Destination: Travel Frustration

Hello again. So although we already did a blog on Athens and Meteora, I thought I'd include some details that we had to leave out. We met some really nice people staying at Varachos Campsite. We met a couple from Australia who rode around in a camper that looked like an ice cream truck and it was called "Funky Whare" which was scrolled along the side of it in bright orange lettering. We also met an English couple who were decked out in a Land Rover complete with tent, refrigerator, water supply, MP3 player and everything else you could imagine. They were traveling from England all the way down to Syria. We also me a nice Australian guy, Glenn, who we chatted with for many nights around the fire. He was on his way to India after a year of travel.
Another interesting aspects of Meteora were the restaurants. You could walk down the street and look in the restaurants and there were only men inside. It took us our own trip to a restaurant to figure this one out. Apparently people eat most dinners at home, but then the men go out for drinks at the restaurants and watch the big screen TV's (way to help out at home guys!). We spent many hours in one restaurant because they had 50 inch plasma screen, which I'm sure you can all imagine, that Seth absolutely loved.
As the days progressed in Meteora it got progressively colder. I don't just mean cool, I mean freezing. And we were in our tent. We ended up sleeping, miserably, in all of our clothes just to keep warm. We even stopped showering because we were too cold...and a little lazy. So on our last night there, we got all bundled up and went to bed, getting ready to wake up at 4:30am to catch an early train back to Athens. Unfortunately that night I couldn't sleep, and ended up waking up at 1:45am. We then caught our train at 6:00am to go down to Athens. Now here's the kicker. Once we got there I was supposed to find the central FedEx to pick up a a package from my mom. However, we soon found that this FedEx was in another city in the middle of nowhere. To make a long story short, we had to take a train, a bus, and a taxi to get to a FedEx that did not have my package. Now there's a waste of three hours!
We went back to Athens and went to the airport to catch our 9:30pm plane to Berlin. We arrived in Berlin, via a very cramped EasyJet plane, to Berlin at 11:30pm. We then caught a bus to take us to the metro station to catch the last metro to our stop. We soon realized upon coming out of the metro that we had no map, and absolutely no idea where we were. Mind you, it was now about 1:00am. We asked a nice kid on the street who actually walked us about a mile to where our hostel was. We check in, took showers and ended up going to sleep at around 2:00am only to catch about 6hrs sleep and leave the next morning on the 11:00am train to Prague where we have been ever since. I think it took us a few days to recuperate from that one. Happy Trails!

Now the pictures:

Camp Meteora:



Xander playing us a tune:



Saying goodbye to Xander:



Amanda bearing the cold:



Look at the temp:



Stuck in the middle of nowhere:



Friends on the train:

Destination: Elevated Sanctification

Well, after we left Athens we came up to Meteora. It is basically in the center of Greece. Its main pull is the monasteries built into the sides of cliffs and mountains. Our first day here, that's after a 3 mile hike with our backpacks to find a campsite that was still open, we hiked up to the monasteries to tour them and get a great view of the city. There were once 26 of these, but there are only 6 left. Once up this tremendously steep hill, we went into the monasteries, where nuns still live, and look down over the nearby towns. We also ate a picnic lunch up there that day. After a truly strenuous day of hiking we went looking for some dinner. We found a restaurant that was essentially placed in the middle of someone's dining room. Although it was a little uncomfortable, the service was great and the food was even better. However, after those first few nights we've been cooking our own food. This place is a really great place to visit, although we have had some really chilly nights. Last night there was heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. Our little tent held up well. Good job Tadpole.
We've met a a lot of really nice people at this campsite, most of whom are just passing through. We've come to the realization that the best way to see the country is via supped-up Land Rover or massive bus. A few of those have come through the campsite and they've all had restful night's sleep. Ah well, I suppose our method builds character.
In a few days we'll be heading back to Athens to pick up a package and catch our flight to Berlin. We'll be there a night, then hop on a train to Prague. We're counting down the days till my parents come. Right now it's 28 days until their arrival. It will be nice to see some familiar faces. Until Prague...

Now the photos:

Us on the hike:





Close up of one of the Monistaries:



Another one:



Some of the art inside ( you are not allowed to take pictures inside the chapel in the monistary this piece done in the same style was ouside so i snapped a picture.):



Amanda placed candles for each of her grandparents and one for Amy.



Mother bighorn teaching her youngling how to stand proud:



Little baby bighorn was a quick learner:



Our snack in the clouds:



And I leave you with a picture that is self explanitory:



Thats all for now...

Destination: Early Civilization

Hello all. We're here again to write about our latest adventures. After leaving a rather chilly Romania, we took our train from Bucharest to Thessaloniki, Greece and then down to Athens. Needless to say the 26 hour train ride was less than relaxing. Aside from being woken up four times at border crossings and choking on cigarette smoke, when you sleep in a sleeper car on a train you are constantly awoken by screeching brakes and the fear of rolling off the top bunk when you make a sudden stop. But, we knew it would all be worth it when we took the eight hour train ride from Thessaloniki to Athens, riding through the mountains and countryside of Greece; it was amazing. The landscape is very similar to California's rolling hills and deserty climate. It made me rather homesick. We eventually arrived in Athens, found a hostel and got settled in. I think it is safe to say that I could probably go a couple years without ever riding a train, and wouldn't be any worse for it.
Our first day was spent walking around the city trying to get our bearings. We knew right off that Athens would be a city we really enjoyed. The people here are really friendly and family oriented and their culture is so rich and steeped in history. Just down the street from our hostel is the Temple of the Olympian Zeus which is a great temple with its pillars still standing. Luckily for us the annual Athens Marathon happened the very next day after our arrival. It supposedly traces the path that the very first marathon took. It was absolutely amazing, and really lucky. The first places went to a man from Kenya and a woman from Ethiopia.
The following day was spent at the Acropolis and the markets. The Acropolis, including the Parthenon, sits atop a hill overlooking the entire city. You can go up and climb all over and ancient part of Greece (while that doesn't seem the best thing for conservation purposes). It was so amazing seeing these structures built thousands of years ago that were built with such ingenuity...and are still standing. We spent a few hours there climbing hills and exploring these ancient ruins, then went down the hill to the outdoor markets. They sell fruits and vegetables as well as clothes, jewelry and lots touristy items. Undoubtedly we were spent after that day.
Other days included as trip to the national archaeological museum (which I found extremely boring and looooooooong). One day we decided to take a trip to one of the islands so we and three of our new friends joined in, Paul from Canada, Mike from Florida, and Gemma from Britain. We took the ferry in the mornign to the island of Aegina and got some fruit at a local boat market thing. We later rented scooters and zoomed around the island which were tons of fun. Amanda was the coolest looking with her little red scooter named "Chappy" and her matching oversized red helmet (the safest of the bunch offered). Rick we now know why you love riding your bike so much. It was a blast. They were not too fast only got up to about 60 k for us Americans that's about 37 mph, but they were super fun. We traversed all over the island visited the beach and saw an amazing temple at the top of the island. It was very well preserved and was marvelous to see. See the pictures below. Then we caught the last ferry home. To say it was a really great day. Especially with the great new friends we now have.
Well, tomorrow we get up bright and early to catch a morning train to Meteora. It is a city right in the middle of Greece where monasteries are built right into the sides of mountains. Seth is really looking forward to seeing them and getting back into camping would be really nice right about now. See ya later!

P.S. You must try the souvlaki in Greece its to die for. Its the best fast food anything I have had. If you don't know what it is look at the picture and then look it up on google.

P.P.S. We are thinking of an October 2006 wedding so save the month for us.

Now the pictures (long overdue):

Acropolis/ and other ruins Pictures:













Market Place:



Me and the birds:



The Marathon:



The original Olympic Stadium:



Souvlaki:



National Gallery:







Our trip to Aegina:

Amanda and our ferry:



Boat fruit stand:



Like father like daughter:



The cool safe helmet:



A local church on the island:



Cool dudes on my hog:



The whole crew:





Mis:

Gemma, Mike, Paul, Amanda and I on the tallest hill in Athens



Paul giving me one of his $50 dollar cuts for free:



View from the top of our hostel:



Thats our ferry behind us.



Sunset picture for my father:



Room one gang (left to right; Gemma, Me, Amanda, Hannah, Barrel, and Carly) :