A busy but great first day: Ancient Rome

Okay. Redo.

I have made the executive decision to pretend that all of yesterdays travel mishaps did not count toward the trip day count. (I have also made the executive decision to try to avoid contractions because I cannot figure out how to use an apostrophe on this frickin Italian keyboard!) So, though we still have no luggage (we were told it is officially in Rome, but no idea when it will arrive -- hopefully soon since we already leave for Florence tomorrow morning!), we have had a day of thorough tourism.

Hmmm, my parenthetics run a little long.

Anyway, today we got up early, with our first official stop being the ancient city -- the Colosseum, the forum, and Palentine hill. I am currently exhausted but will post a few pictures. Backstories to come.
This photo (with S for scale) shows the enormity of the ancient temple which once lay where these ruins are today.

Us in the Roman Colesseum.

In Rome!

Finally in Rome! But our suitcases arent. All I can say is, thank god we are traveling with another girl, who made all her flights and HAS her luggage, and whose clothes we can kind of wear! Although, worse things than buying a new wardrobe in Italy, I suppose!

K, me, and S, in S-owned dresses on arrival day, post much-needed showers.

I will try to write a more complete update soon, as we have a lot of stories to tell! :-)

Crazy travels, but almost there!

After weather delays, missed flights, crazy rerouting, and many kind flight attendants, we're finally almost in Rome. In Amsterdam for now (detour), but flight leaving soon! Picures to come. :-)

Stuck in Philly :-( but with Captain Doctor Kelley

Our flight from Philly to Detroit was supposed to take off about an hour ago, yet here we are, still grounded. My friend S, flying from Minneapolis to Detroit so we could fly together to Rome, has been grounded too. So.... we'll see. Hopefully we won't miss our connection or time in Rome.

Before I cast this time as a total waste, there HAS been one highlight: K and I were given a tour of the plane's cockpit! Officially only children were invited, but fortunately we have no shame. ;-)

We met the Captain, D.R. Kelly, whom I want to imagine his name is Donald but K is calling him Doctor Kelly. Why not? :) We learned Dr Kelly has been flying planes since the 80s, and apparently the autopilot does everything from flying, takeoffs, and landings, except under extreme weather conditions. Not sure that's reassuring, but okay.

In any case, we took pictures with Captain Doctor Kelly, and it was nice to have a distraction adventure while we sat on the runway!

(Update: turned out that runway sit was an hour or two longer than expected....)

On my way to the airport!

This message is mainly a test to see how well emailing entries to my blog works out. I'm currently on a train to Philly, where I meet one of my traveling companions and fly to Detroit (meeting the second friend), and then onto ROME!

Wishing myself happy, mishap-free travels!

Ha, right. ;-)

Heading to Italy!

So excited.... tomorrow I'm off with two friends for a 10-day, much needed vacation in Italy! More specifically we'll be heading to Rome, Florence, the Cinque Terre, back to Rome, then back home again. I won't think too hard about that last part though... right now, adventures lie ahead!

The Euro is up to $1.2989 from its recent low of $1.19 at the end of June, but I'll just savor the fact that it's still a better situation than previous trips to Europe. :-)

Up ahead:

• 2 days in Rome (Roma)
  
• 2 days in Florence (Firenze) and Tuscany (Toscana)
  
• 3 days in the Cinque Terre (meaning "five lands")
  
• 1 day back in Rome
  

We've been doing what we can not to overplan, but with all the possibilities it's hard to hold back! Hoping to post regularly... check back in to learn more about our Italian adventures!

wandering Athens

I still haven't done any official sightseeing in Athens yet, but after my attempt to check out the National Archeological Museum yesterday failed, I decided to just wander on foot. I made it to Strefi Hill, where there's a gorgeous panoramic view of the city. Very satisfying. :-)

What do Greeks do after 3pm?

Everything seems to close at 2 or 3pm here.

Banks all close at 2pm.... that's okay.

I walked to see the National Archeological Museum yesterday, and they had already closed at 3pm (apparently, despite 80 degree and humid weather, they're still on "winter hours").

I wanted to try the museum again tomorrow (skipping some morning talks), and to check out the Acropolis afterward (requires a literal hike). And, guess what? The Acropolis closes at 3pm.

Why in the world would an archeological monument, which apparently doesn't even have a visitors' center somehow, close at 3pm? Does that mean you're not allowed to hike there anymore?

Hmmm.... the Greeks must be having a big party after 3pm every day that I haven't found yet...

In Athens, Greece!

Yesterday I arrived in Athens, where I'm presenting a paper at EACL. It's my first time in Greece, so I'm excited to explore!

Initial observations:

• So far, no real travel mishaps! This either indicates that I'm becoming an expert traveler, or that I'm running out of new things that can go wrong. ;-)
• Pollution and smoking. There's too much of both here, and I'm going to get a year's fix of exhaust inhalation within the next few days...
• The weather is beautiful... but HUMID so far! I hope that I packed appropriately. The forecast said high of ~75, low of ~45 each day this week, but it's definitely feeling warmer, especially as the trains don't seem to have AC. Lots of stickiness; hopefully it will go away before I climb up to Acropolis and the Parthenon later this week!

But I don't mean to sound negative at all. Like I said, I'm excited. :-) I've only walked around briefly, but wandering several blocks south of my hotel to catch a different metro line, I caught a glimpse of the Acropolis area. Lots to see! And I'll post pictures when I can.

Best of Morocco

I've finally gone through and organized all of my Morocco photos... check them out and share your thoughts!

• Marrakesh photos (5/26-5/30)
• LREC Marrakesh events (5/28,30)
  
• Ourika Valley hike and Jbel Toubkal Massif trekking (5/29,31)
  
• Fez photos (6/1-6/3)
  
• Casablanca photos (6/3)

Summary of above: Best of Morroco