Our full day in the eternal city of Rome began with a guided tour of its ancient ruins - the Colosseum and the Roman Forum - and a tour of the monstrous monument to Victor Emmanuelle II and the unification of Italy. In our free time we got to explore St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican, as well numerous monuments, sights, and museums around the city. We wandered the city for the rest of the evening, soaking in the atmosphere and the local culture.

Rome is the eternal city. It was - for all practical purpose - the centre of the universe. The greatest empire the world has ever known was forged from this city of seven hills. What started as a small village in the 8th century BC would eventually come to rule nearly all of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa in less than 1000 years. It would continue to do so in the west until the 400's, and in the east until as recently as the 1500's. Evidence of this rich and powerful history is intertwined within the modern city; a town with the ancient mixed together with the modern, one built upon and within the remains of the other. All western cultures still contain much of the old Roman world, and the Roman institution still exists today as the Roman Catholic Church, centralised in the sovereign city of the Vatican.

Day 13 was a long travel day with only a significant stop in Pompeii, just outside of Naples, for a guided tour of this ancient buried city. For the rest of the day, we continued onward to Brindisi to catch our overnight ferry to Corfu.

Pompeii is a town frozen in time. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and the city was buried in ash. It was not excavated for nearly 2000 years, and numerous artifacts have been found intact on the site. Even bodies of its citizens - many of whom had died of asphyxiation - were preserved under the layers of ash.

Two full days in sunny Corfu was a welcome delight after two weeks of walking and climbing stairs. We enjoyed time at the hotel pool, explored Corfu town, and took a caique cruise upon the infamous and hilarious George's Boat. We stopped for some swimming spots and some water sports, including parasailing and doughnut rides. The final evening in Corfu included a Greek dinner and dancing - taverna, retsina, and zorba.

Greece is generally considered the birthplace of western civilisation. The Classical Age of Greece brought forth a host of great philosophers, mathematicians, and artists. Their advanced culture influenced the language, art, and religion of nearly every western civilisation to follow. Even today, the works of great writers like Homer are still read, the teachings of great thinkers like Aristotle are still discussed, and the findings of great scientists like Pythagorus are still taught.

Day 16 was another long travel day, as we left the sunny skies of Corfu behind and headed by ferry and bus to the ancient city of Athens, with a pitstop in Corinth along the way to view its immense canal. We arrived in Athens early in the evening and gathered for our farewell dinner. We ventured out on our final nighttime gathering to a swanky bar in the club district of the city - an outdoor bar that backed onto a wondrous view of the beach.

The Corinth Canal was a monstrous undertaking, and a great human accomplishment. Before the construction of the canal, boats had to be dragged onto the land to the other side of the peninsula, or waste days of time sailing around. Several attempts were made to dig a canal, including a project led by Emporer Nero, but the rock was too hard and simply too immense to seem possible, so all attempts were abandoned. Finally, in the 1900's, with the aid of modern machinery, a complete canal was constructed. Certainly, it is one of the most impressive holes ever dug.

The final day of the trip included a guided tour of the ancient ruins of the Acropolis, including the Parthenon. The tour ended that afternoon, and we said our good-byes and parted ways, each of us taking fond, unforgettable memories back with us, along with the collection of cheesey souvenirs that accumulated along the way.

Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe, and it remains a metropolis today. The Acropolis - the centrepiece of Greece's fabulous history - remains an icon of the city. The Parthenon - the largest of Greek temples - lies in ruins today, the victim of weather, war, and accident. What remains of the marble statues that made up the pediments of the temple are now housed in the British Museum in London, and the Greeks have been struggling greatly to have them returned.