We took the metro to the Vatican and luckily didn't have anything stolen. Waited in a half mile long line for the Vatican museum. Bought a book in hopes of following a preset path through the museum, but we ended up getting lost and wandering around anyway. I couldn't help but feel like the museum was being a bit hypocritical; they had so much reverence for their own dead, but left Egyptian mummies sitting out for all to see. Overall, the museum was astounding. My favorite part was the Raphael rooms. The Sistine Chapel was ok too.

After that, we headed over to St. Peter's. The courtyard alone was worth the price of admission (which was actually free, but whatever). The church itself was bigger than anything you could imagine (it's the biggest in the world), ornately decorated (of course) and profoundly boring (just kidding!).

We ate dinner at Alfredo's: the original, where Alfredo sauce was invented. Guess what we ordered... It was as good as you imagine (but different than American Alfredo sauce). Thanks for the recommendation, Dave.

Woke up early to catch the flight to Rome. Got to the airport a couple minutes after 7am. Glanced down at the tickets and realized that the flight left at 7:05. Luckily the airport was about the size of a house. The pilot waited while we checked in our bags and boarded the plane.

Took a cab to the hotel and passed some of ancient Rome's most incredible sites. I grabbed Emily's leg in awe as we passed the Coliseum. Pictures do not even come close to doing it justice. Dropped off our bags at the hotel and walked to the Piazza De Poppolo (2 minutes from our hotel), a huge courtyard surrounded by statues, with an ancient Egyptian obelisk in the center. Ate lunch at a restaurant recommended by the hotel. Very good pasta. Took a nap.

Ventured past the Spanish Steps (which were unimpressive) to the Trevi Fountain. I can't even begin to describe this awe inspiring site, so I won't try. Here's a picture. Ate a crappy dinner at a restaurant that looked like Olive Garden goes to Disney. Had some wonderful gelato for dessert (from a different restaurant).

We've spent the last couple days just hanging out in Mykanos. The city is beautiful, but there is not much for us to do (we're not into the whole bar/club scene).

Took the high speed ferry from Santorini to Mykanos. The wind was blowing hard, which made the seas unbearably choppy. Within minutes of leaving port, the boat was thrown violently by 10 foot waves. The woman next to Shannon puked. Anyone who stood up was tossed across the deck. As we picked up speed, the boat literally flew out of the water. Crashed down hard. Three and a half hellish hours later we reached Mykanos.

Our hotel is located atop a large hill, with great views of the city, port and sea. Hora (the main city in Mykanos) is a maze of small crowded streets. Beautiful stone paths criss-cross between the buildings. Clothes stores, jewelry stores and Italian restaurants fill the streets. We spent the majority of the day recuperating from the boat ride and exploring.

Ate breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the Caldera (a huge cliff lined with hotels and restaurants above the water). I had a Greek omelet and Greek coffee, Shannon had a Greek salad, and Emily had bacon and eggs. After breakfast we wandered through the narrow streets of Fira. Emily and Shannon looked at jewelry, I drooled over some astounding chess sets that I regretfully did not buy.

At 1:30 we took a bus to Piressa, a beach on the south eastern part of the island. It was a windswept black sand beach bordered by cafes and a huge cliff. We spent a couple hours reading and hanging out under umbrellas (which we had to rent), before heading back to Fira.

Watched Olympic trials (or something) we couldn't really figure out what we were seeing - just a bunch of people jumping over stuff. I had my best meal of the trip (curry chicken) at a restaurant near the Caldera.

Finding the bus to the horseback riding place was a challenge. Every person we asked told us to wait in a different place. The travel agency told us to look for a big white bus. Eventually someone pulled up in a small dark gray BMW and took us to the stables. The guide was a nice old Greek cowboy. He played American hard rock. We rode the horses along dirt paths and down a black sand beach. Shannon and Emily's horses did not get along; both horses tried to charge down the beach. After arriving back at the stable, he took us to a local bakery where we ate some amazing pastries.

Took a nap at the hotel after dropping off our laundry. Woke up and watched American movies in our room; it was too cold to go back out.

We woke up and caught the Superfast boat to Santorini. I met a Canadian guy on the boat, who had also just graduated, and talked to him the whole time because my seat was not near Emily and Shannon.

Fira, the main city in Santorini, is situated atop a huge cliff overlooking the sea. You could fall off, if you don't walk carefully. The main square is bustling with activity, packed with restaurants and shops. We're staying about half a kilometer from the center of the city. Our suite overlooks the water on the other side of the island.

Ate dinner at an expensive restaurant on the side of the cliff overlooking the Caldera. We watched the sun set over the mountains when we were finished eating. Definitely the most beautiful place we've been so far.

Visiting the archaeological museum was the major event of the day. Imagine room after room of old clay pots, interspersed with a variety of figurines, knives, and gold jewelry. Upstairs contained frescoes from the Palace of Knostros. After the museum we stopped by some kitchy jewelry stores filled with reproductions from the museum.

Today we visited the palace of Knosis. As we entered, we were approached about buying a guided tour. We paid the woman 5 euros each and were directed to join a tour group which had just begun. The leader of this group questioned us about where we had come from. She went off to find out if we had actually paid. We were left wondering if we had just been scammed. It turned out that we had paid the right person and we were admitted to the tour.

The palace was impressive, but seemed like a forgery. The person who had discovered it had rebuilt as much as he could, using the ruins as a guide. Who knows how accurate it was. Regardless, it was interesting. We saw the oldest throne in Europe and the site of the first court. Most of the frescoes were reproductions, the originals are in the archaeological museum, which we will visit tomorrow.

Came back to the hotel. Took a nap. Spent some time at the internet cafe looking for bed and breakfasts in Rome. Ate at Lukulos, a fancy Italian restaurant, which Emily said was her favorite yet.

After dinner we were sitting at an internet cafe drinking cappuccino. Suddenly we heard a large group of people screaming, chanting and marching toward us. They blocked off the intersection directly across from us and began lighting off fireworks. They climbed onto cars and sang in unison. I guess their soccer team won.

We tried to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant, but they were being really slow, so we went to one of the stands and had some decent food. Stopped by the archaeological museum and saw lots of old pots. Met a cute little mangy dog outside the museum that crawled onto my lap and licked my face. I wanted to keep him. Caught the bus to Iraklion. Nice bus with TVs and all, but the windy roads through the mountain forced us to stop so that people could get out and puke.

Iraklion looked like a hell hole when we first pulled up. A cab took us through these dirty alleys on the way to the hotel, but it ended up being a diamond in the ruff. Marble staircases, fancy dining room, etc. The streets here are like a maze. We weaved our way to a restaurant recommended by the hotel and had one of the best meals yet. The shopping district has about as many cafes as people; and there are a ton of people.

The weather has been great. Cool in the shade, warm in the sun. We have spent hours just sitting outside a cafe, drinking frappes and watching the people.

Went back to the travel agent. Got boat tickets to Santarini and Mykanos, and plane tickets from Mykanos to Rome. I'm very happy about the plane tickets, because a flight will eliminate two whole travel days.

I hand washed my clothes in the sink, dried them on the balcony and ate at the hotel restaurant before driving to Vai with Shannon's friend's wife. We read in the guide book that Vai was the best beach around, and they weren't kidding. The place was beautiful, but a bit crowded, despite being in the middle of nowhere. It looked like one of those desert islands that people in movies always wash up on.

Sula (Shannon's friend's wife) drove us through Pelecostro, a strange quaint little town of 1500 people in the exact center of nowhere. She said it gets a little boring living there. I would kill myself. She showed us the house where she was born. That's right, house not hospital. There is no hospital.

It turns out that every one of the 30 restaurants, along the beach of Sitia, has exactly the same menu. It's like they have one enormous kitchen which makes the food for all of them. At least the menu is big and we don't have to walk around searching for food like in Athens. Tonight Shannon ordered the rabbit. I wouldn't try it because rabbits are too cute (they remind me of Turtle). Emily and Shannon made fun of me.

Finding a hotel in Mykanos was a pain in the ass. It turns out that there is some big holiday on May 27th or 28th. All the rooms are booked. We eventually found a room, but we're paying much more than expected. Oh well. It's at a luxury resort.

The breakfasts everywhere in Greece are the same: bread, swiss cheese, coffee and a variety of strange sesame seed covered pastries. After breakfast we wandered into a few clothes stores and an internet cafe. Emily and I felt dizzy, so we decided to eat again before returning to the hotel.

Travel agents in Greece are driving us crazy! Each one tells us a different thing. One says, "There is no boat to Iraklion, only a bus." The next says, "There is no bus to Iraklion, only a boat."

We walked up the hill to an old Venetian fort. It was locked, so we could only see the outside. Thick stone with little holes to shoot from and a stair step roof, like an old castle. Back at the hotel, we watched BBC news for a bit (they wouldn't shut up about Sonja Ghandi) and played cards. I read my new Tom Robbins book on the balcony overlooking the water. Later: Ate cake from a local bakery. Stopped by the 'trendy' bar and played more cards. A wonderfully relaxing day.

We laughed for literally 20 minutes after seeing our sleeping compartment on the boat. Yeah, it was that small. Us and our suitcases barely fit. It is smaller than my parent's closet. Most of our time was spent in the lounge. Emily tried hard and won her battle against sea sickness. Dinner was horrific. We opted for the first class dinner instead of self serve. Big mistake. Emily and Shannon got Greek salad. I got spaghetti. We ate bread.

We got to Sitia around noon and spent most of the day wondering around this amazing little town. It is so beautiful. Just like a post card. Plus, there are about 30 restaurant in a row next to the beach. My kind of place!

Finding the hotel was quite an experience. We got a cab ride from a guy who spent 20 years in the US. He took us to the Krystal Hotel, owned by his friend. They gave us a great rate (30 euros a night) but we ended up staying at the Itanos Hotel, because it was much nicer and only a bit more expensive. After checking in, we walked around and stumbled across a funny little park with a crazy spinning ride. Shannon and I decided that the ride would cure our sea legs. Boy were we wrong. It ended up just making us more dizzy. So we tried spinning the other way, but that didn't work either.

We had a great lunch at the hotel's restaurant (on the beach). Walked around some more and played with the town's wild dogs. Like Athens, the dogs are everywhere! And they're all very friendly. This female yellow lab followed us around for a while. We tried to feed her strawberries, but she wasn't into it. Instead she clawed through a fishing net looking for food. I wanted to let her sleep in our hotel room, but I was out voted.

So, This is the third day in athens. The city is beautiful, but a bit dirty. We have seen all the sights worth seeing and spent most of our time hunting for food. The people here seem to only eat these things that look like bagels, but with much larger holes and no toppings. Finding coffee on the other hand is no problem. There is about as many cafes here as there are fast food restaurants in America. I got no problem with it. The coffee is great. Actuall come to think of it, they don't really serve coffee. Just Frapes (or however the hell you spell it), which are Nescafe, sugar, water, and milk. Very tasty. Today we leave for Crete. We are taking a 13 hour boat ride there. Luckly we have a sleeping compartment. We booked a luxurious hotel in Setia (or however you spell it) for only 63 euros a night ($90 or so).

I finally graduated from college. Of course, I have been done with my classes since December, but since there is no December commencement, I had to wait until yesterday. The graduation itself was boring as crap. I fell asleep. Woke up just before they called my name and staggered across the stage. Oh, and I graduated with honors. That's right, honors. I didn't even know it until I went to pick up my regalia and my name was on the list for the funny gold thing honors students wear. It was a welcomed surprise.

I made reservations for my whole family to eat lunch after the ceremony at this place called Thyme Square Cafe. My mom drove past it a day earlier and demanded that I change the reservations because the place looked "dumpy". Needless to say, getting a reservation for 15 people on Mother's Day in Washington DC is impossible. I stuck by my choice and the place ended up being perfect. It was moderately priced, yet upscale and it had enough food for all the picky kosher and atkins people in my family.

Today I went shopping with my mom, sister and girlfriend. I hate shopping. They spent the whole day insisting that I needed to buy more stuff. I have plenty of clothes. I have never had to walk around naked. After much instance I ended up getting one shirt, one jacket and one messenger type bag.

This afternoon, Emily and I spent a couple hours calling moving companies. What a freaking hassle. They all seem like they are out to overcharge us and steal all of our crap. Around 5:00 my mom came over and told us that her friend's brother owns or works for a moving company. Problem solved. They are going to come over later this week and give us an estimate (hopefully).

We went out to dinner at Mie N' Yu. It was wonderful, as always. That place has got to be the best restaurant in DC. For dessert I had "coffee and donuts", which was ladyfingers drenched in Kahlua and covered with a chocolate mousse type stuff. I ate so much that it gave me a huge sugar rush.

After that Emily and I went to CVS. I bought some Kodak Max film, but had to return it after my dad said it was crappy. Now all I want to do is sit around playing 007. I'm too fat to do anything else.

Emily and I live in a very ritzy neighborhood. Oil Barons, Diplomats, and Embassies line our block. We rent from the grand-daughter of the Reynolds Tobacco fortune. Criminals usually avoid our neighborhood, because of the abundance of personal security guards, but not tonight.

I was taking Turtle for a walk around midnight. Emily needed some money to buy more tickets to graduation, so I agreed to walk to her ATM (about 1/2 mile) and get it. On the way back, I saw a large pickup truck parked in front of a fire hydrant. The hydrant was gushing water into the street. Two men stood staring at the fountain. Turtle was afraid of the noise, so I walked to the other side of the street. The men spotted me and crossed the street. I sped up. They sped up. I took a left down the nearest alley and started running. They followed. Turtle could barely keep up (his legs are very small you know), so I picked him up by the leash and ran. The men kept coming. I took a left into someone's driveway and hid behind a trash can. They ran past. Turtle almost barked, but I covered his mouth. I silently ran out of the driveway and further down the street. Thankfully, I made it home without seeing them again.

It was so weird. That kind of stuff usually doesn't happen in this area. Oh well. I guess that's life in DC.

Yesterday I went into work all pissed off, because Friday I had rushed through all the jobs, so we wouldn't have anything to do Saturday and I wouldn't have to come in. But my boss said I had to come in anyway. It was lame. We just sat around watching stupid movies from the DC indy film fest.

After work I went to the screening for the film I've been working on with Emily and Mac. Ours was definitely one of the best. After the screening Emily and I took a nap and were woken up by Dave around 6:30. The three of us went to this great restaurant called Listrani's. They just made fun of my "boring" blog the whole time and said that I should just write about my day and stuff like that. Well screw them. I don't want to write about that stuff. I mean, who cares about my day.

Anyway, after that, Dave and I played the Laura Croft PS2 game for a while. That game is maddening. All you do is try to figure out how to get out of whatever room you are in at the time.

Dave left around 3:30 and I spent the rest of the night playing with this music program called Live. I figure out some really cool stuff you could do with it, like sequence audio loops in the timeline.

This morgining I got to sleep in for the first time in what seems like months. It was great. Then Emily and I spent hours on campus playing with DVD Studio Pro 2. I had to poop real bad, but the bathroom smelled so bad that I couldn't even breath. So, I had to yell at Emily to hurry up and go home.