"On the boat again, I can't wait to get on the boat again". Yes I'm aware that the words have been modified, but thats kind of the way I feel about Athens. It was really good visiting it and I'm glad we went there, but Italy is so much nicer. Today we headed up Acropolis to see the Parthenon and the Temple of Nike/Venus. It was a fair hike up the hills, but it was pretty good at the top. The Parthenon is in it's third cycle of building as the one you see on the outside is the outer layer of three. They are currently restoring the outer layer and leaving the inner ones as is. The whole temple is a temple for Athena who was the Greek Goddess of peace. With Athens involved in so many wars over it's time (against Sparta, the Persians, the Turks and many others including in WWII) it is odd but very fitting that its main relic is dedicated to peace. It is a very pretty building, but quite plain. There is 17 columns along the long side and 8 along the short side. The temple of Nike (which is the god of victory) is much smaller and on the front of the hill. It has just finished being restored so it looks odd at the moment but it will age and the white marble will blend in. We then left Acropolis (it's a mountain and the name of the entire site, not one monument as I thought it was) and headed into town to see where the original modern Olympic Games where held. The stadium is a horseshoe design and is open at one end, it holds a capacity of 60,000 people and was the place of the opening and closing ceremonies and track and field events in 1896. In 2004 it also was used for the archery events of the games. We then went to the houses of parliament. We arrived just in time to see the changing of the guards out the front. It is quite a spectacle to witness grown army men prancing around in dresses and have pom poms on there shoes. Also the movements are very particular and intricate, more like a dance than a military exercise. From there we headed to Patras to catch our ferry with a stop at the Corinth Canal for lunch again. We will arrive it Italy sometime tomorrow afternoon and will be staying in San Marino for the evening which should be fun.

Alex