Britt, Addison, and Valerie are just back from 10 fabulous days of Hellenic adventures. (Jeremy couldn't join us, because he was finishing an internship in Costa Rica.)
July is a great time to leave Lima. It's chilly and gray this time of year. Schools let out for the month of July for winter break, and everyone benefits from a several day celebration of Peruvian independence, in and around July 28. Britt, conveniently, had to give a talk in Frankfurt at the end of the month, and had some meetings in Madrid, so was headed to Europe anyway. Also, Valerie starts a new job in August, so a July trip was her chance for a last celebration of non-employment.
Getting from Lima to Athens is no small things. It's far.
But it is indeed so very worthwhile.
We started off in Athens. Here are some photos:
The Acropolis has benefitted from a recent face lift, though this means that there is more scaffolding around to help support the ancient stones.The new Acropolis Museum just opened in June 09. It is a wonderful museum, beautifully designed and filled with new findings that were discovered on the Acropolis hill during it's construction and renovations of existing sites.
It's pretty spectacular any time of day or night. The image below was taken from a touristy restaurant where we ate one night under the colors of the daily sound and lights show, accompanied in our case by the live bouzouki music of another nearby touristy restaurant. Those are the real colors, I didn't doctor the photo at all.
Below are shots of some of the temples by day. It's no wonder the national colors are blue and white.
Oops, this one isn't on the Acropolis, and it's not even Greek. It's Roman, and shows a piece of Hadrian's Triumphal Gate.
Valerie and Britt enjoying another fine Greek meal
Britt and the city of Athens, with the Roman Theatre arches directly behind him
My cousin, Veronique, describing the details of the Acropolis to us (nice to have an expert in the family), with the hill and tower of the muses behind her.
Valerie on the rocks. The Acropolis, like many other sites, is just littered with beautiful pieces of temples and such. No one knows where the fit exactly, so they stay where they are. The pieces of the Parthenon were each numbered and marked by the stone carvers, so it was possible to reassemble them accurately.
Addison on the windy hill just below the Acropolis, admiring the vast view of the city and sea.
Oops, this one isn't on the Acropolis, and it's not even Greek. It's Roman, and shows a piece of Hadrian's Triumphal Gate.
Valerie and Britt enjoying another fine Greek meal
Britt and the city of Athens, with the Roman Theatre arches directly behind him
My cousin, Veronique, describing the details of the Acropolis to us (nice to have an expert in the family), with the hill and tower of the muses behind her.
Valerie on the rocks. The Acropolis, like many other sites, is just littered with beautiful pieces of temples and such. No one knows where the fit exactly, so they stay where they are. The pieces of the Parthenon were each numbered and marked by the stone carvers, so it was possible to reassemble them accurately.
Addison on the windy hill just below the Acropolis, admiring the vast view of the city and sea.
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