Raj: After a few days off with an annoying cold, it was good to be back in the mix and be out and about. Disappointingly I missed the last day at the beach in Naxos and a day's excursion in Athens. I haven't lost my appetite however, and have continued to enjoy the fantastic Greek cuisine and the surroundings which go with it. Yesterday after a late start we made it to the Acropolis and the Museum, both of which are a must see for all visitors to Athens. It's difficult to fathom how these sites were constructed 1000's of years ago - an engineering feat. Not all the history is known (some is myth) and very little remains due to fire, wars, looting and lack of care until recent time. A great deal of effort has gone into restoration and the new Museum displays many of the original and reconstructed artefacts.
Today is our last day in Greece (and Europe) and we fly back to London this evening. We have spent an amazing 3 months in Europe - wow I can't believe how much we've travelled, seen and done. For me this has been an unforgettable adventure and I have thoroughly enjoyed the richness of history, beauty and diversity in this part of the world. As a Kiwi it makes NZ feel so small, distant, simple and easy. I could easily stay here longer but time to move on. I can't say I'm looking forward to the cooler temperatures in London, and in no time at all we'll be turning our minds to USA and the last leg of our adventure.

Vikki: As we've repacked the bags and now attempt to heft them on our backs to take our last metro ride to the airport, I can look back over the past 3 months and think crikey we have done a lot and accumulated a reasonable amount of extra "stuff". Going back through photos and remembering many of the things we've seen and done, it's such a mixture and a bit of a mind blast. The last 3 days in Athens have been really enjoyable and I'm glad that we had a few days here to end the trip. The history is phenomenal, everywhere you look there is something to see and learn about. The restoration projects underway at many of the sites (especially the Acropolis) were fantastic to learn about and was probably the aspect that I most enjoyed. Such a skill!
Now as we head back to London, we ready for final part of our adventure - last days in London and then onto the USA. Some great family time finishing up with the fun of LA & Vegas at the end. Being home and heading back to work is now starting to creep into my thoughts more regularly, and surprisingly isn't too daunting - yet!

Harley: Over the time that we have been in Athens a highlight has been the Temple of Zeus, which I mentioned in our last blog. Another highlight was visiting the Acropolis, where we saw the Parthenon which was a temple built for the Goddess Athena. It took 9 years to build and was damaged in 267 AD by a fire. It got bombed in 1687 which destroyed most of it so there's not much standing now.
Today we went to the National Archeological Museum. In the museum there was lots of very old Greek sculptures and treasures. One marble sculpture was about 3700 years old!!! There were also lots of bronze sculptures and decorations, and vases. I tried to find a vase like the one that I made at school which was called a Hydra Vase, but we couldn't find it. Today is also our last day in Greece and Europe, and tonight we fly out to London.

Anouk: So far in Athens I have enjoyed seeing the ruins and exploring the city. We have been looking in a lot of shops and have also seen a couple of tortoises walking along the streets! A couple of my favourite sites were the Temple of Zeus and the Acropolis which has the Parthenon. At the Temple of Zeus we saw marble pillars with a few decorations left on the top. It's over 2000 years old so there's not much left of it. The pillars are very tall and white. At the Acropolis we also saw lots of pillars, some looked unstable. There were lots of pieces of stone and marble, all over the grounds, and lots of different sizes. We were up really high and had great views of Athens seeing buildings and houses below. It was really hot so we didn't stay for too long. After, we went to the Acropolis Museum and learnt a few facts about it like it took 9 years to build, it's about 2500 years old and it was built as a temple for the Goddess Athena. The temple was damaged by a fire and a big part destroyed by a bomb, so there's not much left of it today.
Tomorrow I am looking forward to waking up back in London and then soon being in the USA.