Greece

At the ruins site of the Olympic Games in Olympia.

Our recreation of the boxing that used to take place here. We often suggest boxing each other to settle various marital disputes.

A look at the rooftops of Greece from the Acropolis.

The Parthenon located at the Acropolis.

The Parthenon at the Acropolis.

Temple of Olympia Zeus in Athens with the Acropolis in the background.

A look at the Acropolis at night from our hotel.

From our hotel rooftop - ceremonial formation in preparation of the President's arrival.

Greek's President Karolos Papoulias stopped by the Church for some New Year's Day prayers.

A couple of days after Christmas, Matt and I took a quick two and half hour flight from Zurich to Athens, Greece. We started our five day trip out by renting a car and driving west onto the Peloponnese peninsula. Our first stop was for lunch in the city of Corinth. This is where the history of Greece first made it's impression upon us. Corinth dates back to the prehistoric era and is said to be founded by the descendent of the God of the Sun, Helios. While Corinth became famous for it's pottery, it also got a notorious reputation for self-indulgence. Around 51 A.D., the apostle Paul came to reside here for 18 months, writing the famous Letters to the Corinthians.
Our next stop was to Olympia to see where the first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. The weather was perfect for us to wonder through the site, viewing what would have been the quarters for the judges, training centers, temples, and stadium. Of course, a trip to Olympia wouldn't be complete without a friendly race between husband and wife at the stadium track. I'll let you guess who won...
We spent the rest of the trip in Athens. There is so much to say about Athens (and Greece too) that I simply cannot express it all. But, I can say that Matt and I hit all the major attractions, including the Acropolis and Parthenon. We were surprised by how you could stumble across amazing archeological sites all throughout the downtown area. Our 12 Euro ticket we bought covered pretty much all of these places. There were also many museums with extraordinary pottery and sculptures, most ranging from 1,000 B.C. to 1,000 A.D.
We also had a lot of fun shopping in the markets with the knock off purses, cologne, pirated DVD's, and jewelry. We were able to pick up some other things at good prices that would cost a small fortune here in Zurich.
New Year's Eve proved to be quite calm with not many Greeks drinking on the street, completely contrary to our preconceived notions, we ended up celebrating at the rooftop bar with the hotel owner, some workers, and fellow guests. (And there was not one plate to be smashed!)
As we were about to depart on the 1st, we noticed the street was blocked and the military and secret service were out. It turns out that Greece's President Karolos Papoulias was attending the church right across the square for some New Year's Day prayer. It was amazing to see, and we got a great view from the hotel rooftop. We were so surprised that with all the secret service on the ground, not one person was stationed on any of the rooftops in the surrounding area. Hmmm....guess security isn't quite the same (or necessary) in Greece.
Now we are back in rainy, cloudy Zurich. Matt goes back to work tomorrow as today, January 2nd, is still a public holiday here in Switzerland.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!