Just One More Plane Ride and it's Done

"Bruised," Jack's Mannequin

Day 9: Temple of Poseidon

On the final full day of the trip, we went to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon. Before we went to the Temple, we went to the Plaka District of Athens to shop and eat. We tried to make it to the Parliament Building in time for the changing of the guard, but we just missed it. We did, however, get to take pictures with the interestingly-clothed guard...the "puffy" shoes are actually hiding a knife!


A perfect pair of authentic Greek sandals!


Crystal-clear water on the way to the Temple...


Lord Byron's name is carved into the side of the Temple. He used to come here to sit and watch the sunset, an experience he deemed highly inspiring...

Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life.
The evening beam that smiles the clouds away,
and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.
-Lord Byron

There's things that aren't worth giving up, I know...

You live the life you're given with the storms outside
Somedays all I do is watch the sky,
Today was a good day...

-Something Corporate

Sun Comes Up and We Start Again

"Be Here Now," Mason Jennings

Day 8: Delphi

It took 3 hours (by bus) to get to Delphi, and it was absolutely worth the trip. In ancient times, Delphi was considered "the center of the world," (or, the place where heaven and earth met). Here existed the Oracle at Delphi, where travelers all the world over came to ask the oracle about their destiny. I teach Antigone to my 10th graders, and this is the spot Oedipus, Antigone's father, learned his cursed fate!

All of These Moments I'll Never Replace

"Home," Foo Fighters

Day 7: Acropolis Hill and the Parthenon

On our first day back in Athens, our tour guide took us up to Acropolis Hill and we had a guided tour of the Parthenon. From atop the hill, we were also able to see (one of) the Temples of Zeus as well as the Temple of Athena Nike. The Parthenon is slowly falling apart (pieces are literally flaking off, thanks to Americans, but that's another story), but it's absolutely magnificent.

See the World in Green and Blue

"Beautiful Day," U2

Day 6: Crete and Santorini

On our final day of the cruise, we spent the morning on the island of Crete. We walked and shopped with our entire group, and made friends with one of the stray dogs. The kids named him "Opa," and bought hot dogs and water to feed him. As a result, he followed us everywhere and appears in at least half of the pictures everyone took on Crete. Although we didn't actually walk all the way over to it, Crete is home to a castle-like fortress:


Contrary to popular belief, the Greeks do not say "Opa!" any time something breaks. Of course, we didn't let that stop us...anytime we heard the shattering sound of something crashing to the ground; plate, glass, or otherwise, we all raised our arms and shrieked OPA! with reckless abandon.


A Crete market...


Our final port was Santorini. It was windy on the top deck as we arrived:

Essentially, the islands that form Santorini are what remains from a volcanic explosion. According to some theories, the eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis. The city rests high atop the cliffside:

To get to the top of the city, we rode donkeys up the traversed trail:


The island reminded us of Mykonos, with the sharp blues and whites. The architecture and views were unparalleled:



Before we left Santorini, we stopped for a bottle of famous Santorini "Boutari" wine (Marisa and Lane bought us a bottle to take home!) and a feta cheese platter. I'll be honest, life's pretty damn good:

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
An eternity in an hour.
-William Blake

There's No Combination of Words I Could Put on the Back of a Postcard...

"Better Together," Jack Johnson

Day 5: Rhodes

Rhodes is an ancient walled civilization (there was a 6.3 earthquake there the day after we left!) where the castle Palace of the Grand Master stands. It was home to one of the 7 Ancient Wonders, the Colossus of Rhodes, but the massive structure (essentially, a giant statue of the Greek god Helios guarding the city) was destroyed by an earthquake. Today, its existence is marked by two large pillars with the mascot of the city atop each one. We spent the entire day in port, so Tim, Marisa, Lane, and I spent the morning on the island.


Stray cannonballs were all over the place:


A road in Rhodes (and a stray dog, too!)...


What I imagine the Colossus looked like...


Yet another one of Tim's dream boats...


One of the other group leaders in our group recommended we take a bus to a relatively close-by beach in Rhodes. Our tour director found us a bus and a driver, and we spent two hours in the afternoon there. The visibility was easily 100 feet, and the water was probably 75 degrees or more. There were rocks to jump off of and caves to explore as well. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip...


That night, the cruise hosted a formal dinner event. The food was great, and the company was even better...