Canucks again... summer 2006

Hello, everyone--it's so good to be back in Canada!

B&R arrived home on July 4, and have been running around like mad reuniting with friends and family ever since, as well as trying to squeeze in relax-time wherever it will fit.

The Left and the Right on "The Rock," Jordan Lake, summer 2006.s 

Sunset from "the Rock," Jordan Lake. 

Uncle Brent and all five of his nieces up at the family cottage. L to R are Rachel, Shannon, Leigha, Uh-Buh, Erin, and Nicole. 

Camping with Mom & Dad Roth

Brent ran the Spanish River Half Marathon in Massey on July 16. M&D Roth came up north to camp with us and cheer at the race.

2-4!

Camping this coming weekend, of course, but the boyz and our wives were able to raise a bottle and eat some backyard grub in early July. 

Good times in Greece...

At an official IB workshop dinner, Athens. 

Mynoan frescoe, Athens. 

 

Death-mask of Agammemnon, from Mycenae. 

Temple of Herdoditus, Ancient Agora, Greece. 

 

 

 

Fully restored Roman stadium, Athens. 

 

Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens. The columns stand 17m high, and there were 104 of them when it was complete. 

 

Ancient theatre of Dionysius, Athens. 

 

The Parthenon, on top of the ancient acropolis, Athens. 

 

Corinth canal. Cut through solid rock, 7km in length, 28m wide at its base. 

Lintel, ancient Corinth. Notice that its original paint is still intact. 

Tile mosaic, Ancient Corinth. 

The bema where St. Paul preached to the Corinthians in his efforts to sway them from their hedonism. Very cool. 

Temple of Apollo, 5th-century BC. On the large rock outcropping in the background is the Acrocorinth, on the top of which sits the remains of extensive fortifications built up over millenia. 

 

Roman influence, ancient Corinth. 

Olive tree, Mycenae. In the background, you'll notice an example of the rugged terrain associated with Greece. In ancient times, the mountains here were covered by forests; the olive became Greece's primary export, due to its value as a consumable and practical substance. As a result, one of the ancient rulers decreed that farmers could only cultivate olives, and consequently mass deforestation took place. Now, real forests are hard to find and the olive tree dominates the landscape. 

A small sample of the extensive ruins at Mycenae. 

The famous Lion's Gate, ancient Mycenae. 

 

Bashful turtle, Mystras. 

 

 

 

13th-century frescoes, Mystras. 

13th-century monastery, Mystras. Here, we greeted nuns still working in this wonderful monument. 

 

Mystras, near ancient Sparta. 

Theatre, Ancient Sparta. Perfect stonework, even 4 thousand years later. 

Excavated retaining wall, Ancient Sparta. Notice the inscriptions and how straight and level the wall has remained for millenia. 

Ancient theatre ruins, Sparta. 

We stopped for a stretch along the highway to Sparta, and this was the view. 

 

Minoan frescoe from Knossos, Crete. 

Talents of copper and bronze. Talents were forged chunks of useful metal that could be used or traded; in this case, they were heavy ingots of useful metals. 

Venetian aquaduct, Heraklio, Crete. 

Partially-restored palace ruins, Knossos, Crete. 

More layers. In the foreground, to the left of the wall, are the remains of a German anti-aircraft emplacement from the occupation during WWII. The building with windows in the middle background is a 5th-century monestery. In the background left, is a Turkish fort, from the 12th-century. 

Path through yet another olive grove to the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, Crete. 

Chania, from the old Bastion. 

Old Citroen, Chania old-town. 

Crete is one of those places that has been overrun, occupied, and fought-over more times than can be counted. As a result, things are built in layers, with the new being established upon the old. Here a new shop incorporates part of the 12th-century fortifications in its constructions. Underneath, behind the fence, is an excavated settlement that has its roots in 3500-4000BC. The citizens of Chania have made great strides to protect ancient sites when they are uncovered, and the result is that we get to see some interesting and amazing remnants. 

 

Section of the 13th-century fortification of Chania, Crete. 

Chania, Crete. 

 

 

We parked the car near the port and explored Piraeus a little, looking mostly for a place to watch the World Cup match. We found a neat little pub, and had our first sit-down Greek meal. Roasted potatoes and chicken, bread, beer, and greek salad. Fantastic. 

Old railway through Piraeus, near where we boarded the ferry for Crete. 

Grecian coast, just north of Athens. 

Where it all began...

We arrived in Athens in the morning, but were to take the overnight ferry to Crete that evening, so we did some exploring around Athens. One of our first stops was the small town of Marathon, where legend has it that many years ago a runner was dispatched to Athens with news of the Greek victory. After running the 42km, he said "We won!" and then promptly dropped dead. And thus a mighty tradition was begun... 

Back in the Great White North!

Hullo, everyone!

Well, after a wonderful vacation/training session in Athens and a marathon session of airplanes and airports, we arrived back in Canada for our summer holidays on July 4. Now the order of ceremonies is to see as much of our families and friends as we can.

As soon as we can sit down with the internet for sustained period, we'll be posting some pics from our holidays. Stay tuned!

For now, though, we'll just say hello and pass along our phone number for anyone who'd like to get in touch with us. We can be reached on our cell phone at 905-920-3298 as well as more occasionally through brentandrosalee@hotmail.com.

Can't wait to see everyone!

B&R