Thursday, February 15, 2007

Phillip the 2nd's Tomb (Father to Alexander the Great)


A day of sightseeing.

I have seen the movie “Alexander”. I remember the actor who played his father…Val Kilmer. I remember what kind of man he was portrayed at. Well today, I saw the tomb that Phillip the 2nd (Alexander the Great’s father). This was insane. A museum was built around the site. He was laid to rest with the most ornate belongings. This is the stuff you hear about, but never seen. It was incredible. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures but I remember walking down the stairs to the front door of Phillip’s tomb. Big pillars and marble doors stood that ground for hundreds of years. We walked through a door from the main exhibit area…through that door, we walked down a flight of stairs. Upon entering the door, the face of the tomb was lit up. It was something special.

After the tomb, we all had another epic lunch. Wow do I love those. The tomb was in a little town an hour outside of the city called Vergina. The town laid at the foot of the mountains. Everytime I see the mountains, it is breathtaking.

We got a guided tour of thessaloniki later in the day. I am starting to love this city. It is a place where ancient ruins stand next to modern apartment buildings. The ancient walls that once protected the city still exist today…noble guards they are. We were driven up a bit into the higher elevations of the city. There are some breathtaking views up there. I saw that bus 23 can take me up into the mountain parts. I think that bus and I will become friends.

I learned how to Greek dance…4 of them. They are so much fun and I cannot wait to show them off in a taverna or bouzakia. I let you know how they go.

Nap time. It has been a long orientation and I need some rest. Thinking about Courtney. She is in New York right now for a Vogue interview. You have no idea of the insaneness of that statement. That is like me getting a job as a National Geographic writer/photographer. It is crazy and I can’t wait to hear about it. Also, Valentine’s day is coming up and I can’t be there to make it a special day for her. Quite sadden by that.

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