Hill of the Muses

        Today we had a free day so Anna and I took advantage of it by exploring a bit. We hiked up to the Hill of the Muses and got an amazing panoramic view of the city, the sea, the mountains and the Parthenon. After taking in the view and the warm sun, Anna commented that it was pretty amazing that in the middle of a city of about four million people we were able to find a place that was so serene.

All The Things (ruins and art)

        On the itinerary today were the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the largest marble stadium, and an archaeological museum of Athens. The Temple of Zeus was so massive! The highlight of the day was running around the track in the stadium.

Greek food is delicious

        Greek food is so good. I read an article this past year on the ranking of countries based upon their yearly consumption of cheese per capita. Greece ranked number one with a whopping fifty-five pounds per capita. I believe it. That doesn't even include how much tourists eat, and speaking from my personal experience of a tourist, that would be a LOT. Tourism is Greece's largest contributor to their industry. That's a lot of cheese. Delicious, delicious, cheese. But seriously, everything I have eaten has been delicious!

Aegean Sea

        Saturday we took A cruise day on the Aegean Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean. We visited three islands: Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. The highlight of the day for me was cliff jumping into the Aegean Sea!

Corinth

There are so many interesting sites to see! The temples of Zeus and Apollo, ancient Corinth, the Corinth Canal built in the 1800s. It is so cool to read the letters of Paul in the actual locations he was writing to. I am loving this experience!

We're in Athens!

        Today we went to the Acropolis museum and saw the Parthenon in person. If I didn't

have a picture, I wouldn't believe it myself. What an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. The artwork and architecture are astounding in size and beauty.

The Oracle at Delphi

        Yesterday We arrived for a later dinner and to check into our hotel in Delphi. The next morning we visited the museum and archaeological site. The museum showcased the evolution of ancient art from simplistic forms to perfection as defined by humanism. I was amazed at the precision, especially in the latter works, which include fine details such as eyelashes and tendons.

        Like all the other locations we have visited, the views are breathtaking. I could never get tired of looking out the window if I lived here. On top of that, the food is delicious and the people are extremely warm and hospitable.

Icons and Monasteries

        This morning we learned how icons are made. There are still those who make them in traditional way.

        Our travels took us to Meteora where we visited a monastery. The land used to be filled with water, but due to an earthquake the water drained out of the canyon, leaving massive rock formations. This impressive landscape is the perfect reclusive and beautiful place to go for a life devoted to prayer and study. Or in our case, be be tourists and walk through a monastery and learn about the monastic movement and way of life.