Our trip began at the departure gate at Newark airport where we saw our flight announced
and then boarded the plane and had a drink
and then dinner
and after minimal sleep we woke up to a breakfast
before we landed in Athens next to this El Al plane
and marched past the smoking room
and enjoyed the Greek signage out of focus
and in before we got to our hotel in Athens and were sent off for a short walk while waiting for our room.
Walking around the acropolis, we saw this sign which mentioned the ongoing revolution I suppose
and then stopped
for a drink
at a taverna
and as we walked around the Acropolis rock, this picture of Suzanne and me
was taken by Christian
as we walked by mosaics
and noted the Parthenon atop the Acropolis rock
before signing into our room and settling in for a nap.
After some rest, we headed out for dinner which began with bread
and ouzo
and then expanded into tsatziki
and Greek salad
as Christian and Suzanne posed
and then Christian took this photo of Suzanne and me
as our meal arrived
The next morning began with breakfast at the hotel
which put Suzanne
and me
into a good mood as we went back for more
and then noted the location of the afternoon's lecture
before beginning our walk about town passing the New Acropolis Museum
and going to the Plaka where for a moment, I thought Dimitris meant shoes
until I realized that it was the proprietor's name.
We continued our walk through the Plaka
and then came onto Syntagma Square where we saw the first signs of protest
and this poorly executed grafitti
as we continued through the protest signs in the square
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With my ticket (well, it worked!)
I boarded and watched the neighboring ships
as we pulled out of Pieraes
and started to leave a large wake
as we sailed past islands
at a reasonable speed
even as Shirley and Dimitri spoke
and we passed rocks
and islands in the distance
and small boats
which must have enjoyed our wake
even as we continued along the way repeating scenery and conversation
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The next day, I did take a picture of our room
and of the grounds of the hotel
and of Constantin but then I somehow forgot my camera for the day's events, a serious error on my part.
Fortunately, Christian took this obligatory photo of me in the marble city
Friday was to be our last day as a group and so I recorded breakfast
and Suzanne
Margaret
Mary
and Shirley, Clayton, Dimitri and Constantin at the other table
as Dimitri was ready
but the bus driver was injured and so we had to switch buses
before we could begin our journey to the old town encompassing the castle and the museum.
We continued our walk -- up and up --
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Saturday on Naxos began with breakfast
as Clayton and Margaret came down for their last moments on the island
and Suzanne
and I checked in for the day
before we checked the Marshes out and sent them on their way.
We decided to go to the Plaka Beach
and after a first beach
that Suzanne marched to
we decided on a second
and made our way to chairs and umbrella (not a bad deal for 7 Euros)
and enjoyed the scenery
and the wind surfer
before deciding we needed something to eat and so heading north to the crowded town
and using the menu
to order beer
water
garlic bread
a lovely sandwich
and a Greek salad
and then the bill came.
After a rest, we decided to walk into town
past the monuments
and watch the sun set
and as we watched the pilgrims in the background make their way to the door structure (in an exercise we believe assures that the sun will come up tomorrow and sow e are grateful to them)
we watched the sun set
from the comfort of a taverna with our ouzo and bread
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Our last breakfast on Naxos
and so as Suzanne
and I ate
we also remembered the pies set out every day
and took pictures with our hostess who had been incredibly helpful and very nice
and then headed for one last tour through the town
looking down at the buried Mycenean ruins
and up at this coat of arms
before going to visit the statue of the one Greek Prime Minister from this island.
On our shopping excursion, we got these pictures of owls for Jeff's collection of same
and I took pictures of narrow passage ways
as Suzanne spoke with shop keepers and worked at keeping the Greek economy going
so that I could go back to my passage way photos
before we headed to the dock
and got in line for our boat to Santorini
from which we saw these views along the way
before landing and being in the crush of people getting off.
But, once off, this gentleman with the sign
set us on our way back to the Hotel Akrotiri
where we admired the view as always
and had a small drink
before heading out to the black beach to explore. A ride down a very bumpy road led to this beautiful scene on the beach
and out to sea
as we studied the rock formations and explored
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The next morning I left Suzanne
chatting with Ginny Boguxki
as Peter and Tom joined me
for the trip tot he workshop where we met Dimitri and Benedict
who suggested I take a photo through the camera back
as the audience assembled
and Tim
Andreas
and Christos posed during my talk.
After the talks, we went to the fresco lab and watched the action
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The workshop on Tuesday began in the fresco lab
and then moved on to Tom's talk
which this lizard attended.
Later, we met to discuss future collaborations and there boxes of pieces from room 7 emerged
as the discussion continued
and fragments came forth
along with completed frescoes
and a visit to the site itself which is getting ready for visitor traffic soon.
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Wednesday we traveled beginning with this Aegean flight from Santorini to Athens
as Suzanne read her book
and then during the layover in Athens having this cheese pie
as Suzanne was going slowly
but it took me a while
to get in frame.
From there, we were on to Warsaw
where we were served this towelette
and this meal en route.