Juli Sara Barcelona

Wow. What an amazing trip!

Sara and I arrived in Barcelona Wednesday evening. We were supposed to meet Elizabeth at the metro but it turns out that she went ahead and met up with Louisa early. We eventually found them both and there were hugs all around for about... Hmmm... 10 minutes straight.

We couldn't have asked for a better way to end the adventure of a lifetime. The lack of blogs and stories from Barcelona was purely because we were going non-stop, sight-seeing, catching up, walking, laughing, and enjoying every moment. The four of us had such a wonderful time together and it was great for sara, elizabeth and I to have a "local host" to show us around the city in a different light.

We visited la segrada familia (a famous Gaudi church still under construction), rode the chair lift up Montjuic with amazing views, went to the beach, walked all over the city, went to a disco, and even got tickets to a popular music festival one of the nights. Barcelona is a beautiful city that really has it all. It is so clean, with great transportation, beautiful parks, lots of live music and of course- beaches!

It is so sad that our trip has come to an end. I said to sara yesterday, "I'm sad our advnetures are almost over". But she assured me, "no they aren't, just this one."

We boarded our flight to Geneva and then to Washington DC. Can't wait to see you all soon.

Until next time...

Passing Through the French Riviera

In our travel plans we never really put much weight on the part involving the south of France. We knew we had to get from Venice to Barcelona and figured it might be worth it to stop along the way.

We booked a hostel in Nice, in the heart of the French Riviera. It was an old monastary that was converted into a youth hostel, equipped with dorms up to 12 beds full (the kind we were in), a bar, restaurant, computers, laundry, and gardens. It was located on the very top of a hill, overlooking the old town.

But perhaps more interesting than the place itself was the journey it took to get there. We left Venice Sunday evening by train and stopped in Milan, italy. Our train arrived a bit later than expected so we had to literally sprint (huge back packs and all) from our train to the next. Lucky, we made it, huffing and puffing!

The train then had another stop in Ventimiglia, a town on the italian/french border. It is supposed to be a beautiful place, but seeing as it was 1am at this point, we wouldn't know. What we did know was that we had 3 hours to kill in this very minimalistic station. We walked in and there were french and italian men sprawled out everywhere, on make-shift beds, snoring loudly. We just looked at each other, shrugged, and claimed our corner. It was very cold so we layered up and attempted to make our own "beds" if nothing else to protect us from the freezing concrete floor. We sat in between our bags, guards up, as it was too cold, uncomfortable, and sketchy to even consider sleep. We began to joke about the situation and it eased our nerves a bit.

Then an older woman, traveling alone rounded our corner and decided to "bunk up" with us. Next, 2 coules saw our crew and joined. Then one more solo traveler. We joked about our "wolf pack" that we created and were very proud of our safe crew.

After 3 very long hours we hopped on the train. It arrived in Nice at 5:30am. We took the tram to the stop closest to the hostel and proceded to call the number the provided so that we could be picked up. But no one was answering at that hour.

So we decided to walk...

Remember when I said the hostel was located on the very top of a hill?! It was a 45-60 degree hill!

Well we made it! Had to take some breaks, and had sore hamstrings afterwards, but we made it. Unfortunately reception didn't open until 8am. We waited a while but then noticed that they were setting up breakfast, so we sat inside, snuck some food, and passed the time. We eventually checked in and were so exhausted, so we headed to the beach.

After 4 hours we awoke from a very serious slumber, on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We were finally relaxed, rested, and functioning and it hit us. We are in the French Riviera! The beaches are stunning. The "sand" is made up of rocks... Not the most comfortable, but doesn't stick to you either. The Mediterranean was as blue as blue could be and there was good looking people lounging and playing everywhere.

We walked around Nice and got to know the town the rest of the day. Hung out at the hostel that night and made some new friends, including one in particular, Max.

Max, our new Argentinian friend, invited us to go to Monaco/monte carlo with him the next day. We accepted and left Nice the next morning. Its only a 30 minute train ride but you'd think you were on some far off island. Because Monaco is a state run on royal money, not the french government's, it is very unique. The place reeks of wealth, with ferraris and yachts everywhere!

We saw the famous Monte Carlo casino (above), ate amazing seafood, and took well deserved naps on the beach after walking several miles. They were cleaning up from the Grand Prix last week so we saw all the bleachers and course signs. It was a truly awesome place to visit for the day, but staying there would burn a hole right through your pocket! It was so fortunate that we were able to just hop on over there for a day. The three of us had a blast!!

The train we planned to take to Barcelona was sold out so we had to catch an earlier one (leaving Nice at 5:56am). We dragged ourselves out of bed at 4am and caught the train to reluctantly leave france. We now know next time that maybe 2 days isn't quite long enough in such a stunningly beautiful region.

But its off to Barcelona now to reunite with more friends! We will be staying with louisa (juli's friend from high school) and meeting Koo (sara's friend from college) when we get there. It'll be the perfect way to end such an amazing trip.

The Real Venice

We rode the train from Florence to Venice on Saturday evening. You get your first real taste of the city as the railway approaches, and travels over nothing but water. The train station has garage doors and openings for boats and trains, but nothing else. As the sun was setting, sara, myself, and a british couple we sat with on the train sat in awe of such a beautiful scene to arrive to.

Venice looks like a painting. As you probably know, there are no streets, but only canal waterways that wind through the labrynth of a city. Motorbikes are replaced with kayaks, cars with boats, and buses with ferries. There are beautiful gondolas with handsome men in striped shirts offering to shuttle you around, just like in the movies. Love is in the air in Venice as it seems to be a popular anniversary or honeymoon spot. It truly is a fairy tale city.

We walked all of Sunday through the city and saw the famous sights and soaked it all in. It was hard to believe that this was the REAL venice! We were fortunate enoiugh to be there on the day that there was an international regatta rowing competition being held. We stood for hours on a bridge, watching the boats go by and cheering along with the rowers and spectators. It was neat to be a part of, but it sure brought in the crowds. Venice was very crowded! Luckily, there are plenty of side streets and alleys that are equally beautiful as the main walkways that we could slip into to avoid all the tour groups.

We unfortunately only had 24 hours in Venice because we had to catch a night train to Nice, france. But it was a perfect taste of such a uniquely beautiful city.

Firenze

Florence was an absoluetly wonderful city. Its a very artsy place, with locals and students armed with sketch books everywhere you turn. The museums are filled with some of the worlds most famous artwork and you can buy that of the locals on every corner. Its a small city, all reachable by foot. And whether its the size or the nature of its residents, its truly a quaint, comfortable town. We were only there for 3 short days (one of which we spent in tuscany as mentioned) but we felt as if we had known it for years.
The streets are small, but have lots of unadvertised hidden gems tucked away. We saw Dantes house (of dantes inferno fame), amazing statues, basillicas, fountains, and piazzas. Its and easy town to wander and get "lost" without ever really losing your way. The small Florentine restaurants and shops (including the best gellato in Italy!) were definitely highlights.

It was a short trip through the region but we said that its such a comfortable, livable place. Definitely one that we'll have to return to one day.

The sites, smells, and flavors of Tuscany

One Friday we decided to ride the trains out of the city of Florence to a few surrounding towns. First stop- Pisa.

Apparently there is some famous tower or something in this small Italian town known as Pisa. We decided to check it out. It is a bit of a walk from the train station but as you round the final corner it almost jumps out at you. When we did, Sara pulls at a map and turns to me and said, "I think we went the wrong way, there's nothing to see here". Our sarcasm is most effective on each other.

We obviously took the famous "holding up the tower" photos. It was quite entertaining to view everyone else posing in the most rediculous fashions as well. I think we took more photos of random people than we did of each other. But not to disappoint, we held up the leaning building for a while and went on our way.

We took another train out to a small town in the Tuscan countryside called Siena. The train ride was beautiful as we passed through such little gems on the way. We rode through Chianti, famous for the wine, and Castellana, for its castels. All the way were rolling green hills with bright splashes of wild flowers.

Siena is an adorable town, located on a cliff with amazing views. There are churches, shops, and lots of nooks and crannies of the city to explore. We sat down for an unbelievable meal including local tuscan wine and Sienese pecornio cheese. It was heaven with each bite! On our way back down the hill, there was a local artist who was using chalk to draw a mural on the sidewalk. It was so impressive we had to take pictures.

It was a long and exhausting day, but was really wonderful to see some of the smaller towns of Italy. During the train ride home we caught a beautiful Tuscan Sunset over the vineyards, and I now fully understand why this region is so famous.

The Perfect Man

Sara and I have noticed a lot about the different cultures as we have traveled. In egypt, the people loved to say "welcome", joke around, and Barack Obama. They also seemed to have a very distinct body type, carrying their weight in a similar manner. In Greece, everyone was fit and in shape. Even the grandfathers at the beach had naturally lean and muscular bodies. And the Italians? Handsome. The exquisite suits, beautiful hair, and the men at every age... Handsome. And upon arriving our first day in Florence we saw the original Italian Stallion... David.



The statue of David does not disappoint. It is truly massive and located in a room all by himself, positioned underneath a dramatic domed ceiling. The marble is pure white and the detail is absolutely amazing. Michelangelo included veins, muscular details and 3-dimensional shadowing all to create the extremely realistic sculpture. You were not allowed to take pictures of the sculpture but my cell phone camera accidentally caught the shot shown above. ;) its a bit blurry but its proof that we were there, with who they refer to as "the perfect man".

When in Rome...

We arrived in Rome Monday afternoon and checked into our hostel, Hotel Alessandro. Its a great place to stay, lots of young backpackers swarming about. There's a bar, big dorms, free breakfast and pizza, and plenty to do. The staff was full of 20-somethings from germany, bangladesh, brazil, japan, you name it. Its so interesting to hear stories and experiences from all over the world.


We signed up for 2 walking tours that were offered by the hostel. The first one, on Tuesday, was of vatican city. Our tour guide, Robert, was Irish but had been living in Italy for 11 years. He was fairly soft spoken and moved with great caution, but his brain was full of endless knowledge. We visited several churches along the way and then reached the infamous Vatican city walls. The courtyard is massive, lined with pillars and fountains. On top of each column, was a statued saint, totaling 140. It is exactly how it appears on television or in the newspaper, and is one of the most powerful squares in the world.



We entered St Peters Basilica grottoes first, which held the tombs of the popes. They were extremely lavish, with full marble portraits, gold, granite, the works. They were all very fancy except for that of the late John Paul II, who had a very simple white stone slab. Although his tomb was the simplest, the crowds of people praying, crying, and kneeling made it the most moving.

From there we went upstairs and entered the church. It is the biggest church in the world, and they make sure everyone knows that. On the floor lie markers indictating the measurements of the world's most famous churches and how they would fit inside St Peters. It seems a bit arrogant, but I suppose it is one of the reasons why millions travel from all over the world to see the famous structure.


The basillica was extremely powerful. The shear beauty and architecture is impressive on its own. However, being there, experiencing so much history, and so much surrounding emotion is truly inexplainable.


We stopped for pizza and gellato afterwards and sat in somewhat of an awe inspired silence. We talked about how amazing it is to feel and think about so much, yet feel so numb at the same time. Visiting all these amazing wonders of the world has been somewhat an out of body experience. We are careful to appreciate every moment and soak it all in, one day at a time.

From there we went to the Vatican museum and the Sistene Chapel. You are not allowed to take pictures inside but I managed to sneak a few seen below. No words can describe the chapel and its brilliant frescos that cover every inch. Some of the worlds most famous artwork is in that one room, and it takes a while to scan it all. You are requested to be silent and we just stood, heads back, staring and slowly spinning, taking it all in.


The second tour we did as the "ancient tour" which took place on wednesday. It included the Colloseum, Forum, Pantheon, and much more. It was so interesting to see how modern Rome is built on top of ancient Rome. The roads cover what once used to be amazing shops and markets, made entirely of marble. Excovations are around every corner and even the store Bennetton is held up by ancient columns. Its amazing to imagine how in the first century, the Romans were so advanced compared to most civilations. Because the United States is such a young country, it is a difficult concept to grasp.



Wednesday night we followed the "when in Rome" mantra and went to the opera with our new friend, tyler. Madama butterfly was showing and we were lucky enough to get tickets. The woman at the ticket booth assured us that they were horrible seats, but we told her it didn't matter as long as we could hear and experience it. We brought binocculars (thanks joan!) But to our surprise were very pleased with our seats. I suppose the Italian Opera has quite a high stndard, and we were just very happy to be there. The performance was amazing, a tragic love story with unbelievable music and singing. The entire show was in Italian- with no translation- but through music and body language, it was easy for us to follow along. We truly enjoyed the performance and again, are so lucky to have these experiences.



Rome is full of amazing history around every corner. And to no ones surprise, the food and wine is amazing (although a bit overpriced) as well. Its a very busy city, with so many people and so much to do. We could easily have spent more time there but said goodbye Thursday morning so we could catch an early train and are on our way to Florence.

Rain, rain, go away

I suppose it was about time we had a wash out.

We were so fortunate up until now to have the most beautiful weather during our travels. Then the storms began in Sorrento Saturday.

We had scheduled a tour of Capri for that day. The boat would take us to the isle and let us explore the famous grottos and have 5 hours to ourselves before returning to the campsite. Unfortunately, it was cancelled. We rescheduled for the next day, but that too was cancelled. The rain and high winds made it very rough for sea travel so we ran out of options.

We tried to make the most of our rainy days and left the campsite a few times. But everytime we did, we'd get caught under a storm cloud and have to sprint from over hang to over hang.

But what else is there to do in Italy when the weather is a mess? Wine and dine of course. We were still able to sit under canopies and enjoy the local cuisine, sipping delicious chiantis and eating the freshest olives imaginable.

On sunday we were even able to take a bus tour down to Amalfi, another coastline town. The roads to get there are straight out of a movie. Up and down hill sides, right on the cliffs edge, and so windy it seems that every curve was a U-turn. It was quiet nauseating on some occaisions. But the views were fantastic. The 1.5 lane road (or so it seemed) was cut right into the mountain side so when you looked down you had a mind blowing view of beautifully blue waves crashing to the rocky shores. The bus was full of "oohs and aw's" with every turn.

Sara and I were the youngest tourists there as it seems a lot of older people travel the area. But we loved hearing their stories and expertise from years of travels. We even met some ladies from Southern Maryland- small world!



Amalfi was beautiful and we are glad we went. But we were sick of the rain and being constantly wet and cold. We had one last *amazing* dinner at the campsite restaurant (ravioli, smoked spicy provolone, grilled veggies, and our favorite italian wine- a local chianti- thus far).

Woke up early this morning to pack up and catch the bus. We bussed to the Sorrento metro station, then metroed to the Napoli train station. There was minimal confusion this time- we are becoming pros. We are currently on a train from Naples to Rome, where we will get off and begin the second half of our adventures.

We look forward to finding some sunshine in Roma along with everything else.

Oh and for those of you that have been upset with the lack of pictures on the blog as of late, just know that they are coming. No computers on the campsite so we haven't been able to upload them from our cameras. But we hope to do so in Rome. Ciao!

Sorrento and Pompeii

We love this place!

Its so wonderful that as we travel we continue to fall in love with every location. Sorrento is such a beautiful coastal town filled with shops, cafes, churches, and lots of people buzzing about. The whole town is filled with LEMONS! Who knew?! They grow as big as grapefruits here and add such a wonderful aroma to the markets and cafes.




It is very italian in nature but very tourist friendly as well. There are lots of older northern europeans here at the moment. We could sit all day and watch the dapper old men and the cute couples share gellato and cappucinos.

Sara and I spent the beginning half of the day exploring the main town area. From there we caught the metro to the ancient ruins of Pompeii, which are only 30 minutes away.

If you aren't familiar with Pompeii, I highly suggest you research it. It is an incredibly tragic and interesting story. And it is very difficult to describe the site of the remains. In short, Pompeii was a budding young town well ahead of their time back in ~200bc. They lived fruitful lives and had a very beautiful location for their town- ideal soil for crops, views of the valleys of italy, and the majestic Mt Vesuvius. The civilization could contribute a lot to the active volcano, and unfortunately, it ultimately led to their demise. On august 24 79ad, mt vesuvius errupted, covering the town in volcanic ash, smothering every living soul.


Because of the nature of the disaster, the town was preserved under the ash. Many of the roofs and columns crumbled by the weight of 6 meters of ash, but what was left underneath remains intact. To this day there are still excovations occuring while tourists walk through the town. Its a bit eery that you can still smell hints of burnt ash as they continue to dig. The old houses and building must've have been very remarkable back in the day. You can still observe paintings, tiling, and decorations that survived the catastrophe. It was a very humbling experience yet very impressive and fascinating as well.

Across the Italian countryside

We have made it to Italia!

Our ferry docked around 9am (rome time) on Thursday morning in the Bari, Italy port. We walked through customs, not even needing a passport, and immediately hailed an over priced taxi to the train station. Once we got there we fought through much confusion and finally found a train that would take us to Napoli (Naples).

It was a fairly empty train and we snoozed a bit along the way. We were awoken to the train staff asking for our tickets in Italian. We showed them our Eurail passes and they said we needed to have a reservation for this trip. We looked around at the empty car, and told them we didn't know that. They cut us a break but informed us that the train would not go all the way to Napoli. Instead, we needed to get off, take a bus, and then get back on the train to Napoli. We were not overly thrilled by the amount of time we assumed this would add to our travels.

We did as they instructed us and it wasn't as bad as we thought. The bus ride through the Southern Italian country side was absolutely beautiful. The sky was so blue that day and was a wonderful contrast against the green rolling hills. There were houses and neighborhoods built right into the hillsides and wild flowers everywhere. Such beautiful gardens, vineyards, and windmills lined the landscape.
We eventually made it to Napoli where we had to then take the metro to Sorrento. We hopped on the car just in time and after about an hour arrived at our destination. Took a taxi from there to the campground where we are staying and were so relieved to finally be here. So the ferry, taxi, train, bus, train, metro, taxi trip took us 20 hours. But it is not time wasted when you are amongst the locals and able to observe so much culture and scenery.

We booked a bungalow in a campground located right on the rocky coastline. It is an absolutely beauitful view. There are lemon, orange, and olive trees lining the streets and walk ways. The cabin has a kitchenette, a porch, plenty of sleeping space (sleeps 4 actually) and a pretty decent shower- so we are happy. Its nice to unpack a little bit and feel less rushed for a bit.

Our first night here we had dinner at the restaurant on grounds. It was very delicious and had great prices. We wanted to have a very italian style meal so we ordered 1st course caprese salad, 2nd-gnocchi sorrento, and 3rd- "grilled fishes". Oh and a bottle of chianti. Yum!

We slept like rocks that night and we deserved it!

Seeing Pink

When it was time to leave Mykonos, we caught the ferry back up to the Greek mainland. From there we made our way to Athens and caught an overnight bus to Corfu from there.

Corfu is an island off the west coast of Greece, very conveniently located for traveling between greece and italy. We decided to stay 1 night at the famous "Pink palace"- a hostel that is also referred to as the young back packers spring break. When we got there we realized that the Pink Palace was more of a college campus than a hostel. Building after building of pink rooms, meeting halls, cafeterias, bars, jacuzzi, volleyball courts, the works! We arrived just before the busy season so it was much more tame than it is rumored to be during the summer. That's not to say it was short of excitement. They greeted us with pink ouzo upon arrival (morning)... So you get the idea.

We met lots of interesting people and had a great time there. Unfortunately we weren't there long enough to take advantage of the atv excursions or rock jumping, but it all looked like great fun. We got in 2 good beach days and despite all rumored odds, we managed to only stay there our planned one night. Then it was off to the port to catch our overnight ferry to Bari, italy.

The ferry disembarked at 10:30pm and is approximately 11 hours long. When we arrive we will be catching a train to Naples(straight west) and another into Sorrento. There we have booked a little cabin on the coastline, situated in a camp site filled with lemon and olive groves. From Sorrento we will take day trips to Pompeii and Capri.

Sleeping on the ferry wasn't too bad. We were able to snag a corner that had couches and just enough room for us to curl up and catch a few hours. I'm sure we will crash when we arrive in Sorrento, but for now the excitement of arriving in Italy is enough to keep us going.

Isle Hopping

We woke early on Saturday morning to catch the 7:30am ferry down at the port, Piraeus. We boarded the ship and got great deck seats, equipped with a proper corner for all 5 of our bags. The ferry ride is about 5 hours long and stops at the islands, Syros, Dynos, and Mykonos. We were traveling to the latter.
It was a comfortable ride and the views were nothing short of amazing. The mediterranean is so incredibly blue, it almost seems unreal. We passed several islands along the way, all of which have their own personalities. We were excited to finally reach Mykonos and disembarked to a port with tons of hotel workers, offering "best price" for their rooms.

We already booked a room at the Pension Kymata and met the owner, Andreas, when we got off the boat. He whipped us around in his powder blue van, through the curvy cliff roads of the islands. Most people drive smart cars, atvs, motorbikes, or other compact cars. But not Andreas... He has the Kymata van.

On our way he had to get out and help people navigate through the tiny streets and avoid hitting each other. When someone would get themselves stuck he'd say "he must be a nightmare". In between laughs we'd reply, "he must".

Andreas gave us a mini-tour and some good bits of information before he gave us the key to our place. The building was like every other on the island, white wash with a blue door and shutters. And let me tell you, our room was amazing. Cute details such as seashells and beach accents made it feel like home. We had a nice balcony that over looked a narrow cobble stone walkway. The shower was hot and the view was incredible. It was perfect.
We were right next to 3 large windmills, of which there were many on the island. The area over looks Little Venice, a series of restaurants and bars right on the water. The whole place was absolutely amazing, just what you'd expect. Beautiful blue water, bright white buildings, rocky cliffs, and bright pink and red flowers. Its exactly like the pictures. We could hardly believe we were there.
Our pension was a 5 minute walk into town where there are cafes around every corner and little quaint clothing, souvenier, and jewelry shops. Oh, and there are cats everywhere. "The kitty cats of Mykonos". No one would give us a straight answer as to why they were there. But many of them were plump, so I think they enjoyed all the seafood.

We stayed 2 nights in the pension and about 2 full days on the island. We ate at the most amazing cafes and were never disappointed with our food. We keep saying that we are bound to have to have a bad meal soon, but with Italy, France, and Spain on our travel list, I don't see how. The seafood is amazingly fresh, the wine is locally made, the waiters are so courteous (and handsome), and the crepes are simply amazing. Then there's the local ice cream, yogurts, fruits... I could go on for days.

We wanted to take advantage of all the island had to offer so we rented an ATV to travel to the beach and sight see. It was so much fun and Sara had such a blast driving. She kept saying "its so fast!" because she hadn't driven anything other than a bicycle in so long.

The beach, properly named Paradise, is perfection. Lounge chairs, clear water, and plenty of sun. We spent the better part of Sunday there.

Then there is the night life in Mykonos. There are so many clubs and bars hidden around the corners of the cobble stone streets. Things get started around 11:30pm and go until about 5am. We made it until 3am one night, dancing the night away, but that's all we could manage. The greeks LOVE to dance!

All in all, Mykonos is just a beautifully perfect little island. Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and just a lot of light-hearted fun.

We made it to Greece!

Despite our minor setback, we were able to catch a flight into Athens 1 day late. The flight from Cairo was only 2 hours and very pleasant. We arrived in Greece very giddy and eager to explore.

From the moment we stepped off the metro, I nudged Sara and said, "Sara, look up". She was fumbling through her bag and not paying attention to me so i repeated, "You really want to look up." So she did and this is why I insisted...


Thats the view from Monastiraki Square, which is approximately a 2 minute walk from our hostel. Its an adorable plaza full of vendors, markets, fruit stands, and live music. A truly charming introduction into greek culture. We enjoyed a live brass band composed of older greek men in matching white outfits, as the street dogs chased bubbles and sang (aka howled) along to the songs. Everyone (including us) danced, ate ice cream, and sat around smiling.

We walked around town and had our first Greek cafe experience, which was everything we could have hoped for. A "variety platter" of tzatziki, vine leaves, eggplant salad, bread feta, olives, and so much more. Oh and wine! Oh the wine! :)

cheers.

We went to "happy hour" at our hostel and enjoyed drinks at the rooftop bar which has a perfect view of the lit up Acropolis at night. It is absolutely unbelievable. You can pretty much see it from anywhere in the city, and all the ancient statues and columns are beautifully lit at night. Its very humbling to say the least.

Today we put on our tourists hats and went out into the city. (we don't really have tourist hats btw) We climbed the hills, through small neighborhoods, up to the Acropolis. We thought it was amazing to view from the city, but once you get up on it, its absolutely breathtaking. I know I've said this before but the pictures dont do it justice. It is so incredibly large, detailed, and has been there since ancient greecian times. Something we had only seen in textbooks until now. Wow.


Sara and I both got a bit emotional as we were just so ecstatic about the amazing opportunities we've been given. The pyramids and the Parthenon in 1 week?! Amazing.

This is us being very serious. Why? Two reasons. 1) Because we are SERIOUSLY at the Acropolis. and 2) We love taking pictures like this.


The views from the Acropolis were incredible. You can see the entire city, the famous sites, the mountains and the coastline. Greece is a truly beautiful country.

We then visited more cafes, shops, the Temple of Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, The Acropolis museum, and Parliment. Below is a picture of Zeus' temple. We kept asking each other "is this real life?" Someone pinch us!!