Athens: Saturday, November 7

Isn't the view from The Hotel Attalos gorgeous? It was a great location to a lot of places. Athens the city surprised me a lot. Aside from the ruins that are so famous, the city is sprawling and not very attractive. When you get to a vantage point and look out, you see a sea of white houses and buildings. Graffiti is everywhere in the city. At the same time, the people could not be more friendly. Everywhere we went, the Greeks were so attentive to the kids. They all got petted more than a dozen times. The blond hair is quite auspicious in Greece.

I forgot the name of this little church, but the point of the picture was to capture the orange tree. It just made me smile!

The beginning of the ancient ruins tour started at the Roman Agora. The boys just loved climbing in and around the ruins. It is every boy's dream playground.

I've got three very adorable personal Greek statues.

With all the wonderment of pillars and stone around them, this is what catches their attention. It's like they have never seen a frog before.

Bruce always had his eye on the scooters wherever we went. The city is full of them! And I think Bruce found his favorite one. Of course it is the one that is very rusty and dons duct tape! I think he has images in his head of his Vespa one day looking like this one.

Walking up the backside of the Acropolis there are some ruins of an early Christian church. WE just couldn't miss the photo opportunity on the picturesque hill and the picturesque faces!

View of the theatre from the Acropolis

The family photo on Acropolis Hill

The weather was gorgeous! The boys got so hot they were seeking shade whenever they could. We soaked up the sun during the course of the vacation. We knew when we got back to Germany we wouldn't be seeing it very much!

The Parthenon is amazing! Of course, the magnificence of the building would have been much more appreciated without the scaffolding in the background! But amazing, nonetheless. As you walk through all these ruins it is amazing to think about the history that the region has seen. It led me to ponder why God would bring the restored gospel to such a young country and not one seeped in history. Food for thought.

Family photo on the backside of the Erectheon

To see this in person was a thrill! I remember studying the caryatids in art history. The ones on the building are copies. The original ones are displayed in the acropolis museum.

Allen, Gideon, and Lincoln posing on Aeropagus Hill a.k.a Mars Hill where Paul taught the Athenians. Allen especially was amazed to read the account in the bible and know that he had stood where Paul once stood.

My little man loves me!

Men and their motorcycles! The boys drooled over this one as we were coming down from Aeropagus Hill. The owner of the bike insisted that they sit on it for a picture. Afterward, he pulled out of his picket a brand new toy car still in the box. He apologized he didn't have three of them. Greeks are so generous!

My photo opportunity time. Bruce requested that he get a picture of me on the tree. I don't know what he sees in the tree =)!

This is an early Christian church on the site of the ancient Agora

I was captivated by the artwork painted directly on the walls. It is from the 1st century A.D.

Temple of Hephaistos

While Allen and I were seeped in history inside the Museum of the Ancient Agora, Gideon and Lincoln were seeped in a game of tag on the porch.

We ate at this great little Greek restaurant. The owner apparently, remembered us walking by that morning on our way up to the Acropolis. I guess three little blond headed boys are quite memorable. He treated us right. He brought out free sodas for the boys and his sons favorite sausages. The boys didn't like them very much. The atmosphere was very striking. As you eat you listen to traditional Greek music and vendors of all shapes and sizes try handing their wares to the kids in hopes that the adults will pay for them. And these cute little girls go from table to table playing the accordion and requesting tips for their music.