The Final Stretch

Hello again! Don't worry Moms and Dads, we've all made it to Athens safely! Our last stop is here but we're not slowing down yet. We are definitely becoming professional world travelers. Yesterday, we woke up in Olympia and went to bed in Athens! 

In the morning, we walked down to the Ancient Olympia site again to see a second museum that displayed artifacts related to the Olympic Games. This was especially interesting because it connected our recent knowledge of archeological history to the Olympics. Thank you to Professor Ares, our temporary archeology and Greek culture teacher, for all of your insight! You added a ton of value to our Ancient Olympia experience. 

After the museum, we had a brief time to do some last minute shopping and grab some snacks for our bus ride. I've learned that traveling goes much faster when there is food involved. Another thing I've learned is that our group is extremely talented at falling asleep in very unique positions when we travel. (See pictures below) 

When we arrived in Athens, we checked into our hotel and had short time to unwind before we gathered on the roof to plan the rest of our day. We decided to head downtown to see the Zappeion. This building is relevant to our trip because it is where the revival of the Games began. Evangelos Zappas, a wealthy businessman, offered to sponsor the return of the Olympics and shortly after the 1st modern Games were held in Athens in 1896. A pretty gross fun fact is that Zappas'  heart is buried inside of the building to recognize his contribution to the Games. 

We took a short walk over to the Panathenaic Stadium where the archery competitions took place in the 2004 Games. The stadium is more commonly referred to as the Marble Stadium because it was rebuilt with white marble in preparation for the 1896 Games. It was amazing to see such an old venue still being used for modern sporting events. 

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped and saw the Temple of Zeus in Athens. The remnants of the temple included huge pillars that seemed to be standing alone in a giant field. The enormous size of the pillars showed how massive the temple must have been. 

We went to the Noodle Bar for some amazing Chinese food for dinner. You may be skeptical of the Chinese food in Greece but let me tell you, it was killer. 

We hung out for the night in preparation for our first full day in Athens! 

Hope all is well at home! See everyone soon!