Mr. Independent

In Switzerland, when you reach the ripe old age of a 1st grader, you become eligible for Wednesday Skiing. The kids here don't have school on Wednesday afternoons and in the winter they can sign up for ski club. A bus picks them up at the school and takes them about 1/2 hour away to a ski resort in France. They ski for a couple of hours and then the bus brings them back.

I was a little hesitant to sign Alex up because the kids have to be responsible for everything...all of their gear, getting in and out of their skis on their own...there are adult chaperons of course, but the kids are expected to carry their own weight. After only one previous season of skiing I wasn't sure whether or not Alex was up for it. He assured Pete and I that he was mature and capable and for 5 weeks, Wednesdays were his favorite day of the week. He had the time of his life.

Alex with his friends, Henry (from church on the left) and Ethan (from school on the right)

The skis lined up and waiting for the bus

Once the bus arrived the kids were all responsible for putting their own skis and poles in the back of the bus

Then they would take the remainder of their gear and head for the door

As you may have guessed from the pictures, these aren't any old school buses.
They were nice, fancy, traveling buses complete with televisions.

The finishing touches

After the Temple of Zeus we headed over to the Plaka to do a little shopping and visit this cute little church.

The church of Agios Eleftherios was originally dedicated to the goddess of childbirth, so naturally I had to stop by. It is just a tiny little church and some say it may be the smallest in the world. Although we were there during opening hours, for some reason it was closed and we couldn't get in.

If you look at this close up photo you can see the friezes that go all around the building

Alex took over the job of photographer while we walked around trying to find an open door

He captured some amazing, meaningful shots

"Are you getting any good pictures, Alex?"

From the Plaka we headed over to see the Tower of the Winds and ended up in Monastiraki Square (photo courtesy of Wikipedia). Pete and I had a nice lunch of kabobs and fries (thanks to a recommendation from the Jarmans) while the kids ate snacks and waited for something more appealing.

We walked through the flea market (photo courtesy of Wikipedia) adjacent to the square, where Ruby found a lovely necklace to add to her collection.

Not the kind of temple we are used to

About ten minutes away from Syntagma Square lies the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was the largest temple in Greece during Roman times and held one of the largest statues in the world. While there we also got some great views of the Acropolis.

Pete and the kids with the Acropolis in the background

Our family in front of the Temple of Zeus (or what's left of it)

Only 15 of the original 104 columns are still standing.
Imagine how big it really was.

It took about 650 years to complete the temple...a little longer than the one in Salt Lake

The family with the Acropolis in the background

More of Athens

After our eventful day visiting the Acropolis, we took a break from our sightseeing so Pete could fit in some work meetings. It worked out great because it was raining anyway and it gave us time to hang out at Julie and Spencer's place. The following day, the sun was back and we ventured once more out into the city. This time we took the Metro one stop to Syntagma Square, which is the largest and most central in Athens.

Syntagma Square (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Right as we exited the metro station there was a little cart selling these monstrous sugar donut looking things. Of course we had to have one. Unfortunately the square was filled with many stray dogs who also were in need of a large sugar donut. We spent little time perusing the square and headed off to find a more secluded (dog-free) area.

Luckily, a few blocks away we found this little spot in front of an old Russian church.

Christina, the kids, and one LARGE sugar donut

I think the diameter might have been the same size as Ruby's head

Alex taking an enormous bite

Henry not wanting to be outdone by his older brother

Picture overload

Looking up at the Acropolis

Alex checking out the theatre

A better view of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Henry a little wary of several stray dogs we passed on the way up

Ruby on the steps leading up to the Propylaea

A family shot

Ready for our closeup

My stylish sister-in-law

Hannah and Spencer

Cute cousins-they may look similar in size but are actually 4 years apart!

Can you see my three kids in front of the Propylaea?

Mars Hill

Julie, Hannah and Ruby heading towards the Temple of Athena

Small, medium and large

Christina wanting to know how close the kids were sitting to an early death in the picture above

Henry is small potatoes compared to the Parthenon

Julie, Christina, Pete and Ruby

Ruby, Hannah and Alex

Family shot in front of the Parthenon

It must be said: "How did they build this??"

The boys with the city of Athens in the background

Pete and Christina

Heading down from the Acropolis to have lunch in the Plaka

We found a nice little cafe that served up traditional souvlaki, gyros and Greek salad.
A bonus: even though it was early we didn't have to wait around because it was open all day.