Amazing to have the Parthenon all to myself and only three other people.

After my crazy days in the Central African Republic, I wanted to take advantage of Greece being newly open and quarantine-free! 

I had not been to Greece in decades and wanted just to relax and immerse myself in Athens alone.

Travel during the waning weeks of the pandemic is still is a once in a lifetime chance to see places that would usually be packed with people.

The empty queue for the Acropolis and Parthenon at 8 on a Saturday morning in early June!

On a perfect, mild Saturday morning in June, I shared the Parthenon with only a nice couple from Utah and Instagrammer Tatiana Lutz, excluding a few security people.

Speaking of Instagram, I follow a few friends, but rarely post anything there. At the same time, I'm fascinated by the phenomenon of people who become famous and sometimes wealthy as TikTok or IG stars. So it was interesting to see Tatiana at work.

500 BC meets 2021 AD Left is an aspiring social media Influencer in action. Tatiana is a pro with tripod, camera, and poses galore. On the right is one of her nicely done Instagram posts. Her photography at tatianalutz puts my pics to shame.

Left: Long before IG, my sister Kathy in Athens in 1973. Right: Accidentally similar pic, even horizontal stripes, of niece Crystal in Los Angeles, 2012.

Looking out at Athens from the Acropolis plateau

The charming Plaka tourist district was nearly deserted the mornings I was there.

Top: The impressive, new (12 yrs old) Acropolis Museum. Bottom: The big National Archaeological Museum was also uncrowded. So how did that woman intrude on my photo, unnoticed at the time?

Didn't know archaeologists uncovered a few statues that had retained some original color. Hard to wrap my head around how Greek statues (like those in the two prior photos) would have looked fully painted.

Spending time in Athens — amazingly uncrowded in "high season" — was wonderful.

Next it was time to really put Moderna to the test: A month in Brazil!