"As you like"

Yia Sas! I tell you, it is truly good to be home. Now 2 days back, it's hard to imagine ever wanting to leave Thessaloniki again. However, over the course of my Spring Break I saw parts of the world I had not anticipated the opportunity to see at such a young age. I'd say, for the amount of time I've been on this earth, I've been incredibly fortunate to do some of the things I've done.
The Break started in Naples, after a full 24 hours of unnecessary traveling. Six hours train to Athens for a cheaper 2 hour flight to Rome, of course waited in the airport for 7 hours for the flight. When we finally reached Rome we took a train to Naples. The money I saved was not worth the sleep I lost. At any rate we arrived and spent our days in Napoli eating pizza, seeing the waterfront, taking advantage of cheap shops, having daily doses of true gelato, and seeing the first ever Opera house. While in Naples, we used our location to take a ferry to the island of Capri. Capri houses the blue grotto, which unfortunately we could not see due to chopping waters. However, we spent the day wondering through cobblestone streets, window shopping and hiking to views of the island. While you enter the port of Capri at sea lever, you reach the city of Capri by taking a cable car up for the island is like one big rock sticking out of the water. Hm, is that the definition of an island? Well, with clue-green water, crystal light reflecting sunbeams, and plant growth that seemed of imagination.. Capri was truly a wonder. It's one of the beautiful places in the world that just makes you want to sit down. Another day we took the metro to see the city of Pompeii. While the girls and I found it easy to get lost in this expansive tragic city, and still dispute the accuracy of the map, seeing the remains of a city once destroyed was intriguing. I think at one point you begin to think of the people living there when the volcano erupted. This could be caused by the display of preserved bodies found in the vineyard area. What appealed to be is the preservation of the frescoes on my of the walls in the houses. Some still maintained substantial coloring.
After Napoli, we ventured to Rome. Our first day, upon arrival, we saw the Colosseum and the Roman forum. The colosseum was probably my favorite part of Rome, the idea of gladiators I think for me has always been a subject of fascination. The structure itself though is absolutely larger than life. On our second day we saw the Vatican museum and St. peters Church. On Wednesdays the Pope makes a weekly 2 hour speech in front of St. peters, luckily we went on a Wednesday, so I was able to see the Pope. It's just too bad he's rumored to be a pedophile, the hundreds of people standing int he courtyard seemed to really adore him. Within the Vatican museum I saw countless works of art, like Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel for example. It's sad how much art has changed since that time, it seems somehow less important today. The remaining days in Rome we saw the Spanish steps, castles, Trevi fountain, a local art gathering, and lots of McDonald's coffee. After 3 days, I think we were all ready to leave Italy.. so the next two days we spent dragging ourselves around.
I don't believe I can bear to write more tonight. Next blog will be about Egypt. Tomorrow, back to school, nannying, and 6 days to the Marathon.