Athens, Greece : Athens was about a 15 min train ride from Pireus.  There we visited The Acropolis, The Ancient Agora, A nice little cafe for lunch, and then the Olympieion.  The Acropolis was undergoing a lot of reconstruction at the time, which is why there is scaffolding in the pictures.  This is currently being accelerated for the 2004 Olympic Games. The Agora was not undergoing any reconstruction and had a few things preserved quite nicely.  There was a little church and the Temple of Hephaistos in remarkable condition, and then a complete Stoa which was reconstructed in the past and is now a Museum.  The areas around the Acropolis and Agora were quite nice.  The were full of little cafes, and small shops.  The main city however was quite dirty, and not very pleasant.  The Olympieion, which hold s the Temp of Olympieion Zeus, was mostly in ruins, with only a few pillars left standing for the temple.  The outlining of what was once there was very apparant though. 

Lindos, Rhodes, Greece : Lindos is a small resort village on the coast about 30 minutes from Rhodes, which has an Acropolis with the Temple of Athena. The Acropolis is surrounded by a Medieval fortress. Lindos is gorgeous.  Small white buildings, narrow streets with mosaics, wonderful cafes and restaurants, small clubs and internet cafes, and a beautiful beach. Definitely a place to consider a summer stay at. 

Knossos, Crete, Greece : Knossos, only about 3 miles from Heraklion, houses King Minos' Palace.  This was a huge set of ruins full of different styles of architecture due to its many ocupations by different people. 

Olympia, Greece : Olympia had the most impressive ruins in Greece.  The Olympic Village was amazing.  To see the Temple of Zeus & Hera, the Statue of Nike, and the Stadium was amazing.  The Olympic torch is started here every time.  

Taormina, Sicily : Taormina was a classy resort type town with a mixture of Medieval architecture. The highlight of the day was climbing up to the top of the village where a castle and a church sat.  There was a beautiful staircase going up which had the stations of the cross at each switchback.  We were also able to get a spectacular view of Mt. Etna.  We had Pizza and Table wine for lunch which was by far the best Pizza I have ever had. 

Monreale, Sicily : We traveled to Monreale to see the Norman Cathedral, which houses the most impressive mosaic ceilings and marble walls.  Truly amazing.   

Capri, Italy : Everything is amazingly gorgeous on this island.  It is almost tropical in scenery.  There are small wineries at peoples homes, several different villages, and very classy shops & bakeries.  We were able to go to Villa Jovis, which is a 40 min walk from Capri, and which is only accessible on foot.  This hold ruins from Emperor Tiberius, and has a great lookout of the surrounding islands and Capri. In Anacapri we took a chair lift to the highest point on the whole Island.  What a View. We then hurried to catch a jetfoil over to Sorrento.

 Sorrento, Italy : Sorrento was a charming little town that we passed through on foot to get to the train station and catch a train to Pompeii.  We didn't have much time here at all, but enough to see that is was a great place.  The architecture and city streets were very interesting and relaxing. 

Pompeii, Italy : Pompeii is an amazingly preserved city which was taken out by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The homes, walls, mosaics, frescoes, and even people's casts were preserved by the ashes. This is truly an amazing place. 

Rome : Italy : Rome is a great city. There is a beautiful historical site on just about every corner. St. Peters Square, The Basilica, The Vatican Museum, and The Sistine Chapel are all truly amazing.  Pictures could not do them justice, and thus there are not many.  It is something you must really see for yourself to appreciate. Trevi Fountain is definitely a sight.  We threw our coins in so we'd be assured to return to Rome in the future.