Greece:

The minute we arrived in Greece things got interesting. When the plane landed, we were surprised to see many German flags among the Greek flags. Furthermore, in what may be a first in airport history, our checked baggage actually beat us to the carousel and we were through customs and out of the airport in minutes. My uncle Elias, who lives in Athens, graciously met us at the airport to give us a ride to the hostel. Unfortunately, the reason that we were hurried out of the airport is that our plane was one of the last to land before the arrival of Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, who had come to Athens to request spending cuts in Greece. Security was tight because riots were imminent. As it turns out, Merkel is perceived as the devil in Greece hah. Check out some news coverage:

What the riots meant for us was a very grim spectacle and a forty-minute drive turning into a three to four-hour drive due to crowded streets and closures. I felt terrible for my uncle who had volunteered his time to pick us up, and it was clear throughout our stay that Greece was (and still is) in some very tough times. As a result, at times, I was given a poor impression of some Greeks but given the circumstances, there was no place to judge and I was certain that the riots did not truly reflect the character of the Greek people. Also, despite said circumstances, my uncle Elias was determined to show us a good time, which he accomplished. Our place in Athens was just down the hill from the Acropolis:

And my uncle's apartment was just down the street from our place:

View from the balcony of Elias's apartment

Of course, being in Athens, we were aware that the Ancient Acropolis was a must see. It didn't disappoint:

The new theater of the Acropolis

Ruins of the Erechtheion (temple dedicated to an ancient Greek hero)

Ruins of the Parthenon (temple dedicated to the goddess Athena)

View from the top of the Acropolis

The old theater of the Acropolis (properly, the "Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus")

View of the Acropolis from a nearby hill 

There were several other ruins (not pictured, sorry) within the Acropolis that represent great pieces of history, but have been mostly destroyed over time and thus don't look like much. Two more sites worth visiting were the ruins of the Ancient Agora...

A newer (more like slightly less-old) chapel on the Agora grounds

...and the ruins of the Temple of Zeus:

These ruins, known as the "Athens Gate," lie just outside the temple grounds.

My uncle Elias also gave us a taste of a Greek open-air market one afternoon:

Elias is pictured in the green shirt here.

That night, we visited the New Acropolis Museum, which houses the more sensitive artifacts from the Acropolis. Interestingly, part of the collection from the Parthenon was sold to the British years ago (not by the Greeks, either) and there is a large debate as to why the British Museum will not forfeit the items to, in my opinon (as well as all of Greece's), their rightful home. We learned their side of the story in London, which will come later. Anyway, here are a few poorly taken photos:

The top floor of the museum is meant to replicate the footprint of the Parthenon. The relief artifacts are arranged as they would have appeared on the real structure. Missing pieces were given an empty slot marked with the initials B.M. (British Museum).

We also grabbed a bite to eat at the museum's balcony restaurant.

Realizing that Greece may be our last destination with warm weather, we made several swimming trips to the beach. One of the most fun excursions, made possible by Elias, was a day-trip to the Temple of Poseidon which overlooks a beautiful beach and water so clear you can see your feet with ease when you are neck deep. Take a look:

The beach was on the other side haha.

The temple is visible to the left here.

That just about concludes our week in Greece (for blogging purposes, at least). It was another beautiful country that I would return to in an instant. We were sad to leave but there were more adventures ahead...