Eau D'Cologne

Taking the metro to the train station was easy enough and there was plenty of space on the
train. It was easy to tell I was headed out of France as the scenery changed from relatively
flat or slight hills with grass and sparse deciduous (leafy) trees to more pronounced foothills and wooded areas with conifers (pines) amongst the deciduous. I slept for part of the trip and relaxed. The hostel was delightfully easy to find. Armed with a map and only one night to enjoy the town, I headed out walking toward the main part of town. I could have taken the metro, but this was my one chance to see the above ground area. Somehow at one of the major intersections I faded too far to the left when I should have turned right. Not unimaginable since the intersection comprised 3 main 4 lane roads and a plaza. Plazas are sure fire ways to get lost in Europe. Street names are never marked in plazas, only the name of the plaza. Since I thought I was heading the right direction, it wasn't until 20 minutes later I found a street name on the map and realized I had made a semi-circle instead of a straight line. I corrected the error and made my way through the very unorganized and winding streets.

The museum I was trying to locate was called Kolumba. I had it in mind that this was a place
showcasing artfully designed practical and functional pieces. Clearly I was wrong. This was
actually a museum built around an old church that the relative of a former priest (who had
served there) had excavated to preserve. Upstairs there were some modern art displays. Definitely not what I was expecting and it gave me a taste for German art displays. They prize minimalism here. Some rooms only had one piece in them.
[This was all of the front I could fit in the picture. It's huge!]
From here I headed to the Dom (cathedral) near the hauptbanhof (train station) for which is
what Cologne is famed. The massive church has been blackened from weather and looms over the
rest of the city. Since I would be walking all evening and tomorrow, I passed on climbing the
one spire. Plus I'm not a huge fan of city skylines. [This the the chest purported to hold the remains of the 3 magi.] The inside is enormous with stained glass all over the place. Much like Notre Dame, though a bit quieter and more respectful, the place was filled with groups and people swarming all over.
I left here and walked along the Rhine River passing through the older/touristy part of town. It was starting to get close to dinner time and I hadn't found a restaurant I particularly liked. The lady at the hostel suggested there were lots of places to eat by the hostel so I headed back. On the way there I came across an organic market and had to go inside. I knew the hostel had a big kitchen and I was in the mood to cook. I picked out some zucchini, potatoes, onion and 2 bratwurst thuringen. With a little bit of salt/pepper, garlic and olive oil it turned into a tasty meal. Even in limiting myself to how much food I bought (always a problem), I still had two large bowlfuls. No going hungry today!

I Get The Impression That...

The much anticipated Musee D'Orsay was on the docket today. I love impressionist paintings
and this was my chance to see them since the Louvre refused to have any on their walls. The
museum is housed in an old train station which has been restored quite nicely. The
unfortunate part was that a large portion of the museum was being renovated (I think
everything in Europe is being renovated right now) and I may have missed some of their
displays as they tried to cram an entire floor's worth of artwork into the main foyer. What I
was able to see was quite spectacular however. Works by Degas, Monet, Manet, Cezanne,
Cassatt, Van Gogh, Renoir, etc. Putting them together in one area helped you see the variety
of styles from very fuzzy impressions to stippled effects to pastel drawings and even
sculpture by the same artists. I was most content despite the hordes of people swarming
through the museum like bees darting back and forth.

Upstairs was a mixture of more paintings, sculpture and decorative arts (tables/chairs,
fabric, glass, etc.). After such a wonderful selection downstairs, they had to put the less
exciting pieces somewhere right? The paintings were 95% blah with a few exciting pieces here
and there. The decorative art pieces were very original. Some displays had bedroom or dining
room settings with intricate wood work or creative metal fixtures. There were more than a few
times where you'd look at a setting and think "What in the world would that have been used for
in this room? Oh wait...it's art--meant to look pretty and not necessarily be functional."
Finally I had walked through all the rooms and seen everything they had on display. I'd grown
quite hungry and decided to grab a sandwich at a cafe I saw on the way to the museum. I
chowed down on a huge tuna baguette that must have contained 1.5 cans of tuna on it. The only
down side was the lack of dressing on the sandwich like say mayo or mustard.

I opted to pass through the quaint shops Manuel had directed me to the other day where we ate
the strawberries. I found Rue Moufftard relatively easily, but decided I should continue on
to the Jardin des Plantes before it closed for the day. The trip there was also a nice walk
past a mosque and some wonderful architecture. I was preparing to see lots of plants--at
least more than I had found in Paris parks up to this point. Yet again I was disappointed by
French horticulture. Is it really too much to ask to add a few spots of color here and there? Even if you go all green, how about some leafy texture or shrubbery? There certainly was more colorful flowers in this park, but the overall design and shaping of the garden was once again wide paths with the classic white gravel dust and always flat spots of grass with the occasional grouping of blooming flowers. If you ever visit Paris, do yourself a favor and
don't waste your time at the gardens unless you prefer minimalist/reserved scenery.

Being so close to the train station where I first arrived, I thought I would stop in and see
if my bag had made its way to the lost luggage office. After some very typically French
confusing directions and maps, I managed to find the office which had closed some 20 minutes
earlier at 5pm. Worth a shot at checking.

Yesterday I had planned to visit the Eiffel Tower, but when my camera battery died I figured
there was no point in going if you couldn't take pictures. Today, armed with a fully charged
battery, I navigated the metro to the Trocadero stop. This leaves you off at a large building
you must walk around to even see the tower. When you come around the end and finally see it
perched in the distance, the sight is quite lovely. Nothings so clearly trademarks and says
"Paris" like the Eiffel Tower. From the NW corner of the building the tower was framed by the
green park grass around it and a slight haze of pollution--just enough to give a softened look
to the hard metal forming the tower. It truly does grow in majesty the closer you get and the
taller it becomes. By the time you walk up to it you feel like a dwarfed ant as you pass
underneath the monstrously large metal legs. I'm not one for city skylines where you can't
quite make out what you're actually looking at and thus didn't spend the E12 to take the ride
up to the 2nd floor. Photographs and staring at it from the park was satisfying enough for
me. Besides, I had already seen the skyline for free from the Sacre Cour cathedral.

Not wanting to walk far for dinner and trying not to buy any more metro tickets, I went a few
blocks away from the Eiffel Tower figuring there must be tons of places to eat nearby.
Surprisingly there were very few. Along the street I was taking toward the next metro stop I
would use to get back to the hostel, I found a decent looking place with a good menu outside.
I went with the meal plan where I could pick an appetizer, main dish and desert. I selected
Muscadet white wine, pate, rotisserie chicken, zucchini au gratin and a slice of peach tarte
for dessert. The only flaw in my plan was that I think the pate was also chicken. Nothing
like adding extra protein to your diet. All was very tasty and most filling. I looked
forward to the .5 hour long metro ride to settle my food a bit.

Streets of Water

Not wanting to fool around with the 1km walk to the bus 25 stop, I opted for the bus 68 stop in front of the campground. I'm glad I switched to bus 25 which dropped me off right at the train station. I've been so tired lately that I'm trying to take it easy. The train ride was easy and straight forward as usual. I was a bit surpised how many people were on it though. This is the first time I've had people all around me in each of the other 3 seats. I would talk about the scenery, but I trance/slept through most of the trip. What I did notice was the rain just outside of Venezia. It's been so sunny lately I guess it had to rain sometime.

My next goal was to decide about which Venice Card to get. Include the transportation or not? For E66 and a 3 day pass I decided to go for everything: museum pass, church pass, public toilet pass and transportation pass. It was a bit hefty, but one trip on the water bus (vaporetto) is E6.50 and unless you want to walk an extra mile to cross one of the handful of bridges on the Grand Canal, you need to take the vaporetto. It's a fun ride too. Reminds me of all the fun times my family spent on our boat in the summers on Lake Erie. These drivers know just how to whip around the boat to dock without jostling the passengers. The directions to the B&B where I'm staying were pretty straight forward. Take line 1 to Rialto Mercato and walk about 150m. This has to be the easiest place I've booked so far in the last month! Plus it's really nice like a B&B should be. I feel so posh staying here.

Since I got in around 3:30pm I figured I should make use of my 3 day pass and start seeing things in the city. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy Venezia. I would have gladly left Bologna a day early had I known this. It's easy to see why people like it here. Everything is so picturesque. The streets are narrow with tall buildings on either side and occasionally a slice of sky at the very top. Some streets are completely built over and are more like tunnels. Everywhere you look there's another great view that's picture worthy. It's easy to get lost in the winding maze-like streets and easier to be so caught up in the sights you miss your turn. During winter hours (usually until April 1) most places close up between 4-5pm. It was a bit of a rush to fit in anything other than walking around the city. I had hoped to get to St. Mark's Basilica and maybe a museum. The basilica line was huge so I headed for the Palazzo Ducale next door. This was the seat of political life and justice for Venezia as far back as the 9th century. The doge's (head political figure of the Republic) house was also part of this building. I never realized Venezia was such an independent place. They deliberately chose St. Mark as their patron saint to avoid connections with Rome and the Holy See as well as to create a strong appearance through St. Mark's connected animal image of the lion. Most of the Republic's political positions were filled by the aristocracy; something which was carefully documented and watched by requiring proof of noble baptism and marriage certificates on file in the Coffer Room of the Palazzo Ducale. I walked through the former senate and council rooms where legislature and voting took place as well as the criminal and local court rooms and prison in the basement. The court rooms and prison were connected by the Bridge of Sighs where prisoners would catch a last glimpse of the lagoon and freedom before being placed in a cell. I also stood and sat in the voting room where new doges were elected--the largest room in Europe measuring 25m x 53m. En total, a very interesting and informative place to visit in understanding Venezia.

Now that daylight savings is underway here in Europe, it's light out until about 7pm. I wandered the streets and located a gelato shop where I sampled Alice (made with Mascarpone cheese) and Specialite de Riva Reno (it was honey brown in color with large candied nuts in it--no overwhelming flavor however). After moving about all day and missing lunch I thought a tasty treat was in order. I found a restaurant listed in my book for dinner, but they weren't serving meals until 7:30pm. Since it was highly touted I decided to search out a church for Thursday night while I waited. I came across two along with an ATM, street sellers of all kinds of things and a woman whose tiny dog was running ahead of her and over the bridge where I was standing. Instead of chasing after the dog (which she could easily have caught up to), she continued to talk on her cell phone and call out after the dog while being distressed at its running away. A very strange episode in deed, but something I believe is classically Italian.

The Antica Adelaide has been in operation under various owners and names since the 18th century. The menu in the window looked fantastic. I certainly wasn't disappointed! I enjoyed--perhaps relished or had a near ecstatic experience is more accurate--a mixed salad, the gnocci with guinea fowl in an orange ragu and a cinnamon/raisin tart all with a glass of the house pinot grigio. Everything in the restaurant is made from scratch the evening you order it. The lettuce tasted like it was just picked from the garden. The gnocci was so smooth and melted in your mouth from freshness. The tart tasted like it had cream cheese in it (though I don't think it did) and was a perfect finish to the rest of the meal. I didn't want to stop eating! I may have to go back tomorrow night for more tastiness.

Vatican City, The Vatican

It seemed only fitting to start my exploration of Roma with the Vatican. I set out around 10am and after walking 2 blocks to the W I found a fruit and veggie market. This must be the one the hostel guy was trying to show me on the map--so much for his directions. Inside I found a rainbow of deliciously fresh foods. The hardest part was choosing what to get without buying more than I could eat in 6 days. I picked up a pound of pasta, onion, zucchini, apples, bananas, red pepper, bread, 6 eggs, and basil. I dumped my goods back at the hostel and headed back out for the Vatican.

Take two took me to St. Peter's Basilica. Just walking around the corner and seeing this monstrous building is awe inspiring. There's a line to get into the basilica so they can scan your bags on the way in. Someone nearby said it was 2 hours. I had nothing better to do, so I jumped in line. Whilst enjoying the sun, I decided to catch up on my bible reading so as to maximize my time. I made it about halfway through II Corinthians when I reached the bag scanner and only in 45 mins. Good thing I committed to the line! There's so much to see inside. Small chapels line the sides each with their own massive frescoes and altars. Everywhere you look there's exquisite marble statues, designed flooring and hordes of people floating around with their touring groups. Since it's spring break there are noisy student groups all over. After winding your way to the main sanctuary you are greeted by a huge, carved wooden canopy that stands above the front altar. Behind that is the second altar with a gorgeous sunburst stained glass on the back wall. Everything is giant sized and dwarfs your existence.

I stopped for a brief while to listen to a mass taking place in one of the side chapels. After a few more pictures I stepped into the chapel reserved exclusively for prayer--no pictures as the guards continually remind you on the way in. Through the velvet gray curtain is a quiet chapel filled with incense and a classically ornate Catholic altar (gold, icons, cabinets for communion, the works). Something about being in Roma and at one of the most well known churches in the world in a small chapel away from the zooming mopeds, police sirens and chatty Italians brings comfort, peace and movements of the Spirit. All I can say is I'm grateful for a quiet, healing moment. From here I caught the Pieta carving (Mary holding JC after the cross) and meandered to the Vatican Post Office. You can't be here and not send at least one piece of mail from the Vatican. It's just plain cool.

Since it was only 12:30pm I decided to check out the Vatican Museum. My reward would be the suggested gelateria just outside that gives large portions. For E15 you can sample the wonders of the Vatican archives. I say sample because the majority of the treasures are hidden away inside the restricted areas of the city. Nevertheless what's visible is quite stunning. Bits of history from 2000BC in Egypt to the early church to the Medieval era to present day modern art pack the rooms leading you up to the Sistene Chapel. You can only walk in one direction and there's no backtracking, so I opted to take my time and savor the walk. Four hours later I reached the Sistene Chapel. I have to say, on first impression, I wasn't all that impressed. Certainly the amount of work, talent and history that went into its creation is stunning and deserving respect and awe. Overall I'd classify the chapel as ADHD. There are so many scenes and pictures going on that it's hard to focus on any one area. Inside there was a sea of people muttering with constant attention from the guards to be quiet and not take pictures--no small feat for multiple groups of 40 teenagers scattered about the room. [This is my one shot of the chapel from the outside stairwell.] The chapel is empty except for the altar against the wall at one end and the organ at the far opposite end. I did find it interesting that the one scene probably most known from the chapel (the divine touch I think they call it where the two hands are about to touch fingers) is on the ceiling about 1/3 of the way out from the altar. Amongst the entire chapel filled with biblical stories and images of biblical characters, this one small (perhaps a section about 6'x 10'--best guess that far away) image is chosen. Lest you think this is the end of the museum, once you leave the chapel you have a long way to walk before you can exit. Most of these things aren't quite as interesting as the rest, though the ceiling paintings are quite nice.

After many hours and lots of miles trod, my gelato delight awaited me. At Old Bridge gelateria you can get 3 huge scoops for E2. I sampled Blood Orange, Caramel and Cream with Pine Nuts. Wow, wow and WOW. All 3 were amazing. I can't wait to go back!!

On the way back to the hostel I stopped in to the grocery store I couldn't find yesterday and picked up some garlic, smoked mozzarella, olive oil and wine. For dinner I whipped up some chicken, basil, zucchini, garlic, onion and olive oil over pasta. Talk about tasty! Along with a glass of a local red wine, I was quite content. I even met two young people from Melbourne, Australia.

The Streets of Napoli

Last night I met Hannah from TN. She graduated from nursing school in December and is taking 6 months to travel and enjoy life before starting her 2 year fellowship at a hospital near DC. She has been working her way through northern Italy where it has been cold, rainy and snowy at times. Until she showed up at the hostel in Napoli, it had been 11 days since she was able to speak English to anyone who could understand her. Needless to say she was eager for some company. We decided to spend today walking around the city and seeing some of the major sights.

Our wanderings took us down south to the shore and the ports along the bay. We followed the harbor for a while until we turned north to head back into the city. When we found a main street we also found a rally of some kind. People were playing loud music from a van and walking behind it with tons of red flags. As we went further along the road we caught up with the gathering point where a man was shouting Italian at a podium. What is it with me and finding rallies and demonstrations wherever I go??

We worked our way west toward Vomero, a small town on top of a large hill in the NW corner of Napoli. There are two funiculars that take you up the slope where there is a castle and two museums amidst the town. We happened across some lovely views of the city and bay along with a park in the middle of town. Navigating up there was really challenging. Our handy map from the hostel didn't detail that there was even a city on top until we arrived. Fortunately there were street side area maps that gave us a clue about where we were. For the trip down we opted to take the Via Pedamentina, a walkway back down to the rest of Napoli. I'm glad we didn't walk up this way because all the steps are slanted downhill and the steps are about 2 feet long making for a very awkward time walking. Most of it was littered with broken glass thrown off from the top of Vomero. There were some really cool doorways, a bed and breakfast and some small shops amidst the local housing. We had excellent views down into Napoli.


For lunch, we stopped at Da Michele, one of the most famous pizza restaurants in Napoli. I ate the whole thing!!

Most of the day had been sunny until about halfway through our venture in Vomero when it started to get very cold and hail upon us. Back down in Napoli it was still sunny, but cool. As the sun dropped the rain started up again. To try and get out of the cold we headed for the National Archeological Museum in the north part of the city. Sadly the building is quite drafty and while we were out of the wind, there was no heat to speak of in the building. Strangely parts of the 2nd floor were much colder than the first. Inside we were treated to ancient pottery, bronze work, gladiator memorabilia, treasures and paintings from Pompeii and statues galore. Probably the coolest part we saw was the sundial room upstairs. In the far SW corner is a tiny hole in the ceiling that shines a beam of light at noon onto a marble zodiac calendar on the floor.

From the museum we made our way back to the hostel and chilled out after a long day of walking. Once again people were cooking in the kitchen for a group. They invited Hannah and I to chow down if we were interested. The evening's meal included salad, fried anchovies (fresh, whole and bones in), boiled artichokes with vinaigrette sauce and pasta with veal, tomatoes and garlic. All of it was most delicious and stuffed us silly. I'm grateful for some free, fresh cooked food. I slept great last night and look forward to another night of good sleep.

The Crossroads of Anceint Greece

The big event for the day was to visit Ancient (Arkaia) Korinthos and its museum. Since this was the only thing on my list to do today, I took a nice, slow stroll through the site. I actually read some of the signs instead of just taking pictures and moving on. Most of the city has collapsed on the ground due to earthquakes, erosion, time passing and new civilizations coming to power. Like most historical sites I've seen, each time the area changes hands, a new city layout is created and new buildings are put on top of or in addition to the old. Many of the sites show at least two or three different layers of cities on the same plot of ground. Most begin around 500BC, a second around 400-200BC and then another at roughly 100-300AD.

While meandering through the old city, I actually stood where St. Paul would have spoken to the Corinthians about 1,960 years ago. I walked where ancient civilizations shopped for food. I heard the natural spring (still rushing with water) where these people used to gather water. I traversed part of an ancient road lined with shops and temples. What all of this means, I have no idea. It's certainly mind stretching to think that you are plodding across ground where millions of people have walked. What did they see and hear? What inspirations and lessons did they take from this place? How where they different for having passed through this area?

Right next door to the ancient city is a restaurant owned by Nikos. He's a talkative guy who has been living and working in the town for 30 years. I stopped in to chat with him and he served me up an orange grown from his backyard (yeah, there's orange and lemon trees everywhere in Greece) saying that I needed to get my "veetamins to stay strong while traveling." It was deliciously juicy and ripe.

Knowing my room would be chilly at this time of day, I wandered about in the warm sunshine and read the rest of Acts and a good chunk of I Corinthians. Eventually the sun disappeared, so I headed for the room and some TV. Did you know they broadcast MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) in Greece? I had no idea, but what a delightful and hilarious release while traveling.

I ate dinner at Nikos' restaurant where I enjoyed the Greek delicacy of elliptical shaped meatballs in a red (really it was more orange and greasy than red) sauce with french fries (i.e. potatoes), a greek salad and some of Nikos' homemade wine. It was all quite delicious and very filling. As a treat, Nikos offered me some apple with honey (also made by him from his bee keeping hobby) and cinnamon.

After such a filling meal, another young traveler stopped over to invite me for a walk around the town to settle dinner. Manuel is from Paris, France and interested in seeing the ancient sites related to Greek Mythology. Turns out we have very similar temperaments (we both like lots of variety, enjoy traveling, love to cook and don't like to be in one place for too long). We must have walked for about 2 hours when we decided to grab some tea and warm up. Knowing that I would be in Paris in the near future and fortunately just before he heads to Texas (yes, a friend of his wants to go to Texas of all places in the US to see tornadoes--really.), he offered to meet up with me in Paris or to simply send me some e-mails about what is good to see and where to go in Paris. I was most thankful as France is probably the country that holds the least amount of interest for me and Paris seems like a daunting metropolis to live in for even a few days. Hopefully our paths will cross!

When I returned to the room tonight, the temp was up to 68F! Woo hoo! That will send me off to a comfortable sleep I hope.

Ask The Oracle

Instead of trying to find my own way to Delphi and spending the night, I opted to take the day trip from the hostel. For the price it would have cost to stay one night in Delphi, I had transportation arranged, entrance to the historical site, a guide, lunch and people to travel with. Can't beat a deal like that!

It took about 2.5 hours to drive to the site where we spent about 3 hours seeing the ancient city and walking the museum. Delphi is known for the woman oracle who sat near the Temple of Apollo inhaling fumes emitting from a chasm in the Earth. In her state of trance/ecstasy, she made prophecies for those who stopped in to ask her a question. Her advice was taken seriously for day to day business, impending wars and personal matters. I was too slow to make it to Athena's temple a 15 minute walk down the road. I did, however, get some great photos of the surrounding valley and the mountainous villages on either side of Delphi.

We stopped for coffee in the less touristy village and took in the gorgeous sight of the sun shining on the Corinthian Sea. After the long ride back I enjoyed a delicious dinner of stuffed eggplant including zucchini, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, feta cheese and topped with some shredded mozzarella. Back at the hostel I researched ferries to Aegina Island and purchased tickets for Sunday. When you're here, you feel like your visit just isn't complete without a trip to an island. Hopefully the weather will continue to be good as it has been up to now.

Around Town Again

Today was supposed to be an early start so I could once again cover a series of sites around Athens. After another tasty breakfast of toast, jelly/cheese, tomatoes and a hard boiled egg, I headed off to the Temple of Zeus and the Olympic Stadium--more large expanses filled with mostly randomly strewn large marble stones. I attempted to make my way from the Olympic Stadium to the Archeological Museum, but like most of my time here, the hostel map does not actually reflect reality. Heading down the road I thought was on the map led me to Lykavittos Hill which was in the far NE of the city when I needed to be beyond far N. To boot, like its name implies, the hill is quite a ways up in altitude and used up quite a bit of energy trying to figure out how to get around it. Up top though there was a large
cropping of what appeared to be Agave cacti--that's right, the plants used to make tequila. After an hour I did finally arrive at the museum to discover that it was closing in one hour due to another 24 hour transit strike. Good thing I moved my day trip to Hydra to Sunday. Hopefully there won't be another strike until after Monday.

Greece has a 12% debt with the EU and they've been called out on it. To remedy the problem the greek government had decided to make job/salary cuts and to raise taxes. Hence the last minute notice 24 hour transit strikes. Today I witnessed the protests in action. Roughly 12,000 Greeks marched from near Syntagma Square along one of the main roads in Athens carrying banners, flags and mega phones as they chanted. Last night a scuffle with the police ending in pepper spray and tear gas was reported. I was only near the marching long enough to collect a 30 second video before I navigated away.

The Archeological Museum was really nice. Among the many statues, bronze works, coins and pottery I was able to see two of the statues Rick Steves showcased on his 1/2 hour show on Athens (Running Horse and Greek god Throwing a Spear). The afternoon and evening held little to amuse me as the historical sites here close at 3pm in winter. I wandered around to the fruit and veggie market, picked up gyros at a local restaurant and hit the hostel sports bar for a Castleburg beer while I read a few chapters of Sense and Sensibility. I know my calves and ankles were thanking me for taking it easy on them tonight. Tomorrow's excursion to Delphi will be challenging.

Human Time Warp

I slept in a bit and tried to take it easy to rest my sore legs/ankle. Unfortunately I ended up walking much farther than planned. The 2.5 hour walking tour I wanted to do was canceled as I was the only one interested and she needed 4 people minimum. In wandering around on my own I got "lost" because the hostel map has about 1/10 of the street names in the area. Unable to navigate well meant I ended up on the far NW side of the city before I could find a street name on the map. I opted to sit for a couple hours and eat lunch once I found the hostel again. I did a bit of planning for the next few days before heading out to the brand new Acropolis Museum. It's quite amazing.

The layout is a series of rectangles piled on top of each other at skewed angles comprising 3 floors of marble pieces from the Parthenon on the Acropolis. The building is almost entirely glass. Even large sections of the floor are glass to reveal the excavated sites of the areas along the slopes of the Acropolis. That was probably the coolest feature.

Looking down at the older cities below was fascinating. Made me think about all the
different civilizations and ages of history that existed before I walked across it at that moment. Seeing history displayed in this way made me ponder in a very new way what it means to be human and to exist over time. How generations and eras follow one after another and each group of people makes their own way in life and leaves their own marks upon the Earth that others will uncover and marvel at. How does it fit into the framework of life to consider that some of these people lived around 600 BC? Now place that along with the belief that God is in existence throughout this entire span. Let your brain simmer and ache over that for a while!

No photography is allowed in the museum. To commemorate my time there I picked up a pack of postcards that sort of tell the story of what I saw inside. They really don't do justice to it, but it's the best they offer. From the museum I walked through the National Gardens. They weren't as lush as I'm used to, but it is winter here still. All over there were orange trees and 3 large fountains. It was right around 5pm and the daylight was just right for enjoying and photographing the gardens. My favorite part was this long trellis covered walkway that opened into a walkway of palm trees.

From the gardens I meandered the streets for a bit before dinner. I wandered by a shop where the owner stepped out and asked why I walked along so quietly and slowly. After chatting I learned that he had spent time in Minneapolis with friends and recently met them here in Greece. He was able to suggest a good restaurant to me and naturally showed me around the shop. Inside were exquisite looking, colorful glass pieces that were most tempting to buy. I will definitely be returning to potentially purchase something that hopefully won't break in my luggage.

This hostel has a sister building with apartments and an attached sports bar. I checked out the bar where they were televising a futbol game at 8pm (if only I'd known they meant 8pm London time from where the game was being broadcast). It was just about 7:30pm so I grabbed a Mythos beer and chilled for a bit. Shortly after a young woman joined me. We had a great time chatting. Frances is 19 from a small town outside York, UK. She gave me some great tips on things to see and places to stop once I reach the UK. She is taking 2 months to travel around Greece, Italy, Portugal among other places before enrolling in university (what Americans call college) to get her degree in classical studies. This year is time to relax a bit, get some perspective and travel. Very similar to me. All in all, a great way to end the evening.