Blogs from Athens, Attica, Greece, Europe - page 11

July 13, 2018. Episode 5: Greece is the word. When people think of the Greek islands, they often think of its crown jewel, Santorini. There has been a lot of lyrical waxing about the unique beauty of the place, and it’s justified. Santorini island is a crescent-shaped, partially submerged extinct volcanic caldera. It is a steep slice of land with a jumble of white-washed houses and hotels with pools strewn along its top, interspersed here and there with those classic blue-domed Greek orthodox churches. We flew in, and from the air it looks like a colossal slice of chocolate cake, tilted on its side and dripping with bright white icing. Certainly one of the most amazing places we have ever seen. Of course, Santorini is no secret. We were sharing its twisting cobblestone paths and breathtaking ... read more

Today we climbed the Acropolis to stand in awe of the Parthenon. Spectacular. On so many bucket lists. These kids can check that and so many other things off. What a wonderful world. It was hot. HOT. Water water water. Worth every step. ... read more

Jack and I were very industriously made it to the ticket line of the Acropolis well before the 8 a.m. opening. Our walkabout concluded as the over-crowding of the ancient ruins with tour groups commenced. My impression of the Parthenon and other temples of the Acropolis is that I have retained so little ancient history, that a refresher lesson is highly in order. Travel has awakened my brain to language and culture unlike my job and graduate school. Today was a day of highs and lows. They high being the overlook of Athens from the Acropolis. They low being a slide down some wet marble steps leading to the Ancient Agora. Jack manage to lug me to a taxi and then back to the hotel for a once-over by a kind Greek doctor. Just a sprain. ... read more

Boy, did I sleep last night. Jet lag is no joke! I decided to make this a relatively easy day for myself. This morning I started with a walk to the Acropolis. It was only 9:30AM but it was scorching hot out. The throngs of other tourists, many on group tours, seemed to suck up all the breeze right out of the air. Once past the ticket booth, the first site you come across is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a stone theater completed in 161 AD. It was used as a venue for music concerts for as many as 5000 people. Think of our most cherished outdoor venues around the US, this Is the design original that provides for the amazing acoustics. The next ruin is Erechtheion, a Greek temple dedicated to both Athena and ... read more

I knew that this was going to be one of the highlights of my traveling days. I told my self a couple of years ago that after I've visited Europe I'll be content and just stay home and save my money to buy useful things that grown men should be accumulating. Like properties, cars, and stocks. But I also said that years ago about the States and still I kept on travelling. So we'll see! I was travelling alone as usual. Europe is very expensive for most Filipinos who rely on a working man's salary like me. And that's most of the people that I know so I already knew I was gonna have to do this alone so I didn't mind. Even I wasn't sure if I could afford it but I just went anyway. ... read more