"Hellas" Fun

To kick off the 5 weeks of vacation, I spent the first two in Greece and Rome. It was a Bay Area reunion of some sorts, as Jenny and Will joined along for the ride. Because there's sort of a lot to say, this will be a strictly Greece post.

A quick note: the rest of the pictures can be found in the "My Photos" link on the right.

I've heard mixed reviews of Athens and Greece in general. On the one hand it's full of history and the Acropolis is of course a must see. On the other hand I've been told there isn't much else to do in Athens and it has a sort of run-down feel to it. Both views are right in their own way. It's always cool to actually see the paintings, sculptures, and buildings you learn about in class, and that was one of the most amazing things about Athens. Walking around through the narrow streets you can almost always see the Acropolis up on the hill, and as far as ruins go, it carries a very powerful aura.

The Acropolis from the roof bar of our Hotel

We also visited the Archaeological Museum and the original Olympic Stadium, but probably the highlight of Greece was a day trip down to Sounion, recommended by a number of people including Mr. Neil Shea. If I remember correctly it's on the southernmost tip of mainland Greece, about an hour and a half bus ride along the coast to get there. A number of things in Sounion take your breath away, from the vibrant blue of the ocean to the panoramic of endless water and the imposing ruins from the Temple of Poseidon. The pictures, while more effective than my description, don't even do justice to the views. We happened to catch perfect weather too.

Temple of Poseidon

Temple from Afar

At night we met up with some of Will's Williams crew studying abroad in Athens. Many thanks to Ashley and everyone for showing us around and taking us out.

The next leg of the Greece trip took us to Rhodes, the easternmost of the Dodecanese islands. We chose it because we thought the weather would be the nicest, and the island is big enough that it would be open in the off season. While some shops and restaurants were bustling, the majority were preparing for the onslaught of tourists and sun-seekers sure to come in the following weeks. But we were able to get good deals on flights and accommodation, so it was all good.

Will and Me in Old Town

The town of Rhodes is divided up into Old Town and New Town. While the latter has the usual shops and cafes, the former consists of a fortified medieval town with an enormous castle. Lying side by side, the contrast of Old and New is pretty cool.

Will and Jenny in front of Old Town castle

The weather was actually not as nice as we'd hoped. The third day it was actually cloudy and windy, but we were able to take advantage of some warmth, even taking a day trip to Lindos, on the eastern side of the island. Whitewashed buildings surrounding its own acropolis created another picturesque island view. We even took a swim in our own little ocean cove...a few degrees too cold, but felt almost like a hot tub compared to Stinson back home.

The site of our swim

Quick bit on Greek food: Greek salad, tzatziki (garlic yogurt dip), souvlaki, saganaki...we fell in love with all of it. We eventually learned that it's much better to order many small appetizers and one or two entrees and share it all. Definitely a success in the food department, especially the tzatziki, which I think we'll all miss very much.

Jen and Will with Greek Salads

That's pretty much it for Greece. Rome comin tomorrow.