A bit of a travel day today.

Got up at dawn so we could be at the Acropolis/Parthenon when it opened. Smart. By the time we left, it was well on its way to becoming a 9th Circle of Hell situation. Cruise busses and mobs of people everywhere. The path to the top of the Acropolis is paved in ancient limestone. Ancient limestone is slippery. And yes, I slipped. But I didn’t fall. Because of my cat-like reflexes.

There’s not much you can say about the Acropolis/Parthenon but, “WOW”. It’s truly spectacular, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see it in person, and take some photos. The restoration of the Parthenon is mind-boggling in scope. The entire ground is littered with giant blocks of ancient marble that need to be painstakingly refitted in the exact place they came from. This is gonna take all the kings horses and all the kings men!

Transferred to the Athens airport for our flight to Santorini. Airport was already way past the 9th Circle of Hell. The Greeks use my favorite boarding procedure – chaos. The German in me was having an aneurysm. Arriving into Santorini via the airport and then DRIVING up to the town is way more enjoyable than the whole donkey shit mountain situation from last month. Saw lots of wine grapes on the way to the hotel, anxious to see more of those tomorrow. We’re all checked in to our hotel, sitting outside watching the sun set, and the moon rise. The sunset “paints” the white houses a pale pink color. Pretty cool.

Fun Fact: The buildings on Santorini are painted white not just because it’s cooler in the summer. There was a cholera outbreak in 1938, and the then dictator of Greece decreed that all houses were to be painted white, because the white paint contained limestone, which doubled as a disinfectant, helping to keep a lid on the spread of cholera.