We started out today at an archeological dig in the Keremeikos area of Athens. There was some incredible statuary there from the 1500 years that the area served as a cemetery, until around 300BC, most of it pretty well preserved. Archeologists were actively digging while we were there (although "active" probably indicates more movement than we saw).

From there, we walked over to the Roman Forum, which the Romans built in around 100BC in an attempt to move the commercial center of the city from the ancient Agora. If you look real closely at the front gate at exactly noon, you can see the names of Julius Caesar and Augustus inscribed on it -- kind of an ancient "donors' wall."

A genuine gyros at a sidewalk cafe served as lunch, then we hit the subway and headed for the National Archeological Museum, the largest in Greece, and often described as the best archeological museum in the world. It opened at the end of the 19th century to house and protect antiquities from all over Greece. Some of the older displays are from the 17th century BC -- about 4000 years ago. Many of the statues, jewelry pieces and pottery items come from the Acropolis, Keremeikos, the Agora, or other archeological digs around Greece.

Tonight, we're headed to Rome. We hear there's been some excitement there over the last few weeks, so we'll report back on what all the fuss is.

It's definitely a small world. While we were wandering around the Acropolis, a young lady asked us to take a picture of her and her family. As it turns out, she's from Chicago, but went to school at the University of Montana. Go Griz (or however you say that in Greek)!