Given what is currently happening in Greece, I felt it would be a good time to offer up a post on the beautiful aspects of the country.  I visited Greece in 2005 while still in college with my parents and we spent 7 days in the country, 2 in Athens and the rest driving around the country in our rental car.  It was a memorable experience and now looking back it is easy to see how the country ended up in its present condition.  Regardless of your political viewpoint it is sad to see a country of such beauty go down this path.

Alright, enough commentary, please enjoy these pictures of my time in Greece:

The Acropolis in Athens (***** – Must Visit)

The Greek Flag Flying on top of the Acropolis

(As a side note, I did not have any decent pictures of the Parthenon so unfortunately it will not be included in this Travel Photos post)

The Temple of Olympian Zeus (***** the scale of the columns alone is worth the visit)

(Looking down from Acropolis, also note behind the temple is the stadium from the first modern Olympics held in Athens in 1896)

Temple of Hephaestus (**** – Almost fully intact temple with smaller crowds than the Parthenon, below the Acropolis hill)

Poseidon Temple ***** (South of Athens on Cape Sounion)

As a side note, there is a very cool hotel just down the coast at the base of the hill the Poseidon Temple is located on.  You can see the temple from the balcony of each room and the hotel has some nice beach access.

The Oracle at Delphi (***** – Worth going far out of your way to see)

Another picture (wide-angle)

Looking up the hill towards the remaining ruins at Delphi.  

The Treasury at Delphi

As a travel note, try to not plan to eat in the area surrounding Delphi as the prices are very high and the food quality low.  For a good lunch, continue on to the coastal town of Itea for an authentic experience. See below for the view looking down towards Itea and Olive Farms.

I hope y’all enjoyed these photos from my trip to Greece a few years ago, as you can probably tell from the pictures we were there during an off-peak travel period so the crowds were considerably smaller than in the summertime.  Look for another entry in the travel photos series next week, until then, enjoy the weekend!