I just thought this was a beautiful rock arrangement in front of my hotel the Proteas Blue Resort in Pythagoras and it reminded me of my good friend Bonnie Davis who is a rock lover. (Bonnie said it reminded her of St. Nectan’s Glen in Tintagel, England!)

I took the ferry from Kusadasi, Turkey to Samos, Greece…about a 90-minute boat ride…but it took close to an hour to clear customs in Samos because only one customs agent was working. It was worth the wait because Samos is a small, uncluttered and quaint town. May 16, 2015

Samos, at least while we were there, wasn’t yet over run with us tourists types. In order to meet Alice and Tammy for dinner in Samos, I had to take a cab from my hotel in Pythagoras into Samos. According to the cab drivers, unemployment is at 30% and the young people are leaving the town to make a living elsewhere. May 16, 2015

Although we arrived on Samos on a Saturday, there were only a few shops and restaurants open, the town was pretty quiet. May 16, 2015

After dropping my suitcase off at the hotel….in Greece, I made made my way to the Athens cemetery. Our Rick Steves tour group doesn’t get together until 6:30 to meet the group and the tour guide so that gave me an opportunity to spend the after, exploring on my own. May 18, 2015

After meeting with my Rick Steves “Athens & the Heart of Greece” tour guide and group, we all took a short stroll to our restaurant. This is a night view of the Acropolis in Athens from my table at the restaurant. Stunning! May 18, 2015

Grave of Georgics Avyeroff.
George M. Averoff (15 August 1815, Metsovo – 15 July 1899, al-Raml/Ramleh, Alexandria), alternately Georgios Averof (in Greek: Γεώργιος Αβέρωφ), was a Greek[1] businessman and philanthropist. He is one of the great national benefactors of Greece. Born in the town of Metsovo (Epirus, Greece, then Ottoman Empire) Averoff moved to Alexandria while still young. He was known through most of his life for founding numerous schools in both Egypt and Greece. May 18, 2015

The First Cemetery of Athens.

In Athens at the cemetery. May 18, 2015

The Acropolis, considered the most ancient site in the Western world, sits above the city of Athens as a testament to its ancient splendor, which dates back to the 5th Century B.C., which was considered the Golden Age. The four architectural structures, which transformed throughout the centuries as Athens transformed were the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea and the Temple of Athena. There is so much history regarding the Acropolis that it truly boggles the mind, but suffice it to say, even in ruins the structures and site of the Acropolis are everything a history geek dreams of. Heading up to the Acropolis, this is the theatre or Odeon of Herodes Atticus. It was built during the time when the Romans lay claim to the Acropolis. May 19, 2015

The grand Propylaea is the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. It was constructed in five years. 437-432 B.C… just after the Parthenon was finished. May 19, 2015

A close up of the Propylaea or grand entrance into the Acropolis in Athens. May 19, 2015

The Parthenon though largely in ruins, still commands one’s attention at the Acropolis in Athens. It was built during 447-438 B.C., as a temple to the Virgin Athena. May 19, 2015

Me with the hordes of other tourists posing with the ancient ruins of the Parthenon in the Acropolis in Athens. May 19, 2015

The Erechtheum in the Acropolis in Athens was built between 421-406 B.C. and was considered a place of worship. May 19, 20105

The Porch of the Caryatids is a balcony of the Erechtheum that houses six beautiful maidens whose function is as columns to support the roof. These are copies. Five of the originals are displayed at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. The sixth was sold to and removed by Lord Elgin who shipped it to London. May 19, 2015