Various Vantastic Visits, Sweethearts 1

This naturally formed rock at Delphi marks the center of the universe.  Really?!

This is the temple at Delphi where the Oracle was located.

Theater at Delphi.

Our first visitors this spring were Lena and Aaron.  We got to keep them with us for about three weeks.  They were here over Easter and we were invited to go to Ioninna  in northern Greece to spend Easter with family.  Although the weather didn't cooperate and was rainy we had a wonderful lamb cooked in the oven rather than on the outdoor spit.  We drove to Ioninna and stopped at Delphi on the way there and Athens on the way back.

We went on a road trip on Crete when we got back.  Went to Iraklio and then to the south coast where Lena and Aaron hiked from Chora Sfakia to Loutro.  They really liked Loutro and thought it would be a good ida to just say there for a week or so, but we only had one day.

This is the Stoa of Atalos at the Agora in Athens.  It was reconstructed in the early 1900s using the same type of materials and methods that were originally used.  The columns were not fluted for about the bottom 6 feet on public buildings so that people could lean on them comfortably.  Only the temple columns were fluted all the way down.  

Sweethearts

Stoa of Atalos

At the base of the Athens Acropolis on the north side is small neighborhood that was built by immigrants from the Cycladic Islands.  So this neighborhood looks like what you might see on Santorini.  The picture below is of this same neighborhood.

This is in Athens and is an interesting example of the tradition of painting every thing with a fresh coat of whitewash just prior to Easter.  Look closely at the sidewalk.  It seems like it would have been easier to move the mother cycle than to white wash around it.  This makes me think there must be a story here somewhere.

Grier, Lena, and Aaron getting on the ferry to come home from Athens to Crete.

View of Piraus from the ferry.

On the ferry deck.

This is Loutro on the south coast of Crete.  You can hike here or get here by boat.

Lena heading down for a swim.

And Aaron too.

Little fish.

Still in Loutro.

Loutro and guess who.

This is a fisherman setting his nets.

Here's the ferry that we rode back to Chora Sfakia.

Back to the Athens ferry.  Here's what our cabin looked like.