And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more...

I am exhausted! This trip has been great so far and I've done so many things, but I feel like I'm on a forced march to see all Greece has to offer... which has it's advantages and disadvantages. Advantage 1: my sweet calves on my legs are growing stronger by the minute! 2: museum privileges - I flash a badge and a smile and get right in for free! :) and 3. (oh, yes.) I get to meet and learn from so many prominent scholars in my field and see so many amazing sites. I have to admit, despite the exhaustion, it has been a great trip so far.

Our group spent the fourth of July in style with a garden party at the American School. Even without the fireworks, we all managed to have a pretty good time. There's nothing like hot dogs and beer to remind you of home. :)

Now that we've been in Athens for a few days, I am beginning to realize how much I've missed our bus rides on Crete. Bus-time was optimal time for sleeping. We would drive and arrive at a site, hike up a steep trail, and then stand around the site or museum. Fabulous. Now that we are back in Athens and pretty familiar with the city, we've been walking 30-45 minutes every day just to travel to our destination. That makes for some tired legs! But I must say, I've gotten pretty good with the navigation (Jason, you would be sooo proud!). And with map in hand, I can get just about anywhere in Athens on my own (and surprisingly, groups of people trust me enough to follow my lead). I feel lazy if I use the metro, but on some days, it's just either too hot or I'm too tired! But walking around gives you such a feel for the vibrance of the city. Guaranteed there's a little kiosk on every corner and when you pass by any restaurant, there's always someone there to try to entice you to sit down at their place. It's noisy and dirty and crowded, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I love it!

These past few days we've been to three different museums (and some of them more than twice) and they have been pretty neat! The new Acropolis Museum is designed to mimic aspects of the Acropolis itself. The lay out is nice and there are so many galleries. Surprisingly, it rained the other day and a few of us managed to make it to the museum before the downpour (but an hour earlier than our appointment) and so we ended up spending that entire time in only one gallery. I had a good time, but I realized that my tolerance for standing in a museum maxes out at two hours.

Tomorrow we head out on a day trip to Eleusis and other fun places and I heard rumor of an amazing beach along the way. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some relaxing beach time!

Until next time...