An Amazing Adventurous R&R in Greece & Italy

My baby sister is currently deployed to Germany with the Army, she was granted R&R and I couldn't resist her invitation to taker her invitation and join her!  I created this *The Best of Italy & Greece* Itinerary that started in Athens, island hopping to Hydra, flight into Venice, cutting through Tuscany (Cinque Terre & Pisa) by train, Rome, Naples and ending in Pompeii. This was the start of an amazing 10 day adventure.
We packed minimally, and were able to fit everything in a backpack and one camera bag.

The Agora.

This little green eyed cat was wanting some of my lunch, quietly begging in Greek.  After I shared some of it he then took a nap right behind me, which made me feel like I couldn't move a muscle as he relaxed on the stones to the Acropolis.  My flight came in before Colleen's, so I was able to scout out by foot exactly what to do to make the most of the rest of our travel day.  I was so excited to be back in Greece and content to just soak up everything Greek.

The Acropolis ("high city") is a citadel of ancient ruins that date all the way back to the 5th century B.C.  It is amazing to see the Acropolis today, one can only imagine how striking it would have been 2,500 years ago.  The Parthenon, the finest temple in the ancient world.

The Porch of the Maidens, 6 ladies strong.

There is a little neighborhood behind the Acropolis next to the Plaka called AnaFiotica.  It was built by some Greek families who wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, it reminds me of homes you'd see on Santorini.

The amazing view of the Acropolis.

We woke up and headed down to Piraeus, the big port and hopped on a ferry to a small island of Hydra.  There are no motorized vehicles, just donkeys that can get you around.  There are no motorized vehicles on this island, just donkey's that can get you around.  We took an early boat over and it felt like we had parts of the island all to ourselves.

We made way for the busy merchant and donkeys carrying heavy loads.

 It was so nice to see poppies, one of my favorite flowers that we'd see every Spring in England.

We just walked down random staircases to the water and would peak behind every building and just soaked in every minute we had.

 We took a cheap budget airline over to Venice and started our way through Italy.

 San Marco's Square, San Marco Basilica, a splash in the rain that luckily we just missed.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

 A cute little visitor during lunch.

Scala Contarini del Bovolo, an external staircase that is literally translated "snail-shell stairway".

 The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

 The best of Tuscany, the Cinque Terre.  This by far is one of my favorite places to visit in Italy.

 ROMA, ROMA, ROMA!

 Trevi Fountain.

 The Colosseum.

Fresh water from a Roman water fountain.

 St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.