Protests in Greece...

Packed like sardines in the front of the trolley.

Hard Rock Cafe...America at its finest!

Dad this made me think of you and laugh. I think routard really means a backpacker or person who travels a lot.

Today was specifically dedicated to visiting the National Museum of Greece. It is located in an unsafe part of town, so our teachers were freaking out making sure everyone was together. We waited for the trolley to pick us up, and I'm still surprised we all fit on that thing. It was crowded, smelly, and really jerky. We arrived safely to the museum, and unfortunately it looked ginormous. We were told we would only be able to see 10% of the museum, but don't worry my teacher ensured that we got to see every single marble statue and clay jar. This time it wasn't just Mary Louise and I complaining, it was everyone! Thankfully I wasn't that tired, but that one excursion to the museum lasted from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The museum would have been cool, except the fact that by now we've already seen all of that stuff a million times. It's starting to all look the same to me. Enough about the museum, and onto shopping!

After the museum, everyone in the group wanted to take a nap. Of course I couldn't imagine napping, so I allowed Austin to rest for about forty-five minutes before I drug him across Athens. I had to bang on his door to wake him up, but I knew he was my only chance at getting anyone to go with me. He woke up with a smile, and I told him to meet me downstairs in five minutes. I got directions from the man at the front desk and off we went. We took the Metro (subway/train) to Syntagma Square. It's the location of the Greek Parliament building, and also the place for the government protesting. The Metro is really cheap, and luckily the store I wanted to go to was only one stop away. When we got to Syntagma square we were so excited to see the rioters. We stood out in the crowd, but I was also surprised that it kind of looked like a party. There were hot dogs for sale, people passing out flyers, and even selling those silly fake purses. We only stayed long enough to take a couple pictures because we obviously stood out as Americans. Austin is a giant compared to the men over here, and let's just say I don't dress like a Greek girl. We walked a short distance before we found H&M. I warned Austin before we went in that if he gets sick of this he is more than welcome to venture down the street and come back. I don't know exactly how long it took, but he never even complained. He left at one point for about ten minutes but other than that he seemed pretty content. I don't think Dad or Jamie would have lasted ten minutes, and I know my brothers probably wouldn't even dare. I bought two shirts, and I'm hoping to find another H&M because that one barely had anything in my size. I explained to Austin that in order to be a good shopper, you have to go and scope things ahead of time and then go back to make purchases. I'm sure he was so intrigued! We took the Metro back to the street near our hotel, and by that time everyone was awake and ready to go to Hard Rock Cafe. I couldn't wait for the fully loaded nachos, ranch dressing, mashed potatoes, salmon, and a margarita. Me and Wheeze had been thinking about it since the last time we went there a couple weeks ago. Dinner was fun and then we walked back to our hotel and continued visiting in the lobby. Tomorrow is a free day! Mary Louise and I plan to visit our friend, Mary Ashleigh, who is studying abroad in one of the suburbs of Athens with the Walton College of Business. Public transportation is supposed to be open, and the strike should only last from noon to four.

Love y'all,
Elizabeth