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| View of Corfu from the ship -- a castle at each end of town |
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| We spied this trio on our walk -- they need a bigger rug! |
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| So sweet! |
Next up -- Dubrovnik, Croatia!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Cruisin' - Corfu, Greece
Day four was a stop in Corfu, Greece. It was a chilly, rainy day. We thought Corfu was pretty, but we weren't feeling in much of a mood to hike around in the rain. Luckily, the rain did stop but we didn't have much time left. They had let us off the ship after lunch and we had to get back on by 5pm. Here's what Corfu looked like...
Next up -- Dubrovnik, Croatia!
Next up -- Dubrovnik, Croatia!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Cruisin' - ATHENS!
Finally, the pinnacle of our trip -- Athens! This was what we had all been looking forward to, and with all of our bad weather and travel luck so far, we were so happy and relieved to have perfect weather on this day! We had all day to roam around Athens, so we started off hiring a cab driver/tour guide named Laki to spend the day with us. He was great, and knew exactly where to go, and how to miss the crowds.
Of course, the sights on the Acropolis were first! The Acropolis is just a big hill right in the middle of a bustling metropolitan city. The four major monuments on the Acropolis were all built around 450 B.C. to honor the city's namesake and protector, the goddess Athena. In this picture below, the kids are standing on Mars Hill, and you can see the Acropolis behind them. Mars hill is where Paul, Jesus' disciple, preached to the people.
Just down from the Acropolis is the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, started in the 6th century BC and completed seven centuries later. It once was huge, with 104 columns -- now all that remain are 15.
We visited the ancient Agora, which was once the center of commerce, politics, and everyday life for simple people like Socrates and Plato. Now, it's only an archeological site of sparse ruins.
Our cabbie, Laki, recommended a place for good gyros, so we tried it. The gyros were good, but we've had better in the states!
As you can see from the pictures, we had PERFECT weather! In fact, it was the only perfect weather day of our whole cruise, so we are SO incredibly glad that is was on our Athens day! This was a mind-blowing experience to see these ancient sights up close. It made the whole trip worth it!
Next up, Corfu, Greece...
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| Laki and his cab |
Of course, the sights on the Acropolis were first! The Acropolis is just a big hill right in the middle of a bustling metropolitan city. The four major monuments on the Acropolis were all built around 450 B.C. to honor the city's namesake and protector, the goddess Athena. In this picture below, the kids are standing on Mars Hill, and you can see the Acropolis behind them. Mars hill is where Paul, Jesus' disciple, preached to the people.
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| The Temple of Athena Nike |
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| The Erechtheion |
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| Side view of Erechtheion with cool clouds! |
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| The theater of Herodes Atticus |
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| Andrew was in heaven! He impressed Laki with his knowledge of Greek mythology. |
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| The Parthenon -- built around 450 BC |
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| Andrew and Bryan with the Parthenon |
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| Looking at the Parthenon while listening to a Rick Steves audio tour of the Acropolis sights. |
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| Classic family travel shot! |
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| 360 degree views of Athens |
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| Sara, on Mars Hill -- Paul may have stood here! |
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| View from the Acropolis |
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| Another view from the Acropolis |
Just down from the Acropolis is the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, started in the 6th century BC and completed seven centuries later. It once was huge, with 104 columns -- now all that remain are 15.
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| The remains of the Temple of Zeus, with the Acropolis in the background. |
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| Goofy shot opportunity! |
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| If one does a goofy shot, the other one has to also! |
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| My kids always find a cat or a dog! |
We visited the ancient Agora, which was once the center of commerce, politics, and everyday life for simple people like Socrates and Plato. Now, it's only an archeological site of sparse ruins.
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| Don't know what this building is/was, but I really liked it. |
Our cabbie, Laki, recommended a place for good gyros, so we tried it. The gyros were good, but we've had better in the states!
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| The Plaka, market street |
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| Orange trees were everywhere! |
As you can see from the pictures, we had PERFECT weather! In fact, it was the only perfect weather day of our whole cruise, so we are SO incredibly glad that is was on our Athens day! This was a mind-blowing experience to see these ancient sights up close. It made the whole trip worth it!
Next up, Corfu, Greece...
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Cruisin' - Santorini and Mykonos, Greece
After our two unexpected and relaxing (but a bit boring) days at sea, we got to a Greek island called Santorini. We just pulled up in the bay, and rode small tender boats to shore from the ship. It was a quick trip! We only had enough time to take a cab to the scenic town of Oia, walk around taking pictures for a few hours, get a quick lunch and get back to the ship! It was beautiful!
That same evening, we sailed over to another island called Mykonos. We were only there a short time, too, but in the late evening only. The only thing to do there for that amount of time was shop, since we had already had dinner on the ship.
Next up -- the highlight of our trip -- ATHENS!!!
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| View of the coast from the ship. See the zig-zag trail -- we took the gondola up, and walked down! |
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| View of our ship from the top |
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| The trail -- steep, with lots of donkeys |
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| Donkey driver |
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| Our friends, the Archuleta family |
That same evening, we sailed over to another island called Mykonos. We were only there a short time, too, but in the late evening only. The only thing to do there for that amount of time was shop, since we had already had dinner on the ship.
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| It's Greek to me! |
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| Sara, with her friend, Isabella Archuleta |
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