Park Hotel Athens

Today is our last day on the island and we need to check out. Our ferry isn't until 12:30am, an overnight to Athens, so we have the day here to relax. Gabe is now finishing The Help while I write blog entries on our little patio overlooking the ocean. It's not a bad life; I can say that with complete certainty&#8230;<br><br>After packing up we head to the pool and eventually to watch the sunset ...

... good. so of course brave me grabbed it. the chocolate was all wrapped up still and in the big bag it came in so it was clean. they were mars bars which reminded me of my daddy and made me miss him. it was a good treat to add to our hectic day. <br><br>we arrived at the port and uncertain if the bus from the youth hostel anna would be there. we called and reserved him to be there at 8:20 when the original ferry was suppose to arrive in santorini. but ...

... a complete overhaul in time for the Olympics.<br><br>That said, the rest of the city is a foul hole.<br><br>Transportation<br>The main station of Athens is the biggest joke I've ever seen. One window for international travel that's only open for a short time starting mid-afternoon. A typewriter. Handwritten slips with carbon copies. I would not be surprised if a telegraph isn't also used in their daily operation. This is not a Greece thing as Thessaloniki ...

... later that day to watch the ridiculously silly changing of the guard and then walked up Mount Lykavittos, the highest point in Athens, and took in the wonderful views and the sunset. John and I were then joined by Lindsey and Sarah from LA. We headed down to Psyrri which actually met our expectations. A very busy area with lots of cool bars. Having tried and hated warm honey mixed with raki, we ...

... that's not your problem.) Your main building material is stone, preferably Pentelic marble, which is marble quarried from Mt. Pentelikos near Athens, a favourite in that time for its beauty and quality. But you'll need wood for roof-beams and other interior stuff. At one time Greek temples were usually made entirely of wood, but the preference shifted to stone for its permanence and beauty. If you can scare up the ...

... were held, as well as the 2004 Olympics. Last time I was there we were allowed to go in and take a lap around the track, but now it was closed. So we took the long way back to the hostel walking through the shopping district of Athens. We also passed the tomb of the unknown solider which was guarded by soldiers in funny uniforms. These guys were more strict than the British guards. The could not move or show any expression what so ever ...

... my moneys worth!! We went to this cove along the coast the next day. It was beautiful. we jumped off a rock near by where we set our towels down and it was like a pool...a very salty pool. It was windy so there were BIG waves and everytime i popped up for air i wave would splash in my mouth.... ew... made me gag....salt water is not too tasty. We went to a near by beach right after the cove because the waves got very big so it was hard to swim in. The beack was right ...

I thought Mykonos was magnificent and it was, however, you simply can't compare Mykonos to Santorini. It is not unlike trying to compare Le Miserables to the Phantom of the Opera; two completely different operas. As we left the port today and our bus climbed higher and higher, I could feel my heart leaving my chest and inching ever so closely to my throat. I felt a gasp each time we ascended. The view was absolutely spectacular. For those of you who don't ...

... throws off my balance and just plain weighs too much (I'm dumping my bathing suit and sandals and sunscreen after Greece). It's much like driving a little compact car all your life and suddenly hopping into the seat of a semi truck. You can't stop as fast as before; turns have to be considered and plans made in advance to navigate corners. Tipping when taking curves too sharply is always a concern. I decided to bypass the main markets in hopes of avoiding some of the crowds ...

... free for us to get in, as the tickets we received at the Acropolis were good for here as well. Some drama ensued as Sandra wasn't able to find her ticket. I tried to give her mine but the ticket woman caught on and starting yelling at us in Greek. Eventually, she found her ticket and we made our way in. We wandered the grounds, admiring the ruins and were impressed with the sheer size of some of the columns. While exploring, I picked an olive growing from one of trees to ...