The Climb

We have had very busy days...let me catch you up:

We went to two islands yesterday, the first was Crete and the second Santorini. We only had a couple of hours in Crete so we toured the ancient palace and then headed back to the boat. When we began to approach Santorini it was even more incredible than I had imagined. The town is built on the top of a cliff and there are only three ways up: Gondola, Donkey, and by foot. If you look at the picture up close you can see the zig zag path that leads to the top. David, Pam, and I decided to save 4 euro and walk up the path to the top. Sounded like a great idea...we did not take into consideration that not only would we be sharing the path with donkeys but we would also be walking through their waste...oh that smell still haunts me! We persevered and made it to the top. The experience in Santorini was worth the strenuous climb up. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Today we disembarked from the cruise ship and have settled in at our hotel in Athens. This morning we tried to visit the Acropolis but due to protesters and the riot police we were turned away. Perhaps you saw this report at home?

Instead, we went on to visit Mars Hill and the Agora of ancient Athens. Dr.May read Acts 17:22-34 as we stood on Mars Hill. After having a fantastic lunch we decided to try our luck again at the Acropolis. Not only was it open, but we were allowed to enter for free! The Parthenon looked incredible with most of the scaffolding gone that had previously existed. It was a beautiful day in Athens and I did my best to soak up the beauty of the sun peering through the columns of the Parthenon. Athens has treated us well already! Tomorrow we head to Delphi. Dr. May has challenged me to a race and I have accepted. Wish me luck! I will try to post pictures from Athens tomorrow. You can see the rest of the island pictures by following this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029407&id=125600168&1=e6842e89b6

Getting my running shoes out...

your friend,

Melissa