Monday, June 15, 2009

Monday, June 15, 2009

Blogging early today because we are going somewhere for dinner and I don't think I will get a chance afterwards. Last night after dinner, we went up to the top of our hotel where they have the restaurant called The Olive Garden. Here is a picture of Kasondra and Lauren at sunset. Isn't it so pretty? The wine glass is Michelle's. She and I needed a few drinks. She had a few glasses of wine and I had a amaretto sour and then some specialty drink. Don't worry, I didn't get drunk. They barely put any alcohol in the drinks. I had to send the amaretto sour back because it was almost all sour and for the price, I wanted some amaretto! Here's a picture of Kasondra and I also (especially for you Mary Ann). We had a very nice evening sitting at the top of the hotel with the acropolis in one direction and the sunset in the other, some cool drinks and a nice breeze!

Back to reality...wake up call at 7am today, breakfast, then we met in the lobby at 8:30am. I am not a happy camper today and DO NOT want to do this trip. Only our group is going to Marathon and so we board a small bus and head off. The air conditioning on the bus is not working and I am not happy. It takes about 1 hour to get to Marathon and when we pull into the parking lot, I notice that there are no other cars. Now I'm thinking...either this is a very unpopular tour or this place is closed. Yes, that's right folks, Marathon is not open on Mondays. Don't you think the NETC people who booked this entire trip might know the place is closed on Mondays. I guess not. We get out of the bus and our guide gives a brief explanation of the battle that occurred at Marathon and Mr. Kearney explained a bit too. I didn't really listen because I was interested in the bus driver who was trying to figure out how to get the hood open on the bus to look at why the air conditioner is not working. He gets a screw driver and tries to pry it open. He looks underneath the bus. Nothing works. Here are some pictures at Marathon as well as the driver trying to get the hood up on the bus.

We get back on the bus and drive back to Athens. Luchia says NETC is very sorry for the mishap and that she will pay for us to enter the archaeological museum instead if we want to go. I don't and Michelle and I both think that they are going to try and still charge us for this excursion which was an additional cost of $169.00 US dollars per person. The museum entrance probably costs about 6 Euros per person. I for one will be getting my money back for this excursion (I think Michelle too).

Anyway, we get back to the hotel, tell Luchia we will not be going to the archaeological museum (we are museumed out) and go upstairs to plan our trip to the Hard Rock Cafe Athens! It was about 11am and we thought we would try to make to the Hard Rock by 1pm. We decided to take the Metro (even though Luchia told us it was a short walk, yeah, right!). At 12pm we left for the Metro and made it to the stop (I don't remember the name) and found the Hard Rock Cafe whichout much trouble. Here are some pictures of the Hard Rock. After lunch we went to the store and I bought the kids some Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts and Lauren bought a shirt. Sorry Albert, no beer cozies and Kasondra was bummed because they were all out of keychains. From there, we walked a short distance to where they have a silly train that you can ride around the town and see the sights. We decided this was just up our alley and went on it. Here are some pictures of the train. Yes, we are seriously tourists! Looks a little like TJ. Don't you think?

We got off the train where we started and took the subway back to Omonia where we get off. The metro station is really close to the hotel. Michelle, Lauren and Kasondra go up to the room and I head to Bytes and Bits to do this blog. On the way here, I am watching this little taxi park in this tiny space and somehow, I trip and fall and end up on the floor. Some nice guys helped me up and I am fine. Feeling stupid but physically fine. I think it's a testament to how tired I am. I can't wait to be on the plane heading home. Who knows what type of dinner plans Luchia has for us. But if it includes walking, Michelle and I are out. We'll just go to the top of the hotel for cocktails and watch the sunset. I don't know yet what time we have to leave the hotel tomorrow morning but I think it'll be about 7:30am. I hope it's not a late night! This is the last blog until I get home and finish it off. I hope you enjoyed reading about our escapades and our trials.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Wake up call at 7am. Pack, breakfast and we board the bus at 8:30am. Off to Mycenae we go! Mycenae is where the ruins of a palace were discovered. The view was so gorgeous that I would like to build a vacation home on the site. Oh well, to dream! Here is a picture of Lauren and Michelle at the Lion's Gate. It is said that the cyclopes built the walls around the palace because the stones are so large. After we left the palace, we went down to the snack area and paid $2.50 E for a glass of orange juice (it was fresh squeezed). Good thing we are coming home soon because I won't be able to afford orange juice much longer. After that we got on the bus for a very short trip to a tomb called the Treasury of Atreus. Here is a picture of Kasondra in front of it.

We left there and went to a shop to see how the pottery is made. They showed us how they make it in the present and also how it was made in the past. We were able to shop after the demonstration. Kasondra bought a cup invented by Pythagoras. It is very interesting in that you cannot overfill the cup. If you do, the entire cup will empty from the bottom. The moral...don't be greedy or you will get nothing. Michelle and Lauren bought a statue for the mantle and I bought a bracelet made of silver. After the pottery shop, we went to the Ancient Corinth which was a large marketplace and the place were Paul was brought to trial. It was interesting to see how large the marketplace was.

After the Ancient Corinth, we went to the canal and had lunch. Lunch was good because we were hungry. We all ordered hamburgers and french fries. Kasondra and I had cokes and Lauren had a Nestea and Michelle had a carmel macchiato drink that she said that wonderful. Here is a picture of Lauren trying to bite into the large hamburger bun! After lunch we walked over to the canal. It was really cool and there were even people bungee jumping from just below street level. Michelle wanted to do it too but there wasn't enough time. Here is a picture of Kasondra and the canal. Apparently, it took 11 years to complete the canal. We got back on the bus and had about an 1 1/2 hour trip back to Athens.

It was not a bad trip back and we arrived at the Titania Hotel without incident. We got our rooms. I am in room 411 and Lauren and Michelle are in 405 and rested about 10 minutes and then set out to shop at Plaka. We are very smart and decided to take the metro. It is just one stop and would be easy. Now what do they say about the best laid plans? Okay, so we get our tickets and wait for the subway. It comes, we get on and it starts to go....in the wrong direction! We get off at the next exit, go up to street level, walk across to the other entrance to go back and get back on the subway. We go one exit (to where we started) and a man tells everyone they must exit the subway. Apparently, on the weekends, they work on the subway and you can't go the way we want to go. So, we ask the man how to get to Plaka or wherever and he tells us we need to take a bus and our metro tickets are good for the bus and to ask security for help. We go up to street level, find a security guy and ask which bus to take to Plaka. He tells us, "No bus to Plaka. Walk." They are pretty bossy here. So, we walk to Plaka which isn't really that far but we didn't want to walk. Anyway, we finally get there and start shopping. Lauren and Kasondra both want to find a pair of shoes. Here is a picture of Michelle, Lauren and Kasondra in front of one of the shoe stores. We walk through a bunch of different stores (all with the same stuff pretty much) and they each find shoes. Kasondra even found 2 pair that she liked. I finally picked up a souvenir for Jenna and Kasondra and I bought a little soccer ball from the Greece team and I bought a cool bottle of liquor for Albert. We walked back to the hotel with about 30 minutes to spare before dinner. I am currently missing dinner to do this blog. Actually, I am 23 minutes late! Well, we had a very busy day today and tomorrow we do a half-day tour at Marathon. What that encompasses, I can't say and I'm really afraid to ask. But we get free time in the afternoon and then we pack to leave for home on Tuesday morning! Gotta go for now. Until tomorrow!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009

We got to sleep in! Yeah! We didn't have to be ready to go until 10am and it was such a relief. It made the whole day easier. The picture above is from dinner last night. It is soooo nice! I wish we could just stay here. Anyway, we had a leisurely breakfast and got on the bus at 10am. We made our way to Epidarus which has a theater dating back to around 500BC (just a guess really). We visited the museum, the grounds (the picture is of the grounds) and then the theater. The theater seats 14,000 and is still in use today. Here is a picture of the girls in front of the theater. Michelle, Lauren and Kasondra walked to the top of the theater and some of our group sang songs and amazingly enough they were easily heard at the top. The next is a picture Kasondra took at the top of the theater. It was hot today but not as much and more humid.

After the theater, we went to lunch. Lunch was good as usual and expensive. Between Kasondra and I, lunch cost $20 Euros and that included 3 small bottles of coke, one green salad, and one chicken souvlaki (chicken skewer, rice, and fries). We went directly from lunch to a cute little town and had the option of climbing 900 stairs to a fort or walking around a quaint little town, shopping and eating ice cream. We choose the latter and did a little souvenir shopping. Here are 2 pictures of the town. Michelle was torn about going to the fort but Lauren told her no. Kasondra bought a shirt and I bought Abbey's souvenir. I am not sure if Lauren and Michelle bought anything.

At 5pm we were back on the bus for a quick trip back to our hotel. Dinner is scheduled for 8pm so we decided to walk down to the town of Tolo. It is a really cute town (a beach town). I bought a Greece towel, a keychain for Kasondra, and 2 postcards. Lauren bought a cute dress. We walked down to Aegean Sea and put our feet in the water (well Kasondra, myself and Lauren did). It felt about the same as the Ionic Sea, cool at first but then you got used to it and it wasn't cold at all. Here is a picture of Kasondra and Lauren in the Aegean Sea.

We walked back up to the hotel and put our feet into the pool. Finally I went to get the usb plug for the camera so I could post this blog, Kasondra went to rest before dinner and Michelle and Lauren did the same.

Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you that I left my power converter at the last hotel and so I am almost totally screwed except Lauren is allowing me to borrow hers when it is not in use. The biggest problem is that at these hotels you need to room key in a special little slot in the room in order for the room to have power (ie. so the charger can work). Well, we need our key to get back into the room when we leave so we can't charge anything if we aren't in the room. I did get an extra key and put it in before we left today but when we got back, the extra key was gone and I am afraid to ask for another. The Greek people are a little scary!

Well tomorrow we are off again. I believe we are going to Mycenae in Corinth and we are going to see Lion's Head. I think we are also going to a pottery maker and see how pottery is made. We have to make our way back to Athens because we are staying at the first hotel again. I am going to make sure I don't have room 116 again. Anyway, until tomorrow!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Friday, June 12, 2009

We received a wake up call at 6:45am, were downstairs with our luggage at 7:30am and left on the bus at 8:15am. We had a 2 1/2 hour drive to Olympia which is the location of the first Olympic games in 776BC to honor the gods. There was a little town through which we drove and it was just adorable. They have skiing in the winter and I think that would be a great vacation. We visited the site where the torch is lit for every Olympics. Here is a picture of Kasondra in front of it. It wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be. They use a mirror to light the torch which is gas and then it is taken to Athens by foot and then the country which is hosting the Olympic games decides how it will travel from there. Pretty cool, huh? The weather is getting better. It is still hot but the site has many trees under which we were able to stand and the walking wasn't near as much. Michelle and Lauren walked/ran the stadium and Kasondra and I choose not to. After leaving the archaeological site, we went to the museum. You are not allowed to take posed photos in any museums and one of the teachers from another school got caught taking pictures of a stuffed Grover she brought with some of the statues. After that, we had a group of employees following us around though the museum. There were at least 3 employees at one time watching us. Troublesome Americans! After visiting the museum, part of the group re-enacted one of the marble drawings. Which one it is, I don't know but here is their interpretation.

After the museum, we walked a short distance to lunch and then we were back on the bus. We thought we had a 2 1/2 hour drive to our hotel but we were mistaken and it was actually a 4 hour drive! Ouch! We stopped half way through for a bathroom break and snacks so that helps.

We arrived at the Hotel John and George about 6:45pm and had time to rest or go down to the Aegean Sea. Kasondra and I choose to rest. The hotel is really nice and so far the people are nice too. It's a pleasant surprise. Dinner is at 8pm and is a buffet out on the terrace. The views are gorgeous. This hotel has a computer I can use in the lobby and it only costs $3 Euros per hour. What a deal! At least I think so. I am not sure what we are doing tomorrow but we are staying here for 2 nights and for that I am grateful. The entire group is really nice and friendly. It is nice getting to know them. 'Til tomorrow.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Last night was interesting, sort of like bad American dinner theater. At least we were the only people in the place! I was able to get out of dance class but still ended up getting pulled onto the stage. Kasondra was feeling grumpy and would not go up even after I went. The dinner was in a not so nice area of town but we all came out without a scratch and made it back to the hotel just before 12pm. Kasondra and I went to our room and guess what? The air conditioner wasn't working again. The electrician came and asked if I wanted to changed rooms. I said, No, thank you." We needed to be up at 6:45am and it really wasn't worth the effort.

Got a wake up call at 6:45am but I was already up because I did not sleep well. We had to bring our bags down before we went to breakfast so we did that and then headed to eat. Breakfast once again had a lot of options and the girls were even offered hot chocolate which they accepted. We took our bags to the bus and started loading them. For some strange reason, we had to take our bags to the other side of the bus (the side with cars) and risk our lives even though there was room on the other side. I so don't understand the Greek. (See photo) We were on the bus at 8:15am and proceeded on our journey. We are going to the Oracle of Delphi where many people used to worship the gods and ask the priestess for advise and wisdom. It is like current day astrology. The bus ride took about 4 hours and we stopped about half way there for a bathroom break and a snack. I like the area we are traveling in now. It is a plain that used to be a lake. It is very flat and they farm cotton among other things. We finally got to the Oracle at Delphi and were informed by our guide that the tour guides are on strike and she would not be able to show us through the grounds. We were on our own. We had our teacher, Mr. Kearney and Luchia with us so it would be okay.

We get our tickets and I guess only people over 18 years old have to pay to go. We started up a really, really long climb to the top. Once again it is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!! This is not my idea of fun but here I go anyway. So we climb to a theater where the kids were supposed to do a play about some Greek goddess who was stolen by Hades when a really not nice lady tells us they can't perform it. I guess the guides run the show and there is to be no learning whatsoever while the guides are on strike. Mr. Kearney even got in trouble for telling us some stuff too. This lady has a whistle and I guess she could whistle to her other guide friends and kick us out. I'm not sure. Sounds strange, right? Well, we continued on our way thinking not nice thoughts about that lady and since we (okay I) was hot and tired anyway I would have liked to push her down the stupid hill. We finally got to the top and saw where they played some games and then started our decent. When we got down the hill, we went to the museum where it was air conditioned. As we walked to the museum, the guides are picketing outside and giving out flyers. We ignored them and went into the museum. In the museum I tried to take Kasondra's picture next to a statue and that was a no no too. We went to another room where someone else got in trouble and found out that you are not allowed to pose by the statues. Like it matters. By now I was really annoyed at everyone around and the museum wasn't that cool anyway so we made our way out and went and got a frosty drink and sat in the shade. Those pesky guides kept trying to give us their flyers and I just threw it away. They were not going to get any sympathy from me!

Look how far we walked! It felt like we started at the bottom of the mountain!

After we found everyone, we got back on the bus for a quick trip to lunch. It was at a nice restaurant and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Michelle and Lauren split a spaghetti, Kasondra had bread (she's still grumpy) and I had a salad. Here's a picture of them at lunch. Yes, there is a jewelry store right behind them. Kasondra went in and tried on a necklace that cost $180 Euros. I said, "no".

We got back on the bus for another 2 1/2 hour drive to our hotel. The hotel is in the city Patras. We stopped about 1 1/2 hour into the trip to use the bathroom and get snacks. We have been driving by the sea (the Ionic Sea, I think) for a while now and the breeze is pretty nice. But, it is still hot! We finally arrive at the hotel called Pavolina Beach Hotel and check in. Michelle tried to get two keys but they told her "No". One is all of get and they don't even give us the remote to the television even though we can all see they have one in the cubby with our room number on it.

After we took our bags to our room, the girls changed into the swimsuits and we walked down to the Ionic Sea which is on the west side of Greece. The views are just beautiful as you can see from the picture. The girls all went swimming in the sea. It is very salty and Kasondra got a huge mouthful of water. The water was refreshing and warm. After swimming, we went back to the room where I left to come downstairs and use the computer and Kasondra decided

to shower.

I had to take a break from the blog and go upstairs to eat dinner. I had some linguini noodles. Dinner is included but drinks are not. We paid 2 Euros each for a coke and 70 cents for a bottle of water. Kasondra got sneered at for taking too much ice cream and making a mess with the chocolate syrup. The waitress is not very nice. Good thing I don't have to tip her! In Europe (or in Greece anyway) tipping is completely optional and is really only done when great service is received. So far, I haven't had to tip for anything!

Tomorrow was are visiting Olympia and probably about 12 other places. So much to do and so little time! Hopefully it will be cooler and there won't be as much walking. We are changing hotels and the next one is supposed to be near the sea and also have a pool. We are there for 2 nights which will be nice. I hope to blog again tomorrow night.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

We slept pretty well last night as we were all really tired. About 12pm the air conditioner in my room started acting up. It would beep five times then stop, wait 10 seconds then beep 5 times again. This was not conducive to sleep and after trying to reset it, I finally turned it off. It was a little warm but not too bad. The hotel is going to send an electrician to look at it today. We got up about 7am and showered and were downstairs for breakfast at 8:15am. It was a pretty good breakfast and Kasondra had nutella on some kind of chocolate bread. She is still keeping up her healthy eating habits! We left on the bus at 9:15am. I guess we were supposed to leave at 9am but I was late. I didn't know what time we were supposed to be downstairs. Oh well! We took a little tour around the town and stopped at the tomb of the unknown soldier where they have the cutest guards. Here is a picture of them. The tomb is directly behind them.

We then went to the original Olympic stadium which is made completely of marble and seats 55,000 (I think). Here is a picture of Lauren and Kasondra in front of it.

Then we were off to the acropolis. The acropolis is high up on a hill and we began our hike to the top. Oh, yeah! I didn't mention it is 107 degrees! Yes, it is VERY hot! Okay, so we walk to the front entrance and wait for our guide to buy the tickets. Side note: Last night after dinner we went to the top floor of our hotel (there is a restaurant called The Olive Garden) and looked out. We could see the acropolis. There are amazing views from this restaurant. But, of course, we aren't scheduled to eat there. Here is a picture of the acropolis from our hotel. Okay, so we get our tickets and start to hike up to the top. There are so many people here. It is worse than Disneyland (well almost). Here is a picture of all the people walking to the top. Our guide was giving us some information about the acropolis all the way up. At the top we stopped and she was telling us some more historical facts when she started feeling faint. I told you it was hot! Here is a picture of her trying to recover and a picture of Kasondra, Michelle, and Lauren with her and some other in our group before she started feeling bad.
After visiting the acropolis, we walked down to a town that I don't remember the name of (I think it was Plaka). It was a steep walk down (similar to San Francisco) and Michelle slipped only once (really Brian, I swear, she only slipped once). She didn't hurt herself and we kept walking. Here is a picture of the walk down to the town.

We went into the town and stopped at the metro where our Greece guide left us and Luchia took over. We all followed her to a restaurant she knew which was, of course, at the other end of the city. Boy can that girl walk! We finally got seated and ordered. Here is a picture of Lauren that Kasondra took while we waited for our food.

After lunch we all split up and were able to do whatever we wanted. Michelle, Lauren, Kasondra and myself decided to window shop as we headed back to the metro. We were all really tired and hoped we weren't going in the wrong direction. Somehow we managed to find the metro, pay for tickets, board the correct train and make it back to our hotel. Here is a picture of the metro. We got in trouble for taking pictures! What a strange country...they allow you to take pictures in the airport going through customs but not in the metro. Who knows!

We got back to our room about 3pm and Kasondra and I took showers (we were really yucky!) and rested. At 4:30pm, I decided to come down to Bits and Bytes (the internet place) and update the blog. Here is a picture. I am supposed to be back at the hotel 10 minutes ago to start our dance lesson. I told Kasondra if I wasn't back in time to just tell them I will find them. The dance lessons are in our hotel. After the lesson which runs from 6 -8pm, we then go to dinner at 9pm and I think we are supposed to perform. I am not looking forward to that. We won't get back until 11:30 or 12pm and then we need to be back on the bus at 8:30am packed and ready to go. We are going to the hotel by the beach tomorrow. Everyone is looking forward to going into the Aegean Sea. Well, I better go and get to dance class. Hope to blog again tomorrow!

Monday, June 8 & Tuesday, June 9, 2009

June 8, 2009

Monday came early as Michelle and Lauren picked Kasondra and I up at 3:15am. We went to the airport and meet the rest of the group. Check-in didn't open until a little after 4:30am so we waited in line. US Airways is in the same terminal as Southwest and so there was a very long line to get through security. We finally made it and went to our gate. The flight to Philadelphia lasted about 4 1/2 hours and was uneventful. We got of that plane and had a 2 hour wait before our 10 hour flight to Greece. Yes, that's right...10 hours! We had lunch and finally boarded our second flight at 4:15pm Philly time.

June 9, 2009

We landed in Athens at 9am local time and went through immigration which consisted of handing our passport to a lady and getting a stamp. We then got our luggage and proceeded out of the airport. No customs, nothing. Very easy. I guess Greece has no high concerns about smuggling illegal items in and is not worried about terrorism. We met our tour leader, Luchia and another group from Texas who was also on our plane and went to the bus. I have included a picture of Luchia. Also here is a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Kearney. Mr. Kearney was Kasondra's teacher for Classical Greece and he is in charge of our group.

We get to the hotel and go to our room. At first we didn't think the room had airconditioning because there was no power but we figured out that you needed to put the room key in a spot by the door to make everything work. I was not going to be happy without air conditioning. It is 38 C today which is 100 degress F! We had 1 hour before we had to meet downstairs again. Luchia does not want anyone falling asleep! Kasondra and I took showers and then hurried downstairs. Luchia then proceeded to quickly walk us about a mile in the heat to the a shopping area where we could by lunch. Then we needed to be back at the hotel by 2pm which gave us 2 hours to eat and window shop.

We are exhausted when we get back to the hotel. I forgot my glasses (well, it wasn't sunny when I left) and so I am looking for a cheap pair but haven't found anything I like. We meet the rest of the group (that's 3 different groups total including us) and Luchia wants to go on a walk again! I decline and decide to work on the blog instead. To use the internet in this hotel, they charge 8 Euros or about $12.00 per half hour. What a rip off! I am going to try to find an internet cafe next time. I am doing the blog and checking e-mail while everyone else went on the walk. We are all tired (right now it's 5am at home) and hot. We might just be getting a little grumpy! I am trying to drink as much water as possible. I bought stamps and sent a postcard to the family today. They probably won't get it until I return but oh well! We are meeting for dinner at the hotel at 7pm and hopefully will get to go to bed early.

Here is a picture of the group walking to lunch. There are so many cars and people but it really is just like a big city in the US except the cars are really little. I also have included a picture of Kasondra in our room in case anyone thinks we are living the high life. Well, I gotta go because this is costing a fortune! I will blog again soon!