see.

We were lucky enough to see the original, marble, Olympic stadium, which was just amazing. Our first night in Athens, we went and had an authentic Greek dinner. It was tasty and gave me a new appreciation for Greek food...it was very very tasty!

Our full day in Athens we started with a bus tour of the city and a stop at the Olympic stadium. From there we went to the Acropolis, which is the entire hill where the Parthenon is. (I learned something new!) It was crowded, but it's amazing to see something that has been through numerous wars, and thousands of years, but is still standing. They are working to restore it to its original beauty.

We could see Lycabettus Hill from the peak, as well as Zeus' temple and the Erechtheion temple. Even after all these years, the detail on the Erectheion temple is amazing. It's hard to imagine that this was done with more primitive tools and without the tools we have now to build buildings.

Our table & Amadeo!

Our last night in Athens was sad, but exciting. We went to the optional traditional Greek farewell dinner and it was the best meal we had in Greece. The wine that night was good too...at least the red was :). They had dancers come in and the food kept coming out plate after plate. It was sad to be on our final night, but we kept the wine and ouzo flowing!

We ended the night in a club dancing, drinking with Amadeo...it was AWESOME! And it ended with a BANG! ;) hehehe...

Pompei

We originally passed Pompei on our ride from Rome to Sorrento, but we went back up to Pompei to see just part of the site.

Pompei is MUCH larger than what I expected or got to see really, but it was very interesting. The detail in the "homes" and the artwork that they have found is amazing. To think that it has been there for thousands of years is even more amazing. It's scary to think that this civilization used to be "water front" but after the eruption, it is now over 7 miles from the coast. (The large addition to the coast is also why it wasn't found for so long.)

There were doggies everywhere that just roam through the site and around the area. They didn't really seem to be phased by us at all, some of them following us to where we went to get lunch.

The items, people and animals that they found encased in the ash is amazing and scary at the same time. To see the people covering their nose and mouth or hiding their face trying to keep from breathing in the ash, was eerie.

After touring Pompei, we got on a bus for a VERY VERY long ride across the boot to get on a ferry for Corfu, Greece.