Sweet Home Alabama

NOTE: The best way to start reading this blog is to scroll down to the bottom and start with the first entry in May, and go from there to get a day-to-day description. Today (June 10) is the last blog, so by scrolling down to the beginning you get to the first one. You may have to scroll down and click "older posts" to get to the beginning, and then "newer posts" to get you back to the posts at the end. If you have any questions please email me at cmiroff@tcss.net.

As I checked into the Athens International Airport for the flight home, I compared and contrasted my impressions of this Greece trip, with the one I took as a college student with Mrs. Gray almost 15 years earlier. Immediately, the convenience of travel in Greece came to my mind. On my first trip, Athens suffered from lots of air pollution and there were so many cars in the city that people were only allowed to drive on certain days of the week--depending on what number (odd or even) your car tag ended in. Public transportation was only available by bus or taxi, and it was quite dangerous. However, since the Olympics came to Athens a few years ago, they built a HUGE metro system that helped the city tremendously. It is one of the cleanest subway systems I've ever experienced. The metro stations are easy to navigate, since the directions are written in Greek and English. The people are still very friendly, and the sightseeing is still incredible. Since the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was partially filmed in Santorini, the island has become more touristy--but it remains to be completely breaktaking. In my opinion, Santorini is still the most beautiful place in the world. Mykonos, which was Jackie Kennedy Onasis' favorite Greek island, is still amazing. Tourists from around the world come to see its beautiful scenery, historic windmills, and Greek culture. Overall, the trip was fantastic, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to travel to Greece this year. I cannot wait to share what I learned with my students at BMS!