Get Me To the ... GREEK!

I love reminiscing about my college days...and some awesome travel opportunities with great friends. I had the privilege of traveling to Greece and Turkey two years ago during Spring Break on another International Business trip. Some creepy Greek men and a few crazy train rides were worth this awesome adventure!

My favorite city was the ancient city of Ephesus. This ancient city had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1^st century BC, the second largest city in the world during the time. The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed 550 BC) but was destroyed in 401 AD. It has been named one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Ephesus is one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the book of Revelation and was once home to the apostle Paul. The Basilica of St. John was built in the 6^th century AD over the supposed site of John the Apostle’s tomb. The ancient Greek city later became the second largest city of the Roman Empire during the Roman era. The ruins of this ancient city are absolutely beautiful. To walk the streets of Ephesus was the most incredible moment of the trip. Truly inspiring!

My favorite landmark was the famous Parthenon in Athens. This ancient temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena sits atop the modern-day city of Athens on the Athenian Acropolis. Construction began in 447 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece. The majority of the temple’s destruction occurred from a Venetian mortar fired from the Hill of Philopappus in September 1687 when the Venetians attacked Athens. Structural restoration has been taking place since 1975. The view of the modern-day city of Athens from atop the Acropolis is amazing!

This trip included planes, buses, and boats. The Aegean cruise was one of the best parts of the trip and lasted for 4 days. My favorite island was Santorini. The beautiful Greek island is the remnant of a volcanic caldera and is surrounded by 980 feet-high cliffs on three sides. The island is characterized by whitewashed buildings and blue roofs overlooking the Aegean. We had to take small boats from the ship to get to the edge of the island. There are only two ways up: the tram or the stairs. There are 588 steps, meaning you can walk or ride, and by ride I mean my new best friend Barthole-mule the donkey! It was such a cool experience to ride the donkeys up the steps to the top of the island. It was also extremely scary as the ledge is less than two feet high and the donkeys are very stubborn!

We had some great moments on this trip! I would love to go back someday and take a longer trip to the islands. Definitely worth it!

Other cities we visited include Delphi, Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, and Crete.