GREECE

I got home from Greece two weeks ago, but then we were in North Carolina and then this week, I've just been a little slow. I went with Amber, best friend and former roommate. We took a bunch of 16 - 18 year old kids who turned out to be great travelling companions. Our trip included Athens, a cruise around Greek islands - and one stop in Turkey, and then Delphi. It was an amazing trip for this little history teacher and a great last girls' hurrah before my life is no longer my own.

Disclaimer: if I look sweaty and unbelievably HOT, it's because I was. Greece offers no relief from sun or humidity. For those of you asking for pregnant girl pictures that I have not provided, here is a little glimpse at my bigger self. Oi.

By the way, these pictures are totally out of order. Sorry, but I hate blogger for this reason.

The safety check on the cruise ship. What you can't tell is that Amber is so drugged up from dramamine that she is barely able to hold up her head. Somehow she is making a lovely smile:

Athens: the top of the Parthenon with some of the original frieze.
Cape Sunion: See ancient ruins at the top? That's the Temple of Poseidon. Such a stunning location.
Athens from the Acropolis. Kind of an ugly city, but has cool old stuff in it.
Amber and Aliss on the rear side of the Parthenon.

Temple of Apollo at Delphi. AWESOME.

This charioteer was found in the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. Look at how perfectly it was preserved! This is Greek sculpture at its finest. You can't tell, but you could even see the charioteer's eyelashes. I was in love.
Me in front of a typical, tiny Greek town. Everything is on a mountain.The island of Santorini. This ranks as one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
We hiked a volcano that was across the bay from Santorini. It was really hot, but offered amazing views of the Aegaen Sea and Santorini.
The island of Rhodes used to be a stop-off point for European Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages. The entire town is walled and gated (below) and it was rad.

Turkey. We did tour Ephesus (as in, Paul's letters to the Ephesians - the place he was imprisoned), which was a Greco-Roman city. Before we could get back on the boat, though, we had to stop at the Turkish Bazar. I bought lots of things, but between the three of us, we bought 17 pashminas! Presents, mostly. But some are for me, too:).
Library at Ephesus. It's amazing how well-preserved this place was and it shows what care they had for their libraries!
This picture is mostly for my students when I teach Greece next year. This is a Corinthian column and their teacher. I was taking millions of pictures of columns -- I like for them to be able to discern Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns. Probably not necessary for 12 year olds to know, but why not?
The island of Mykonos. Aren't the windmills charming? This place was built by pirates who didn't want people to be able to navigat their city, so the streets are essentially a maze. Amber and I learned this first hand when we tried to find our way back to the boat and it took waaaay longer than we thought. We eventually had to start running, but we made it. Phew!
Charming street and woman in Mykonos. At every Greek island I went to, I kept thinking, What would it be like to live in this place? Maybe their lives aren't so different than mine, but I can't help but think that Chicago provides a more hectic life than, say, Mykonos.
Welp, that's it. We also went to two other islands - Crete and Patmos (where John is said to have receive the Revelations). It was such an amazing opportunity for me to see all of this - I loved every second.