Sunday, June 3, 2012

It's more Italy! (And a few Greece.)


These are in no way in any type of order, but since they are such a pain to upload in the first place, this how they shall come. These first few are leftovers from Athens.

Best jumping picture we could get...because you have to have a jumping picture at the beach. Morgan, Merilee, Keri, Rebekah, Kirsten.

Found this marble rock with a smiley face on it - since we had just come from Florence, we felt it was only fitting to name him after Michelangelo's David. He's our new roadtrip buddy.

The crew at the beach in Athens - Keri, Morgan, Michael, Rebekah, Kirsten, Merilee.

Pebble beach, clear water, sick tan line.

Back to Italy! All over Italy...some random Rome, parts of Pompeii, and a few from Florence. And maybe a  pic or two from Naples. And Ravenna. And Pompeii. And Herculaneum. And Italy.

Doryphoros! Trust me, it's cool.

I'm legit - inside the "Do Not Enter" zone.

Pompeii.

Pretending to be an arch at the stadium in Pompeii.

Climbing the dome - 500 stairs.

Me at the tope of Brunelleschi's dome. Best. Day. Ever.

Group at the top - Whitney, Morgan, Emily, Stephanie, Jessica, Michael, Erika, Kirsten, Lauren, Keri.

View from the top of the dome.

Sitting by the river in Florence - Whitney, Jessica, Keri.

View from the monastery in Florence - Michael, Jessica, Whitney, Phillip, Keri, Lauren, Stephanie.

Keri and Jessica - note how large the cathedral is in the background. Definitely a showstopper of a building.

The courtyard at the Medici summer home where I saw the most amazing fashion exhibit.

Terrible picture for memory's sake - best dinner in Italy? Nin Hao Ciao Ciao (it's punny, I promise) Chinese Restaurant. So good, and so cheap.

View from my bedroom window in Florence - watching the sunrise.

SAN VITALE! Ravenna.

Outside the cathedral in Florence, decked out in my best tourist garb.

The only parking ticket I ever saw in Italy. People park wherever they want.

St. Peter's at night.

First night in Naples. Giant pizza. Before...
...After. Downed it in ten minutes flat.

The extent of Naples' beauty. 

The group at the Apolline Project - an archaeological dig BYU was involved in.

Peacock in a tree. Only in Italy.

On the alter outside the Temple of Hera II in Paestum.

Lizard. They were everywhere.

Fresh mozzarella and tomato sandwich - a delicacy in the area of Paestum.

Makeshift clothesline in Pompeii - Ipod charger, two bobby pins, cardboard box, and a tube of toothpaste. I'm a champion.

The group in Herculaneum.

Incredible scholar working on translating a scrool found in Herculaneum.

Peace! I'm hitting up Berlin, Paris, London, and Dublin for the next two weeks!


Good Times in Greece.


Greece is officially my favorite place in the world. We spend a few days in Athens, then spent five days bussing across the country stopping at lots of places along the way. Here is a jumble of pictures from my week in Greece.

View from Mars Hill (where Paul taught) in Athens.

They have Speculoos cookies here. Heaven is closer than I thought.

View from the Acropolis. Yeah. I went there.

View from Mycenae.

Eating real Greek yogurt and honey.

The Acropolis - Erika, Stephanie, Emily, Keri, Whitney

Lion Gate at Mycenae

Treasury of Atrius

View from the "castle"in Nafplio

Chilling on a cliff in Nafplio

Halfway down the 1000 stairs we had to descend from the castle.

Did anyone ever realize how big these columns are?

Flexing after our race in the ancient Olympic stadium - Keri, Rebekah, Merilee

Chandelier and dome at the Monastery of Hosias Loukas. 

View from Hosias Loukas - Rachel S, Keri

Had to wear these skirts to be modest enough to see the Great Meteora - one of what I call the "floating monasteries" at Kalambaka - Remi, Keri, Jessica, Kirsten, Whitney

"Floating Monastery"- there were several - they sit at the top of this isolated cliffs, taking up all the space on top, and look like they should just topple down.

View from the Great Meteora.

Halfway down...after this I had to climb back up the other side.

Port at Thessaloniki

Toga party in Greece - it was a must.