Where in the World???

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog and there's a reason!  Okay, there are two reasons.  First, I was getting ready for a vacation and second, I was on vacation.  Friends I've vacationed with for more than 25 years invited me to join them on a Mediterranean cruise.  How could I pass that up??

After our initial flight got cancelled due to severe weather in New York, we finally left a day late for Athens, Greece.  We arrived in time to visit the Acropolis and, after a quick night's sleep, we were then able to board our cruise ship.

Arriving in Athens, I was surprised at the landscape.  I expected it to be lush and very green.  Instead, it was semi-arid with lots of olive trees and scrub brush.  During the drive in from the airport, we passed one of the Olympic venues from the 2004 games.  After depositing our stuff, we went to lunch at Vasilli's, a lovely restaurant that had been recommended by our tour representative.  It was about two blocks from the hotel and had excellent food.  My first Greek Salad was delicious, with Feta cheese and lots of olives.  After that, we proceeded to the Acropolis.  The temperature was about 90 degrees - very hot but very dry.

June Hamblen with me in front of the entrance to the Acropolis.  It was a long walk up!

We agreed that we'd go up at our own pace and meet at a designated time to go to the next stop on our shortened agenda.   While I do have some pictures of the monuments and scenery, I also kept an eye out for possibilities for quilting designs.  I powered on up the walkway and was swept away by the scenery.  Literally!  It was quite windy on the plateau.  But it provided a wonderful view of the Acropolis.  Given the length of time the Parthenon has been standing and the destruction after being bombed by the Venetians in 1687, it still is impressive.

The Acropolis - undergoing repairs.  There's a five year project to restore and stabilized large sections of the ruins.

They had pieces of columns stored at various locations around the Acropolis.  In fact, most of the friezes and objects that could be removed from the temple had been taken down and replaced with temporary (?) substitutes.  Some were being restored and the remainder had been placed in the new Acropolis Museum.  We didn't make it to that museum but those that did said it was well worth the time to visit the museum prior to visiting the Acropolis.

 I particularly liked the ornamentation on this piece of one of the columns.  An extension of a feathered fan for quilting.  Can't wait to try this out on a quilt!

Theatre of Herodes Atticus added in the 2nd Century AD - still used today

On the way down, I took a side excursion and saw the  theatre of Herodes Atticus.  They were getting ready for a concert later in the week so there was music every once in awhile - great sounds! 

We also visited Hadrian's Gate and another temple site that was never finished.  Caught the bus back to the hotel, had dinner at the same restaurant and crashed.  It was a great start to a wonderful trip.

More quilting designs coming up!

Cheers!