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Evidences of reconstruction.
Finishing line.
Can't believe there are so many tourists even in ulu Olympia!
Pillar of Temple of Zeus still standing.
The train ride to Athens was probably one of the worst I had in Europe. It was so hot, dusty, seats were small and had no leg space! Had a fantastic dinner where we tried the mousaka containing potatoes, eggplants, beefs and spicy tomato sauce. Tasted almost like lasagna or shepherd’s pie, and it was addictive I have to say!
Twenty-seven. Athens. Heard so much about the Acropolis in Athens. In fact, in every city in Greece there is a highest point – the Acropolis. On the highest point of Athens, houses the Parthenon, which is a temple worshipping Zeus, and a temple of Athena Nike. It is amazing to see for yourself the 2000-year-old structures, and wonder how those people at that time managed to build such impressive structures. My, Greece was sunny and really hot! Unfortunately, there were so many tour groups and maintenance work going on. In fact the maintenance has been going on for like 20 years already!
Theatre of Dionysius
Temple of Athena Nike.
The Parthenon.
Stoa of Attalos
Love the Roman columns
Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Panathenaic Stadium reborn after modern restoration in 1893.
New Olympics Stadium
Twenty-eight. Athens. It was shopping day for us, since we more or less covered what we needed to in Athens. Shopping was greeeeat as we had a variety of shops to choose from – Zara, Mango, H&M, Bershka, Oysho, Pull & Bear and more! In preparation for the sunny holiday in Santorini, I bought a pair of shorts, loose 3-quarts, spag top, white dress and a pair of slippers.
Twenty-nine. Santorini. Upon arrival on Santorini, you knew you have reached a different island. I always heard that Santorini was a volcanic island, hot, dry and all. Yet, when you see it, you are wow-ed by the magnificence of steep towering cliffs.
We had a mini-bus to bring us to our hostel!
Magnificent view!
Sunbathing time on Perissa beach!
Ouzo tasted like toothpaste but was pretty potent.
Seafood souvlaki
Thirty. Santorini. Travelled to the hill top for a view of the sunrise, which was kinda blocked by the clouds/ mist.
The dog enjoying itself on the black sand.
Red beach.
Headed to Fira to tour the old port, which meant a long walk down the steep cliff on the steps, without spending money on the cable car or the donkey ride. We had to bear with the stench of the faeces and pee all over the place. On our way up, what was worse was that the guy was washing the steps of the faeces, which meant we had to hop our way up the steps amidst the shit waterfall.
Lovely houses/ hotels on the cliffs of Fira!
Old Port
Putting 3 lives at risk.
Getting past the smelly donkey that couldn't stop swinging its tail.
Dinner was mousaka again, followed by a quick sunset at Oia, and finally a ride to the port to get back to Athens to catch our morning flight out to Stuttgart.
Lovely sunset at Oia.
Thirty-one. Thirty-second. Zürich. The prospects of traveling to Zürich sounded exciting to me. This is the place with the biggest gold exchange in the world. The highest quality of life for the sixth consecutive year. Land of plenty of world-renowed private banks.
For one, I imagined Zürich to be filled with glass buildings, everything high-tech and skyscrapers, since I’ve always associated exchanges and banks with those huge buildings. Instead what you get is a civilized city, gorgeous cars, old and well-preserved buildings, beautiful view of the lake with the alps in the background.
Beautiful cars in Zürich.
Alps!
Beautiful Switzerland!
Mövenpick!
Thirty-third. Interlaken. Breathtaking view of the glacier falls at Trümmelbach, something that has always fascinated me and excited me to see.
Memories of my childhood dream almost came to reality when I saw for myself the spectacular mountains that tower before me and the waterfalls that splash about gracefully on the rocks. In my dream, I stood before a river/ lake with a waterfall right before me, and snow-covered mountains in the background. I was dressed in a white dress and I actually dipped in the water. And then came rafting along the class 3 and 4 rivers that eventually led to Brienzersee. The sight of white water turning to clear blue water as we slowly inched towards the lake, before the silhouettes of mountains in the background, slightly shrouded by mist. On the right, the clouds moved a little, allowing some of the sun’s ray to peek in, resulting in a double rainbow on the clouds. The scene was not just picturesque, it was beautiful and as amazing as my dream. I was speechless, and as I blinked away some tears in my eyes, I was glad I was there even though I had no camera with me during the trip.
Glacier water gushing down the indoor caves!
Makes me feel like jumping in!
See the corkscrew direction of fall.
Fairyland isn't it?
The instructor fell off his seat!
Interlaken is a place I will definitely want to come back again.
Thirty-fourth. Bern, Geneva. We headed to Bern the next morning, and had a walk in the old town looking for souvenirs, gifts for Caroline, clock tower and the Parliament.
Everything seemed to be going against us in Geneva. We wanted to get a cheaper bed in a dorm, but only a quad private room was available to us, which meant it was more expensive. The UN was closed at 4pm, which was the time we arrived; the Red Cross museum was closed on Tuesdays; when we arrive at Pont du Mont-Blanc, the highest fountain in Europe was not in sight, as a result of the construction of a floating ball on the river for the Euros according to the guy at the tourist information; we could not find the clock tower according to his directions as well. Fortunately, we managed to find the floral clock in the end, and then, we saw the fountain shoot up in the sky, so high that we could see it from the floral clock.
Tibetans protesting outside the UN for freedom. Sometimes I just feel there's so many misunderstandings of the relationship between Tibet and China by outsiders, but I shan't comment here.
Geneva gave a different feeling from Bern and Zürich. The roads and buildings were dirtier and roads narrower. The language in the region was French, and people we see on the roads seemed to be more multi-coloured and cultural. Everywhere in Switzerland you see Victorinox and Wenger knifes and other tools on sale. But, only in Geneva did we see so many watch shops and buildings. Tag Heuer, Tissot, Swatch, Philippe Patek, Rolex, Piaget, etc.
Everyone loves Swiss watches. This is a symbol of the Swiss prowess in creating beauty and precision in one.
