The Acropolis and Athens

Mars Hill

“19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22 ¶Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”

— Acts 17:22

Climbing the rocks of Mars Hill ... incredible view of the city (below) and the Acropolis (above)

Sweetest tour guide at the Acropolis 

Temple of Athena

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Walking through the Plaka to the Acropolis

Several rescued statues now on display at the Acropolis Museum

The view of the Acropolis at night is stunning!

I know this may be super obvious to everyone, but they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in England.  :)  That Thursday is just another day in the city of London, but because we are at an American school, they give us the time off.   Its not a European holiday, and so its the best time to travel- low fares, no crowds, decent weather still... we decided to book a last-minute trip to Athens and take advantage of this!  We were all looking forward to sunshine and warmer weather and seeing Greece!  I've never been and was really excited to see and learn about this ancient city that you study so much in school growing up (thats what we kept telling the kids, "you will learn about this one day and you can now say 'I've been there- I've seen the Acropolis!'").    

We landed on Wednesday afternoon and drove to our hotel in the Plaka, the old historical neighborhood clustered around the Acropolis (also called the "Neighborhood of the Gods").  We knew it wasn't beach weather, so we splurged a little on a hotel with an indoor pool so the kids could go swimming too (which they loved because they haven't been swimming in 6 months!!).  I have to admit, driving through Athens is a little bit of a let-down...the city feels run-down, old, dirty, and not in the best upkeep at all.  I was worried that we were going to run out of things to do in the 5 days we had planned to stay.  But, as long as we are together, right?!? :)

On Thursday morning, we decided last-minute to head to Hydra (see those very entertaining posts here and here).

We finally arrived back in Athens on Saturday morning, ready for showers and clean clothes.  After letting the girls swim for a couple of hours, we got ready and walked the 15 minutes to the Acropolis.  We found a tour guide outside and she was this adorable, sweet older lady that used to live in St. John's Wood!  Crazy.  Anyway, she was a true veteran of all things ancient Greece so she gave us a great tour- it made it even better that we could hardly understand her through her thick accent, definitely made it more authentic! We loved it.  The ruins are incredible...I kept saying that I wish I could snap my fingers and just briefly go back in time to see what life was like 2,500 years ago when the Parthenon was finished.  

The views of the city from the Acropolis were amazing...you could see how people thought it was the center of the world with its rolling hills set right on the vast Aegean Sea.  The stories of the ancient Athenian Gods and their part in this history is always so interesting too.  We finished our tour with a delicious dinner on the roof of a restaurant under the eye of the Acropolis and in the heart of the Plaka before finishing up our night at the incredible Acropolis Museum.

The next morning, we were able to attend church right in Athens, directly across from the ruins of the temple of Zeus.  I seriously love going to church in different parts of the world- it really is one of my favorite things.  We flew out shortly after the meetings ended.  We left Greece with stars in our eyes- our initial hesitation about how the trip was going to go, all of its ups and downs and amazing sights packed those 5 days chock-full of memories that we hold so close- it was a trip we will never forget and we really just have the warmest feelings about our time in this incredible country.  It has been one of our favorite trips because of the unforgettable memories we made together.

Stranded

So, the next morning, Brian woke up bright and early to book a ride on the first ferry out at 7:30 AM.  However, he was quickly told that this ferry had been cancelled due to the big storm rolling in and we would have to wait to get on the final 2:30 PM ferry.  Then, 5 minutes later, he learned that this ferry had also been cancelled (its apparently only happened one other time in their history).  That meant our first chance out was not until the next day IF the weather cleared up, which it wasn't slated to do!  Remember, we only had the clothes on our backs and were crammed into a hotel room on a tiny island while still booked for our hotel in Athens.  We were stuck!  Lots of anxiety going on about now because we had no idea when we would be able to get off the island and back to our stuff and our original vacation plans.  

Day 2...climbing all the hills in town

Everyone knows everyone else on Hydra and now they know us!! ;

By this time, we had explored every inch of Hydra and were worried about entertaining the kids when it did stop raining.   Lets add to this that Tessa pee'd the bed...so Brian and I were washing all of her clothes out (the same ones that had vomit on them) in the bathroom sink and drying them in our rooms with hairdryers so she wouldn't have to be naked for too long.  I have to admit that there was some freaking out going on between Brian and I- this stranded thing was definitely not in the plans.  When the rain would clear during the day, we would explore more- climbing every hill and seeing the island from every vantage point.  By this time, we were the ONLY tourists on the entire island (our American friends had to take a 30-minute ferry to the Peloponnese and a 3-hour taxi ride to Athens so they could catch their 6AM flight out the next morning).  The locals were clamoring for our business, but soon realized that it was time to shut their doors- almost everything closed down at like 2 pm.  It was sad and also funny (I can say it was funny now because we are home safe and sound).  We ate a delicious dinner as the sun set over the gorgeous island, and we were hopeful about getting out the next morning (even though every local/new friend we talked to had a different prediction of how it would turn out).  We had come to grips with our situation, whatever it may be, and decided to just go with it.    Brian bought some hygiene basics and we hunkered down for another night.  

Our last night at the yummiest restaurant in town (we tried several!)  No makeup, no problem. Appearances were definitely starting to deteriorate...haha- so many awesome memories with these people that I love so much!

Brian woke up early again and headed to the ferry office to book our trip back.  Despite horrible weather predictions for that hour, the ferry was going to be taking off!  We were so relieved!  We didn't have anything to pack, so we quickly headed out to the port and boarded our ferry, riding through the tiny Greek islands dotting the sea as the sun rose on Greece.  It was gorgeous.  We made it back to our Athens hotel and let the girls swim for a couple of hours, got showered and put on clean clothes (never taking that for granted again!) and headed out for the day to the Acropolis.

Hydra, Greek Island

Because the weather in Athens wasn't looking too great, we decided to board a ferry for the island of Hydra (pronounced EE-dra).  It was a 2-hour ride from the port of Piraeus (a short taxi from Athens) to the car-less island.  But before we arrived, the dreaded sea-sickness struck again!! It was a really rocky ride and the kids started throwing up (Tessa mostly, and she managed to land a good portion of it on Brian, who happened to be holding her).  It was a smaller boat, and there was another American family on there with us- they happened to have some seasickness gum that they shared with us and that curbed all but one remaining Taylor vomit.  We would get much closer to this family in the coming days. ;)

We landed on Hydra in the afternoon and seriously swooned at this place.  Brian and I immediately looked at each other and said we couldn't spend just 3 hours here (which was when the last ferry for the day left for the ride back to Athens).  But, first donkeys!  There are no cars on Hydra so the only ways to get around are with water taxis and donkeys- ooh the charm!!  Of course we HAD to ride the donkeys, who were lined up along the water with their enthusiastic owners pedaling rides.  Taylor was a little hesitant (last time she rode a four-legged animal, she broke her arm) but the rest of us were in dreamland.  Like, this is real life??  Riding donkeys on a Greek island...and a gorgeous, perfect, charming, did I say gorgeous island at that?  There were beautiful, tiny, maze-like alleys flanked by whitewashed homes with flowered arches overhead...so dreamy!  And, to add to the memory, those guys leading our donkeys were fighting with each other the entire 30-minute ride over who-knows-what because it was all Greek to us!  But, we couldn't talk to each other because they were so loud and stubborn and we were just seriously laughing about it the whole time. During the trip, when our girls weren't getting along we would say "don't be a donkey walker" so it reminded them of how obnoxious it can be to listen to. :)  Such funny, good memories.  Hydra is a tiny island so we ran into the only other tourists, our American friends from the ferry ride, around every corner.  They were the nicest.

Riding donkeys on a Greek island!! Taylor holding on for dear life...I love her! (Reminds Brian and I of her death grip riding bikes in downtown Paris, here)

Island of Hydra upon arrival...seriously beautiful.

We walked all long the paths on either side of the bay, mesmerized by the beauty and the clear, green, rocky waters of the Aegean Sea.  We had to stick our toes in too!  There is something about being on vacation, relaxing in warm weather and listening to water lapping against rocks (or sand, in other cases) that is so perfect.  I wanted to stay in that moment forever. 

We walked back and made the final choice to let the last ferry leave without us and get a cheap hotel room for one night and just sleep in our clothes.  The kids were pretty excited about not having to brush their teeth or get ready for bed!  After searching for a while (99% of hotels were closed due to off-season), we found two rooms at a hotel with two single beds in each.  The girls all crowded in 4 deep to their two little beds in their own room.  We found a yummy restaurant to eat Thanksgiving dinner- they even had turkey, but no worries, it tasted nothing like any turkey I've ever eaten.  ;)   And, halfway through our dinner, our American friends came to the same restaurant.  So, it was like eating dinner with a big group of friends on Thanksgiving!  We ate and talked for a couple of hours and then we headed off to bed for the night.

Probably just as many cats on this island as people!  The alleys here were gorgeous.

Trying to find a hotel...

Ice cream makes everything better

 To be continued...

On Gratitude

A new parents meeting for our girls' school

The perfect house where the headmaster lives.  Isn't that green door awesome?!

Trafalgar Square at sunset

I've been so full of gratitude lately and November is the perfect month to put some of that on paper.  So here goes...

I am grateful for

1. This amazing city we are so lucky to live in.  When we first moved to London, several local friends said that they thought it was "the greatest city in the world".  I was a skeptic because the initial transition was difficult, but now I totally know what they're talking about and I wholeheartedly agree. This city has sunk its claws into us and we are forever changed because of it.  

2. The beautiful buildings everywhere you look.  There really is no shortage of uniquely gorgeous buildings- everywhere you look and at every turn.  Sometimes I will take a book to read on the bus while I get around and I have a hard time keeping my nose in it because of this.  

3. How clean London is.  The powers that be are clearly devoted to this and I love it.  Every time we come home from a vacation, I notice it all over again because it isn't like that everywhere in Europe.  

4. The gardens.  Wow.  I cannot imagine the amount of work and design that goes into tending these perfect plots of land scattered all over the city.  I've never seen anything like it and I can now appreciate a true English garden.  I love that we live so close to Regents Park so we can see the gorgeous greenery anytime and you should, because it is changed out all of the time.

5. The school my kids are so incredibly lucky to attend.  A couple of weeks ago, Brian and I got to attend a meeting for new parents at the home of the headmaster (see pictures above).  We were both blown away by the philosophies, care and devotion the teachers and administration have for their jobs and their students.  Like blown away.  A few days after this meeting, parents of 4th graders were invited to come to a musical informance (informal performance) where the kids in Taylor's class were all playing the xylophones together.  Their teacher asked the eager parents (myself included) to put their phones away so they could really SEE their kids playing instead of watching it through a screen- which I loved!  The thoughtfulness of that set a perfect mood.  I was almost brought to tears when it started and I can't really explain why other than an overwhelming sense of gratitude for this whole experience that my kids get to have.  It is so unlike anything they've ever done and I just felt so many happy emotions from getting to take part in it.

6. How healthy we've all been (Knock on wood, right?!?!).  No one has been really sick since we've been here- minor stuff only.  It doesn't happen often with 4 kids in school, but I sure am grateful for it.

7. The culture we get to experience.  So much talent, whether its artwork at a museum, people performing outside of the tube, broadway plays everywhere, and every different kind of cultural food you can imagine.

8. The diversity in London.  You can walk down our street and literally hear 10 different languages.  Its pretty amazing. 

9. The proximity to so many countries and the ease and affordability of travel.  I could go on and on and on making this point.  Life-changing, eye-opening, growth stuff.

10. Our church, more specifically our ward here.  Brian and I both have callings that have stretched us a lot.  We have a close relationship with the missionaries and have had so many opportunities to share the gospel in our home, which has been such a great experience for our family.  We are deep, deep, deep in the mission field out here and I love what it has done for us.

11.  Our family and friends back home.  We miss you guys so much.  Because of the time difference, it makes communication with the States hard, at best. Its not easy to stay in touch all of the time, but we think of you often.  Since living here, my grandma has passed away, one sister-in-law and two sisters (my twin included!) have had babies.  Its been really tough not to be there for these things and to feel SO FAR away.  I'm just grateful that our family has so many people that we love and that we know love us.