Janna and lambs

Out for a walk with Matt's mum in the fields around Biggin Hill. Reminds us of TN!

St Mary's Cambridge

Spent a great afternoon in Cambridge before heading down to Biggin Hill. The city was full of visitors for a science fair, so we got to see some fun exhibits and talk to some brainy students. Kings College chapel was closed but when we crossed the street to St. Mary's an 800 year old church, we heard the sound of people practicing for Handels Messiah.
Then we climbed the bell tower for a spectacular view of the city. You can see the closed chapel (which is really the size of a cathedral) to the right as the afternoon sun streams across the grass in front.

Late night flight Venice to London

With the Rinns

Verona and our Fiat 500

Very cool little car that Janna rented outside the apartment of our friends the Rinns.

To Italy

Janna and the boys fly to Italy. Matt stays in Greece for a few more days.

At the temple

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Helping at Helping Hands

Working in the kitchen helping to prepare a meal for 120 refugees. Mainly from Afghanistan, Africa and Iran.
We were asked not to photograph without permission because many are escaping from countries where their families are still in danger. With it's location between East and West and it's huge and thus un-policabe border, Helping Hands is described as "the Athens exit ramp on the refugee highway".

Grayson with a new friend, a boy from Afghanistan.

Cleaning up

Athens

We took the train into Athens today and visited the tiny Christian book store. More like an outreach ministry - very different from the giant commercial stores in the US. Next we located the food ministry (soup kitchen) to refugees that we will help out at all day Friday. Then we wandered towards the Acropolis set on a giant outcrop of rock that dominates the city. It closed at 2:30pm! But we enjoyed the steep climb, blue skies, chilly breeze, and spectacular views over the city with snow covered mountains in the background - see video!

A nice Greek guy helped us find the entrance and then guided us to the new stunning archeological museum. Wow! A must-see, but not enough time today to do it justice.

Ancient ruins under the new Greek Archeological (Acropolis) museum.

A yummy gyro wrap made with chicken for only €1.90 (about$2.50)

Base camp CVC

This is where we will be staying for the next few days in Athens. This pic was taken a few days ago before winter came. Very nice apartment, great hospitality and reliable wifi!

Snow on the mountains

Dramatic views and a dusting of snow on the way back to Athens today - drove over 3.5 hrs nonstop. Steep and winding roads reminded me of TN. We took a boat to the island of Spetses on rough waters!

Hi from Spetses

Spetses is a small island about two hours drive south of Athens. Very cold, expecting snow in northern Greece in the next few days! Enjoying hot choc by the harbor. Cost: 3.50 Euros per cup! Below, Grayson pretends to fire his gun outside the Spetses Museum (with ovens in the background). Gabriel in a bakery, and with a 3-wheeled vehicle and moped.

Epidauros

This is the ancient theatre of Epidauros a center where people came for healing and once a large town. We stopped here on the way from Corinth to Spetses. The weather was wet and drizzly but the museum was excellent with lots of statues and lengthy inscriptions in beautifully carved letters describing the building exploits here and gifts that facilitated them.

Greek wedding

First Stop

The guest house that Janna found for us to stay for the first three nights is great. Very clean and modern with orange flokati rugs, just like in my music room at home. We are in a rural town west of Corinth. The population is 80% farmers. Every home has orange and lemon trees laden with fruit which is laying unwanted on the ground and squashed in the street. They are the best and juiciest oranges I have had. I guess the price dropped and nobody is buying them. It's also a vacation spot with a nice access to the ocean and beach homes owned by Athenians. The housekeeper Mina and her husband Peter and three boys have adopted us, letting us use the internet in their home, inviting us eat with them, showing Janna how to make spanikopita, and now that we are supposed to be moving on to an apartment in downtown Athens, inviting us to stay in their home (a number of people here don't think it's a good idea to stay in Athens). Peter is a farmer on the family farm, he grows olives for oil, apricots and grapes. Tonight he has an invitation to a wedding at the orthodox church, he said we could come with him. He said

Mina could look after the boys, I'm wondering if we should both go, or if Janna should stay.

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Madrid

Goodbye Nashville

Eric drops us off at the airport