When in Rome, er, Athens

Ms. Harris arrived at Athens Way Hotel safely last night. Her phone doesn't work here, so she wasn't able to call. Phew!

We're off to the National Archaeological Museum - a brisk 20 minute walk to warm up for the day.

After that, we'll visit the New Acropolis Museum and hike up to the Acropolis! What a great day!

Excuse Me, What?

How lucky am I? I got an exit row seat!!

How unlucky...Michael was "not confirmed" on this flight. Huh? How did that happen? I booked the tickets at the same time? Oh well, the wonderful Alitalia agent was able to work her magic and get him a seat. Not an exit row seat like mine, but a seat nonetheless.

When In Rome. Wait, that doesn't apply here, but I haven't said it yet and I felt like I needed to stick it in somewhere. :)

To Athens We Go

Today we head to Athens, the real MEAT of our trip. We're flying Alitalia from Rome's Fiumicino Airport to Eleftherios Venizelos Airport in Athens. I hope the metro system is easier to navigate in Athens than it was in Rome!

It's All Greek To Me

What an awesome day! While waiting for Ms. Harris to arrive this afternoon, Michael and I decided to scope out the city, so we took the metro from our stop at Panepistimio to Akropoli. After exiting the metro and rounding the corner, there stood the Acropolis high above the street. It really is like a monument in the center of Athens. We hiked Filapappou Hill to get a better perspective, and along our hike we came across "Socrates' Prison" and a gorgeous vista out to sea. The hike was short and so rewarding. We were able to see all of the temples on the Acropolis as well as the Theatre of Herodes Atticus, which sits on the side of Acropolis Hill.

Did you know that the term Acropolis refers to ALL of the ruins at a certain area? That means that every city with major ruins has its own Acropolis, but the Athens Acropolis is the most famous and, therefore, has earned the title.

For dinner tonight, we ate gyros. In Greece, they put their french fries (which they call friend potatoes) inside their gyros and sandwiches. I really like it!

Paging Ms. Harris

Ms. Harris was supposed to have landed already and I keep calling her but it's going to voicemail. I hope she didn't miss her flight!

Too Excited to Sleep

Michael is convinced that this is a toy car.


Today was Colosseum day! I had no idea how vast the history is that surrounds the Colosseum. Did you know that there were three types of gladiators? Did you know that being a gladiator was a full-time job that they trained for and that required them to live in dorms next to the Colosseum? Me neither. I also did not know that gladiators had to win twenty fights to earn their freedom, but an average gladiator only lasted ten.

After the Colosseum, I toured the ruins of the Roman Forum. It's quite amazing how old this stuff is, yet how much is still intact.


OH MY GOSH! Michael was almost pick pocketed today and I stopped it! We were separated while getting on the metro at the Colosseo station. I was a few people behind him. As I glanced down to watch my step as I entered the train I noticed a woman carrying a baby. The corner of the baby's blanket was resting oddly on Michael's back pocket and I instantly realized that it was intentionally there. I yelled his name (is it wrong to yell on a crowded subway?) and grabbed at the blanket expecting to touch a hand and his wallet, but I only grabbed blanket. I quickly asked where his wallet was and he said in his pocket. Luckily, he was wearing shorts with buttoned back flaps, but upon further inspection I saw that one of the sides had been unbuttoned but the wallet was still there.

I glanced at the woman, kind of expecting her to give me a dirty look or yell at me for accusing her of theft. She looked at me, cool as a cucumber, and stepped off the train.

Did I stop a pick pocket? Why would she get on the train and then just decide to get off? Why did she push past me to get on the train? Why was the blanket over his pocket? Why was her baby wrapped in a big blanket in 90 degree weather?

Vatican

My head is spinning!I saw so much! I must have taken 100 pictures alone of mythology art pieces. I am amazed at how much mythology has influenced Roman culture. I wasn't the only one in awe of all the pieces. There were hundreds of people crowded around the Belvedere Torso sculpture, the Roman Apollo Belvedere sculpture, and The School of Athens painting by Raphael. The Musei Vaticani, or Vatican Museum, was a gold mine!

As if that wasn't enough, we just happened to walk into St. Peter's Square when the Pope was riding by! He was making his way up to the Basilica steps for his weekly summer Mass. I didn't know this before, but the Pope holds Mass at 10 am on Wednesdays during the summer. What an experience! We were also able to tour the Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, before we left Vatican City.

To end the day, we briefly visited the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps before returning to our hotel.

Tomorrow - Colosseum!



Picture #1 : Bust of Zeus
Picture #2 : A Vatican Museum hall lined on both sides with sculptures and busts of mythological characters
Picture #3 : Belvedere Torso from the 1st century BC
Picture #4 : The School of Athens painting by Raphael
Picture #5 : Trevi Fountain - Triton, Poseidon's son (blowing conch shell)