Athens 2015

We used the kids' winter break to travel to Athens. Greece was an ideal vacation for the Eden and Fox. They both LOVE Greek mythology. And many of the best attractions in Athens are outdoors with plenty of opportunities to run wild and climb over rocks. AS you can see below, within seconds of arriving at the first site - the Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the base of the Acropolis - they were in heaven scampering over centuries-old carved stones. The Acropolis itself is certainly the crown jewel of the city. The Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike...so many amazing structures in one place. Fox was particularly taken with the Erechtheion, and immediately sat engrossed in sketching its porch of Caryatids. We also enjoyed the vantage from the Acropolis and a neighboring hill... And exploring the ancient Roman and Ancient Agoras. The changing of the guard at the Parliament was, well, interesting. Actually, in hindsight, we wouldn't have stuck around for the entire ceremony. But we enjoyed making fun of the ridiculous uniforms and Monty Python-like walk of the guards. If I had to name the highlight of the trip, it was definitely hiking up the tall hills around Athens. From these you could see the Acropolis, the Aegean Sea, the surrounding mountains, the Olympic Stadium, and many other sites. But the hills themselves were also home to may ancient relics. How often do you get to sit at the literal birthplace of democracy? Athens has several nice pedestrian areas, full of restaurants (good thing we love Greek food), tourist shops, and even record stores (Andrew was in heaven). We also made it down to the port city of Piraeus to walk the beaches and enjoy some seafood. I like this slideshow because it looks like the centaur is dismembering that dude one limb at a time.