Man, it is truly amazing. Athens is a real city with a great past. So far, everyone is very friendly. I love this place.

I have a terrible internet connection and have been battling it for several days. As I'm sure you know, there are a number of definitions of high speed internet. This is supposed to be high speed. It ain't. It's difficult to load pictures. I'm hopeful that I can upload more pics when we get to Rome tomorrow. (I'm in Rome now and I'm lovin' this internet!)

Anyway, anyone who likes people or history should come to Athens. The Acropolis is a fortress up on a huge rock. On top of the Acropolis is a large flat area (about six acres). This is where the Parthenon and the Erechtheion sit. The Parthenon is amazing. The Erechtheion, though overshadowed by the Parthenon, is equally impressive with its porch of maidens (Porch of the Caryatids). There is a new museum which houses many of the treasures of the Acropolis called the Museum of the Acropolis. Unfortunately, many of the treasures are sitting in the British Museum (stolen or borrowed in the late 1800s).

I was totally blown away by the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The 15 columns that are left are 56 feet high, though they seem even taller. The temple was started in the sixth century BC but was abandoned for centuries before the Roman Hadrian completed the project. The entrance to this Temple was the Arch of Hadrian. I don't understand how you can start a Temple to your most powerful God then leave it sitting uncompleted for hundreds of years. Wouldn't that truly put your God in a very foul mood? I'm just askin'.

The marketplace is a neat place. There is simply too much to see and do.

Oh, let me say a couple of things about the people that I have met. The Greeks have been extremely warm and friendly to me and my wife. I can't have asked for better hosts on my first trip to Europe.

Will upload more pics later.