Trip to Vergina and Tour of Thessaloniki

Today was day two of orientation.  It was long, hot, and exhausting, but easily the best day I've had here so far.  Everything we saw today was so breathtaking, I couldn't stop staring and just soaking in the beauty of this incredible country.  I could go on and on about how seriously beautiful was, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Everyone piled on the bus around 9am to start our hour long bus ride to Vergina.  On our way there, we had a tour guide giving us the history of Greece and the sights as we passed them.  Here, we visited the museum that houses the Royal Tomb of King Philip (father of Alexander the Great).  This hill was built around the tombs immediately after their completion in order to conceal and protect them.  The tour guide led the way through the museum.  It was awesome to see how perfectly some things were preserved, and to hear the stories, myths, and legends behind all of the artifacts.  Learning about the history of Greece provides you with so much insight on the way things are today and why they are done that way.  Greeks have a reason behind everything they do, and are extremely proud of their culture and rich history.
Vergina was a quaint little town with picture perfect scenery.  It is more of a village, and everything was spread out, much different from the city.  We stopped in a little indoor restaurant for lunch.  No lie, this was the first meal I've eaten inside since I got here; it's usually too hot to sit inside because of the lack of A/C, and then when it gets cool at night everyone likes to sit outside to enjoy the weather.  Some of us roamed the streets and explored the few small shops before getting on the bus to head back.

While we were still on the bus, we took a driving tour of Thessaloniki.  The city is the second largest in Greece, only second to Athens, and is much bigger than I would have ever expected.  The area we drove around in was a bit nicer, and had cute apartment buildings painted with all different colors.  The main point of the tour was to visit the city walls and castle.  Most of the walls no longer exist since they had to be torn down to make room for expansion.  The castle is at the highest point of the city (this is why the housing is nicer in this area), and provided a panoramic view from which you could see for miles.  Potentially the best view I ever have and will ever see.
Sitting here typing, I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of everything I've experienced in the short time I've been here.  I am absolutely loving every minute of it.  Feeling extremely blessed today.

got my guns up all the way in Greece... wreck 'em Tech!

Going to the boardwalk for dinner and drinks tonight, probably with a pretty big group.  Tomorrow is the first day of classes, and will give me a sneak peak of "normal" life.  Stay tuned for more!