Oh, The Places You'll Go

An up close & personal look at the Ionic order, courtesy of one of the six columns supporting the Erechtheion's Northern porch. (Athens, Greece)

Attempting to pose outside of the Panathenaic Stadium while security guards blew their whistles at us. The stadium, which was reconstructed from the remains of an ancient Greek stadium, played host to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. (Athens, Greece)

The towering Temple of Olympian Zeus: an ill-fated structure that was constructed over a period of 638 years, only to be destroyed during a barbarian invasion 135 years after its completion.
(Athens, Greece)

The Passion façade of La Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882. At the time of architect Antoni Gaudí's death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was finished. It is currently scheduled for completion in 2026. (Barcelona, Spain)

Resting at the foot of La Catedral de Santiago de Compostela after completing the final 30 km of "El Camino de Santiago," a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James that dates back to the 9th Century. (Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

An unexpected encounter with a room full of 13th Century frescoes in La Città Alta: a truly breathtaking experience. (Bergamo, Italy)

The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, the southernmost point of Attica. As legend has it, King Aegeus leapt to his death at Sounion when he mistakenly thought that Theseus, his son, had been killed by the dreaded Minotaur. Thus, the Aegean Sea acquired its name. (Sounion, Greece)

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, or simply "Herodeon," is a theater built into the southwestern slope of the Acropolis of Athens. Completed in 161 AD, it was turned to ruin in the same barbarian invasion that resulted in the destruction of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. We had the distinct pleasure of listening to Mozart's "Symphony No. 41," his final symphony, in the reconstructed venue. (Athens, Greece)

Situated on the southwestern face of Mount Parnassus, Delphi was once thought to be the center of the earth. The Delphic Oracle exerted extraordinary influence in the classical Greek world: she was consulted before all decisions of importance, perhaps as far back as 1400 BC. (Delphi, Greece)