Where is that bald beacon of light?
(Bahaha sorry Mr. Barnes, Jackie's words not mine and it was totally out of love!)

Today we went to the island of Aegina.  It took a ferry a little over an hour to get us there from Athens.  The ferry ride was cool; we got to see a lot of Greece's different islands this way.  On the way in we saw some BEAUTIFUL homes on the coast of Aegina.  There was one mansion that really stood out; it was probably three stories tall with domed ceilings and stone walls.  I asked Irina how much a house like that would cost in Greece, she said about a million Euros.  That is about 1.3 million U.S. dollars.  While no doubt that is a lot of money and I don't have that just burning a hole in my pocket, this same house in the U.S. would have cost 5 or 6 million for sure.  Especially with it being right on the beach as it was, in somewhere like Hawaii you wouldn't be able to even imagine how much it would cost.  It really struck me how different our economies are...crazy.  Anyway, when we got to Aegina, we took a bus to the Temple of Aphaia.  The bus ride revealed an amazing countryside.  Aegina is a complete 180 from Athens and the bustling city.  Aegina reminded me a lot of Hawaii; it was just a very laid-back atmosphere and was definitely not as crowded.  The Temple of Aphaia is in really good shape for how old it is.  Irina said that this particular temple is her favorite because the site of it is just stunning.  I couldn't agree more.  I don't think I will ever get tired of looking these temples.  Just the sheer size alone makes you stand in awe.  Apparently the pediments and statues from the temple are in a museum in Munich, Germany because in 1810 two explorers found them scattered around the temple and took them back to their home country.  When they were found, they still had their color on them (which is totally contradictory to what most people think of when they think of Greek statues, they are only white now because the paint wore off).  This made them the first set to be found with their color.  Apparently when they brought them back to Germany, the Germans thought the colors were gaudy and unnecessary so they dried to scrape the paint off, in effect marring some of the statues.  Stupid people.  After the Temple of Aphaia, we went to eat lunch.  They serve you so much food here, it is ridiculous! After lunch we went to the beach.  The water was so unbelievably blue and clear.  I couldn't get over how gorgeous it was!  We sat with our feet in the water and got some sun; I wish all my classes were like this.  I would enjoy college soooo much more!   After the beach, we headed back to the port to look around and shop for a bit.  Aegina is known for their pistachios, so of course I bought a huge bag...they are delicious!  We also found this little bakery where they had mini cones of gelato for one Euro.  They were sooo cute and good!  I had pistachio for the first time....yum!  Then we headed back to the ferry and left for Athens.  Irini is joining us for dinner tonight and then its bedtime for this kid.  After a full month at this pace, I am going to be dead! But, I am loving every minute of it so I can't really complain!

"Who do you think you are? Dionysus?"