Historical Look: Greek Antiquity

After my 3 days in Greece, I came back most inspired by Greek history than the other countries I visited. It's nothing against Sweden or Belgium, and certainly not against England as I have written numerous times about British history,. I suppose I just felt overdue for a better understanding and appreciation of Greek history.

I have always been very fascinated with Greek culture, history, and mythology. As a matter of fact, the first of my cultural studies on this blog was on Greece; see (Study of Greek Culture). I admire their romantic style that celebrates human beauty thru all components of it's culture. This post will be a study of the historical timeline of Greek Antiquity. I will provide a better understanding on the events and the key people who played a part in shaping one of the most influential cultures in history.

Archaic Period

I think many people will sometimes overlook the fact that the Greek Civilization came before the Roman Empire and played an influential role on their establishment. Today we often consider the Roman Empire as the start of organized civilization, however much of their societal structure was derived from their neighbors in the Mediterranean, the Greeks. And to even go a step further the Greeks were ultimately influenced by the Egyptians. However It was the Greek states that provided a significant shift to a more academic society. This age was a renaissance of philosophy, democracy, theater, art, mythology, stories, architecture, sports, and so much more. For nearly 3 centuries Greece had become the military and cultural power of the world.

During the Archaic Period of Ancient Greece around 800 BC, the region of Greece consisted of city-states known as poleis. Some of these included Athens, Sparta, and Olympia (which became the birthplace of the Olympic Games in the year 776 BC). These ancient Olympic games were the first form of peaceful competition among rival states. They were held to honor the gods (such as Zeus), to celebrate the human body, and probably most importantly to strengthen ties with their neighboring nations. The Olympic games became a cornerstone of Greek and later world culture.

Greco-Persian Wars

By the late 6th century Athens had become the leading power of Greece through it's political dominant structure. Sparta also became a worthy state of Greece well reknown for their military structure. However during this team many of these Greek city-states were still under the influence of the mighty Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great. That all changed in 500 BC, with the Ionian Revolt in Asia Minor that sparked the first of the Greco-Persian Wars.

The first campaign of the Greco-Persian Wars began in 492 BC, when the Persian Armies invaded Macedonia. The Persian Emperor Darius, sent ambassadors to negotiate peace with the Greek states, and all accepted the Persian terms except for Athens and Sparta who killed the ambassadors. At this point the Persian armies continued further into Greece, until they were shockingly defeated at the Battle of Marathon. This became a major turning point for the Greek states, and glorified all the more by the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta to ask for help. (His run was actually 145 miles but later was settles as 26.2 in the modern Olympic games) This Athenian victory over the Persians marked an end to the 1st of the Greco-Persian Wars.

In 481 BC, the Persians led a 2nd campaign against the Greek-states led by the son of Darius, King Xerxes. His army was believed to have been the greatest army ever assembled, with upwards of 2.5 million soldiers at his command. However the Greek soldiers had superior combat skills as was proved in the famous Battle of Thermopylae. It was here that King Leonidas of Sparta was able to hold the entire Persian army at a mountain pass for seven days, until he was flanked from behind. While this battle became a Persian victory it was ultimately a Greek rally cry.

Following the fall of Athens, the Greek allies were able to push the Persians back in a decisive naval battle at Salamis. At this point King Xerxes fled the campaign leaving his generals in charge. A year later the Greeks assembled one of the largest hoplite armies (spear and shield-men) to finish the Persians off at the Battle of Plataea. Several sea battles along the Agean Sea ensued which were also Greek victories that brought an abrupt end to the 2nd Greco-Persian War. By 479 BC the Greek states had established themselves as a new power in the Mediterranean.

The Delian League

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2nd Greco-Persian War, Athens established the Delian League as a committee of Greek state allies. With Athens at it's center there was between 170 and 330 Greek City states that were members of the association. The purpose was to unite Greece against their greater enemy of Persia. During this period of peace and unity, the Greek region continued to thrive. In 447 the Parthenon was built on the mountain of Acropolis as a temple to Athena and a modern day wonder of Greek culture. This marked a new high point of Greek society, who wanted to commemorate their victories over the Persian invaders.

The Peloponnesian War

However by 431 BC, the Spartans grew frustrated with the Athenian control of the Delian League and a civil war broke out between the Greek city states known as the Peloponnesian War. The Greek city states were thus divided between a Delian League, led by Athens and a Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. The war was fought in three phases of heavy fighting, beginning with the Archidamian War, in which the Athenians were able to suppress Spartan aggression at the Peace of Nicias in 421. However the fighting continued in the Peloponnesian region and the Athenian armies sent large forces towards Sparta who were eventually crushed.

By 413 BC in what became the third and final phase of the war, known as the Decelean War, the Spartans were aided by the Persians with a strengthened offensive. It was in 405 BC, at the Battle of Aegospotami that the Athenians were defeated by the Spartan commander Lysander. At this point Athens became a small state of subjection, with Sparta as the center-piece of Greek society. However Sparta quickly proved that it was more of a military state and not quite cut out for a political role.

The Rise of Macedonia

Sparta quickly lost allies due to it's new relations with Greek enemy, Persia.  Sparta was once again challenged at the Corinthian War in 395 which ended in a stalemate yet more lost territory for Greece.  By this point Greek unification began to wither into seperate empires and kingdoms.By 371 BC, Thebes emerged as the new power of Greece for a while, yet was also short-lived. This then gave way to the new rising power of Macedon that would ultimately end the age of Greek antiquity. It was Philip II who had established a new super power in the northern regions of Greece and by 359 BC had declared himself King of Macedonia.

Philip's son Alexander, whom was taught by Aristotle, went on to lead one of the greatest military campaigns in history. From 336 to 323 BC Alexander went on to conquer all of Persia, Asia, India, and the eastern lands to establish a new Macedonian Empire. With the death of Alexander in 323 BC, this ultimately marked the end of Greek antiquity and gave way to a new Hellenistic Period in Greek history, where the Romans had now become the driving force of the Mediterranean region.

Famous Greek Temples

• Temple of Zeus
• Built in 470 BC
• Completed in 457 BC
• Located in Olympus, Greece
• Temple to Zeus
• Parthenon 
  
• Built in 447 BC
• Completed in 434 BC
• Located in Athens, Greece
• Temple to Athena
• Erechteum
• Built in 421 BC
• Completed in 406 BC
• Located in Athens, Greece
• Temple to Athena and Poseidon
• Temple of Hephastus
• Built in 449 BC
• Completed in 415 BC
• Located in Athens, Greece
• Temple to Hephastus
• Temple of Poseidon
• Built in 444 BC
• Completed in 440 BC
• Located in Cape Sounion, Greece
• Temple to Poseidon

Famous Greek Philosophers

• Dmocritus
• 490-370 BC
• Metaphysics, Mathematics, Astronomy
• Notable ideas: Atomic theory of the Universe, Milky Way as a concentration of distant stars
• Socrates
  
• 470-399 BC
• Ethics, Epistemology
• Notable ideas: Socratic method; disctinction between good and justice; Socratic Irony: "I know that I know nothing"
• Plato
• 428-348 BC
• Metaphysics, Ethics, Politics, Epistemology
• Notable ideas: Platonic Philosophy
• Notable works: Apology, Phaedo, Symposium, Republic
• Aristotle
• 384-322 BC
• Physics, Metaphysics, Psychology, Logic, Ethics, Politics
• Notable Ideas: Theory of the soul, virtue ethics, problem of future contingents
• Epicurus
• 341-270 BC
• Physics, Ethics, Epistemology 
• Notable ideas: Pleasure principle, moving-static pleasures disctinction

Famous Greek Writers

• Homer
• Approx 800-700 BC
• Wrote the two epic poems of Greek mythology and the foundation of Greek literature
• Notable works:
• The Illiad
• The Odyessy
• Hesiod
• Approx 750-650 BC
• Wrote several epic poems on Greek mythology, as well as contributions to farming techniques, early economic theories, astronomy, and time-keeping
• Notable works:
• Theogony
• Works and Days
• Sappho
• 630-570 BC
• Poet from Island of Lesbos, known for her lyric musical poetry accompanied with the lyre
• Notable works:

• Ode to Aphrodite
• Brothers Poem
• Alceaus
• 620-550 BC
• Lyric poet from the island of Lesbos; credited with invention of Alcaic stanza; alleged lover of Sappho
• Notable works:
• Drinking Poem
• Hymns
• Pindar
• 522-443 BC
• Lyric poet from the island of Thebes
• Notable works:
• Victory Ode
• Songs of Praise
• Songs for Maidens
• Aeschylus
• 523-456 BC
• Famous Playwright; Often considered the father of tragedy
• Notable works:
• The Persians
• Seven Against Thebes
• The Suppliants
• The Oresteia
• Prometheus Bound 
• Sophocles

• 497-405 BC
• Famous playwright and tragedian from Athens; Wrote over 120 plays
• Notable works:
• Ajax
• Antigone
• The Women of Trachis
• Oedipus Rex
• Electra
• Philoctetes
• Oedipus at Colonus
• Euripides
• 480-406 BC
• Famous playwright/tragedian from Athens; Credited with 95 plays
• Notable works:
• Bacchae
• Iphigenia at Aulis
• Hippolytus
• Alcestis
• The Trojan Women
• Medea
• Aristophanes
• 486-386 BC
• Comic playwright from Athens; often considered the Father of Old Comedy
• Notable works:
  
• The Acharnians
• The Knights
• The Clouds
• The Wasps
• Peace
• The Birds
• Lysistrata
• Thesmophoriazusae
• The Frogs
• Ecclesiazusae
• Wealth
• Menander
• 342-290 BC
• Dramatist writer known for the Athenian style of New Comedy; wrote 108 comedies
• Notable works:
• Dyskolos
• Samia
• Apollonius of Rhodes
• 290-210 BC
• Best known for his epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece; which has become a staple of Greek mythology
• Notable works:
• Argonautica

Euro Trip 2018

For the second year in a row I embarked on another memorable adventure in Europe this time with my parents and grandma. We began to plan our trip around Christmas time, with intentions to visit Andres in Sweden, Gabriel in Brussels, and our cousin Kathy Bell in London. We also agreed to finish our trip in Athens, Greece for several days of nice weather. I was our logistics coordinator and began buying plane tickets and planning the trip weeks in advance. After 4 days back in the states I finally have some free time to reflect on the incredible trip that it was. I can honestly say that it went according to plan, was a total success, and yet another experience of a lifetime!

Stockholm, Sweden

We left for Chicago on a Tuesday afternoon, where we had to park our car in the long-term lot of the O'hare Parking lot. This was our first hurdle of the trip, trying to find this parking lot in the massive airport. Once we found the parking lot, we caught a shuttle and a train to get to the airport. Once we checked in and went thru security clearance, we had an expensive gyro dinner. We flew out at 9:10pm thru Norwegian airlines. It was an 8 hour trip without water! However luckily they had movie screens available, and I watched the Shape of Water.

We arrived at London around 10am local time on Weds (around 4am in the states).We  were very thirsty and tired from the trip, and then had to wait a good hour in line at the Customs Check. We had a nice lunch in the Gatwick airport of sandwiches, chili soup, and coffee. We then caught our flight to Stockholm around 5pm and landed at the Arlanda Airport around 8pm. After some searching and asking we were able to find the train-line and buy 4 tickets to take us to our first Bed-N-Breakfast rental. We got off at the 3rd stop from the Airport, the Norrviken train station in the suburb of Sollentuna. We were quite surprised to see Andres there at the station waiting for us. From there on he showed us to our BnB. It was about a 5 minute walk from the train station, slightly uphill, of which we also made a stop at a nearby grocery store. We had good sandwiches for dinner and went to bed shortly after. Everyone was very tired after nearly 18 hours of traveling.

The next morning on Thursday I helped my mom make breakfast and we began to plan the day. My mom insisted on going to IKEA, which was somewhat disappointing but I knew we would have to compromise on this trip. We also made plans to visit the Vasa Museum on the island of Djurgarden, where a sunken ship from the 1628 was put on display. The ship was quite a sight to behold, restored to it's former glory. It is renown for it's epic failure of sinking on it's maiden voyage. The walk to the island was a long one and especially daunting on my mom, who had just sprained her ankle a few days before, however it gave us a great opportunity to explore the downtown area of Stockholm. The weather was quite cold that afternoon in the high 20s especially along the bay.

Andres was our guide for the most part throughout Sweden, and helped navigate the subways, including a tricky bus transfer to get us to IKEA. This famous Swedish furniture shop seemed like a waste of time, however it provided us with a very tasty and affordable lunch. We all got the Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and jam. It was quite good! On the way home we bought some beer, wine, and hot dogs for dinner. That night we stayed up drinking, talking, and watching movies.

On our second day in Stockholm, we decided to visit Old Town, known as Gamla Stan. We checked out of our BnB around 11am and dropped off all our baggage in locker spaces at the Stockholm Central Station. We then began to explore the old town area which had much of Sweden's more historical and cultural buildings. We saw several landmarks around the island such as the City Hall and the Royal Palace. However the highlight came when we found a cafe named Sundberg's Konditori. It was a famed cafe established in 1785 where the royal court would often visit. The food there was also quite enjoyable where we each ordered a tasty shrimp sauce and potatoes. My mom and Andres got some pastries, one of which was a Budapest Roll that my mom said was the best pastry she had ever had. We all left quite satisfied with this incredible discovery in Stockholm.

We then bought some souvenirs, and got back to the Central Station around 3 in the afternoon, gathered our luggage, and then caught the train to Arlanda Airport. At the airport I got a tuna fish sandwich, which was definitely not worth the 10 dollars I spent. I remember this airport was quite memorable for it's glass smoking room, where people would stand and smoke in this tight confined space. We left around 8pm and arrived in London Gatwick around 11pm. We caught the train from Gatwick to St. Albans City, where our cousin Kathy lived. The train ride was also quite memorable as it was a Friday night and there were some drunken British girls, speaking very vulgarly. We finally got off the train around 1:30am, where Kathy picked us up and showed us to her house and our rooms. We had to get straight to bed, as we had another big day awaiting us.


Manchester, England

That Saturday morning we woke up around 7:00am at Kathy's house to prepare for what was to be the biggest day of the trip. We were then quite surprised when out of nowhere Gabriel appeared, who had told us he would not be joining us in England. We were very glad to have him with us, and I joined him on the train ride to Manchester, while everyone else drove with Kathy and her husband Brandon. Before we boarded the train, Gabriel showed m
e King's Cross Station, which was home to the famous Harry Potter 9 and 3 quarters platform. The train ride to Picadilly Station in Manchester was also quite memorable, just listening to the British passengers talk.

We arrived to the city of Manchester at around 12pm, and stopped in on an English Pub to have a few drinks. This was also a memorable experience and after 2 drinks a piece of which I bought for Gabriel, I had quite a good buzz going. We then caught an Uber to Old Trafford. Seeing the stadium with my own eyes was yet another awe-inspiring moment. Gabriel bought me a souvenier scarf since I did not have any British pounds. We then met with Mom, Dad, Kathy, and the others who showed us to our VIP lounge within the stadium. We were treated like royalty at this suite, with a 5 course meal and all we could drink. We also got a private tour of the stadium grounds. This was a dream come true experience to witness my favorite English futbol club thru VIP status.

I sat next to a British family, where an older blind guy had just turned 80 years old and was celebrating it with his daughter, son-in law, and friend. They were quite generous and talkative with me. I drank beer, ordered the shrimp for appetizer and steak and potatoes for dinner. I helped my family make some gambling predictions for the game, none of which turned out. However that did not take away from the incredible atmosphere at kick-off.

The stadium was filled to a brim, 75,000 in attendance and in full voice, which I did not expect against a smaller club of Swansea City. The first to score was Lukaku, and the second was Sanchez both in the 1st half. In the second half Swansea picked up the attack however David De Gea made several amazing saves. I sat next to my dad for most the game, watching every second of it. The score ended at a 2-0 victory for Manchester United.

However when the game was finished, it turned out Ofelia had gotten sick and thrown up in the suite. This was no doubt a cause of not pacing herself and drinking too fast. However she got the royal medical treatment at Old Trafford and had close to 10 medics working on her. It turned out to be quite a funny situation to see the over-reaction that came from her drunken mistake. We all eventually were escorted to the medical rooms within the stadium, which all but completed this full tour of Old Trafford. I joked that the only thing we were missing to see were the locker rooms. By around 5pm, Gabriel and I caught the train back to London. We had to stand for the first 20 minutes of the train ride since it was filled to it's max. Once I finally got a seat I remember listening with great interest to a dad and his two college sons talk intensively about the game for nearly 2 hours. We finally arrived back to Kathy's house around 10pm. I had some bagels, took a shower, and went to bed.


London, England

On Easter Sunday we once again got up early for yet another busy and memorable day, this time to explore the great city of London. Kathy's husband, Brandon was our tour guide as we navigated the city's efficient metro lines to get where we had to go. The first stop on our day in London was the Easter Mass service at the Westminster Cathedral. This experience was almost as good as the Manchester United match, and without question the greatest mass service I had ever witnessed. This was because of the London choir that sang heavenly hymns and chants in Latin for long duration. I joked that they should have charged us to experience this mass service. To add to the extravagant setting was the fact that the cardinal of bishop was presiding over the mass. The service lasted nearly 2 hours and did not drag whatsoever. After wards we took our picture with the cardinal right outside the steps of the cathedral.

By afternoon we began to walk and explore the landmarks. The first once just outside of the Westminster Cathedral was the famed Westminster Abbey, which was originally built as a Catholic Church in the year 960 and later became an Abbey that housed the coronation of every English monarch since 1066. I was quite quite impressed to see the sculptures of the 10 martyrs of the 20th century, which included the American civil rights activist Martin Luther King at it's center. After this we walked to the Thames River to see the Parliament building and the iconic Big Ben tower, which was unfortunately under renovation and behind scaffolding.

After this we got back on the train to visit Buckingham Palace, where the monarchy resided. This site wasn't quite as awe-inspiring as the Parliament or the Abbey yet still had it's royal appeal and we got to see the famous British guards standing firm at the gates. We then walked to a nearby bar called the Phoenix, where I bought Kathy, Brandon, and myself a beer. Andres and I ordered a traditional British meal of sausage and potatoes known as Bangers and Mash. My parents got the typical British meal of Fish and Chips, which seemed like a classier version of Long Johns Silver. We then bought some souvenirs and made our way to Tower Hill.

We decided to skip seeing St. Paul Cathedral since everyone was getting tired, however the Tower Hill was the ultimate sight of the day. We first saw the famed Tower of London, one of England's oldest and most iconic buildings dating back to 1078. It served as a prison for nearly a thousand years to many famous historical figures such as Anne Boleyn. To this day it is used as home to the United Kingdom's Crowned Jewels. We then saw the monumental sight of the Tower Bridge, which looked like something out of a fantasy. The bridge was constructed around 1894 with it's iconic towers and elements similar to that of it's nearby landmark the Tower of London. This site was perhaps my favorite one in London.

We got back to Kathy and Brandon's house around 7pm and decided to get Chinese for dinner. I joined Brandon on the car ride to pick it up. The food wasn't near as good as American Chinese food, but still wasn't terrible either. That night I had a few beers with dad, Kathy, and Brandon before going to bed. The next morning, Kathy gave us a ride to the Heathrow Airport to catch our flight to Brussels. We flew out around 11am and arrived to Brussels around 2pm on Monday afternoon.


Brussels, Belgium

This was my second time at Brussels, and probably my 4th or 5th time at their international airport. Andres and I got quite familiar with the train tickets last year and I lead the group to buy our tickets at the Kiosk. It was suppose to be a simple 15 minute ride to the Central Station, and yet it all went wrong. When we arrived to the platform I was a bit unsure whether it was the correct train, and when I got onboard with Andres to verify the doors suddenly closed. Mom, Dad, and Ofelia w
ere left on the platform and Andres and I were stuck on the train. We had no choice but to seperate from the group which made me concerned since Andres and I were the guides.

To further complicate things, Andres and I completely missed our stop at the Central Station in Brussels and rode almost an hour north to the city of Ghent. This was an unfortunate situation however we made the best of it by stopping at a cafe to get some coffee and pastries. We later bought new tickets to return to Brussels, and eventually reunited with the group by 5pm. Luckily Mom, Dad, and Ofelia managed to catch the next train to Brussels and meet up with Gabriel. When we arrived to Gabriel's place everyone was well rested and we laughed off the slight bump which could have become a major problem.

That evening was a rainy one, yet Gabriel gave us a great tour of the historical district. My parents were quite amazing by the Grand Place square, as I was last year. I'll never forget this plaza was where Andres and I had our first European encounter at a cafe. We later had dinner at the same place we went to last year, Leon's. I ordered the mussels, shrimp, and pasta and bought Gabriel several more beers that I owed him. That night Mom, dad, and Ofelia stayed at a BnB while Andres and I stayed at Gabriel's place.

The next morning, Gabriel left early for Athens, while I got to sleep in. By around 11am, everyone else checked out of the BnB and we regrouped at Gabriel's apartment. We had another few hours to kill before heading back to the airport so decided to explore some more of Brussels. Dad and I carried some plastic bottles filled with red wine to drink as we walked through the busy streets We found a nice Belgian Waffle stand, and I got one with the works, chocolate, strawberries, bananas, and whip cream. Ofelia and Mom loaded up on the souvenirs, while Dad was quite impressed with the street musicians. There was a brass quartet that attracted quite a crowd, and my Dad was convinced these were young musical doctors. On our way back we found a bakery, and mom bought some baguettes. We had some hamburgers at Gabriel's apartment and drank some wine before heading to the airport.

The 3 hour plane trip to Athens was quite a drag, as it was very warm onboard and we did not have any water. We were however quite surprised when they gave us a complimentary meal and some drinks, unlike the other airlines did. When we arrived at Athens, around 12:30am, Gabriel had arranged for two taxis to pick us up. I rode with dad, and I remember the taxi driver drove extremely fast along a Toll-road highway. We all arrived to the BnB around 1am, and Gabriel met us to show us our rooms on the 5th floor. We were all extremely tied and went to bed shortly after we were settled in.


Athens, Greece

That night I slept quite well, and was very happy to see that our BnB had a coffee maker. The view on our balcony was incredible, and we could see the mountains and a slight view of the Acropolis. The weather was much warmer, in the mid 70s, than what we had experienced in Sweden, England, and Belgium. The city buildings reminded me of Latin America with the balconies and plants. That morning we planned to head straight to the iconic Parthenon, which was up a mountain. It was about a 20 minute walk when we got to the mountain and saw the site up close. Ofelia bought our tickets to see the site. It was quite surreal to see this ancient building of stone pillars that was constructed in 447 BC still standing strong.

After we spent time admiring the Parthenon and other temples of the Acropolis, we begin a long descent down a hill. For lunch we were in search of gyros and I quickly discovered that many Greek locals were offended when I asked if they served them. We finally found a restaurant away from the tourist area, where I ordered some chicken and rice (which was quite bland). However the pita bread, greek salad, and cucumber sauce made up for this. Dad and Andres got fish, while mom got a deluxe octopus seafood platter. I had a Greek beer known as an Alpha, and we all exchanged our food with one another to make for a satisfying lunch. Afterwards we continued to explore the marketplace and bought souvenirs.

The journey home was a bit of a drag as mom was clearly in pain from all the walking up and down hills we had done. Yet she soldiered on and maintained great spirit throughout it all. We finally made it up by around 5pm, and Andres and I volunteers to pick up dinner which was to be another adventure. We first had to stop at a pharamcy to get cough medicine for mom. Then we stopped at a very small groc
ery store in the neighborhood, where the owner was an old lady who did not speak any English. We managed to buy a case of beer, some wine, sausage, olives, and toilet paper. The final phase of our mission was to find a food stand to bring dinner home for everyone. Andres did an excellent job of taking the lead on this task and we found a nice commercial gyro place, and good food for everyone. The gyros were okay yet I didn't think they were as good as the ones we had here. That night dad and I sat on the balcony drinking wine and talking philosophy.

The next morning I volunteered to get pastries for everyone at a nearby bakery. I got some sweet bread, baklava, chocolate filled croissants, and a complimentary muffin from the cute cashier. That afternoon Gabriel, dad, and myself decided to some more exploring while the others rested. We walked to another site we wanted to see, the Panathenaic Stadium. This was the site of the first modern day Olympics built for the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. The stadium was a great experience and as a track athlete I felt quite inspired by the site. We listened to an audio guide, took lots of pictures, and I bought a poster at the souvenir shop. We th
en walked back to the BnB to have sandwiches with the others for lunch.

That evening all of us returned to the market square to buy more souvenirs. I was especially inspired by the Greek trickets, more than the other 3 countries, and bought more stuff there than anywhere else. I was able to barter with the sellers and come down by several Euros on each of my purchase. Mom and Ofelia also bought lots of souveneirs for the children back in the states. Andres and I bought some freshly squeezed juice for everybody as we relaxed in the town square.

That evening Gabriel took us out to a nice Greek restaurant where we sat outside and celebrated Andres' birthday. We once again ordered salad, pita bread, and cucumber sauce for appetizers, and I got another Alpha beer. I ordered some sausage and rice for dinner which was quite satisfying. After the tasty dinner we walked to the same bakery in our neighborhood to get dessert. It was here that I gave my dad my phone to take pictures, and later forgot that he had it. I panicked and quickly returned to the restaurant with Andres thinking I had left it there, yet later Gabriel called us to tell me dad had it. That night we relaxed at the BnB, sang happy birthday to Andres, had several drinks, and talked about music.

On our last day on Friday, I once again joined Gabriel for an early hike through the city. This time we did some good mountain hiking to see the Philopappos Monument, which we could see from the balcony of our BnB. This monument was built around 100 AD, as a tomb for a prince. When we reached the top, what was even more impressive than the monument was the open view we had of the Acropolis mountain and the city of Athens. It was a good hike with Gabriel and we didn't have to spend a dime to see it. We then walked back and regrouped with the others at the BnB.

At this point we had to see goodbye to Andres who was leaving early on his return flight to Stockholm. The rest of us however were not leaving until later in the night so we decided to visit the marketplace one last time. We once again took the subway to the city center and did some more shopping and eventually found a nice restaurant outdoors amidst the pedestrian traffic. I ordered another beer, some beef steak, and rice which wasn't too bad. All-in-all I would say the Greek food was the best food we had on our trip. That evening we said goodbye to Gabriel, and ordered a Uber to take us to the airport. Luckily we were all able to fit in the small Uber ride, and not have to request a 2nd one.

On this final return stage of our trip we began to run into a series of small problems. First was the large duffel bag, which we referred to as Big Bertha, that was too heavy to be checked in, and we had to pay double for an overweight item. Then when we arrived at London-Heathrow and claimed our bags, we left mom's chocolate by the baggage belt. I had to thus return to the belt by going thru security which was not an easy task. After this we had to arrange a train to take us to the Gatwick airport which was where were to fly out tomorrow. However we later discovered that it would be perhaps a bit more efficient to just take a taxi. The taxi ride cost us maybe 50$ more than the train 4 train tickets put together, however at least we did not have to haul Big Bertha around. We arrived to our hotel by Gatwick airport around 11pm. I ordered everyone some Dominos pizza from the receptionist desk.

In the morning we ate at the hotel breakfast buffet and then got to relax for a while before heading to the airport. We once again had to pay a double rate for Big Bertha on Norwegian Airlines. Our 8 hour flight back to the states left at 4pm, and I watched 3 and half movies (Murder on the Orient Express, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Blade Runner 2049, and Goodbye Christopher Robin). When we arrived in Chicago around 7pm local time, we once again had another problem when we could not find where we parked our car. My dad and I spent a good 20 minutes searching the parking lot in the brutal cold weather of Chicago. Finally we realized it was at a different bus stop on the far corner of the parking lot. We got the car and picked up Mom, Ofelia, and our baggage and we're finally on our way home. The drive was a long and tedius one, as we were all extremely tired .We got some McDonalds and Taco Bell for dinner and all took turns driving. We made it home by around 2am and the trip was finally complete. It was a total success and an experience of a lifetime.