Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Final Post- Thank You

Yesterday we spent the day meeting with government officials from Piraeus.  Piraeus is a large port city just south of Athens and a sister city to Baltimore.  We met with the Vice Mayor, Council President, representatives from the National Police Force and several other government officials.  They were all very gracious and accommodating, taking time out of their busy schedules to spend their day with us.   The Council President took us for a tour of the city and for a seafood lunch at a restaurant overlooking the beautiful Aegean Sea.   

We will spend today visiting some of Vayia's family in a township north of Athens called Marousi.  Tomorrow we begin the long trip back home.

This past year I turned 40 years old and thought to myself that this was a good time to challenge myself and to run a marathon.  I had no idea how far that decision would take me.  I would like to take this opportunity to  thank all the people that made this experience possible:

To Diane Homberg and the entire Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee for giving me this amazing gift.  Representing Baltimore in this historic event has been a tremendous honor for me.

To the Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld for all their support.  To Renee Samuels and Sheryl Goldstein for encouraging me to get involved...and for really making it all happen. And to Anthony Guglielmi and Jeremy Silbert who worked extremely hard bringing so much positive media attention to this experience.

To our parents and families for taking care of our children while we have been gone. Giving us the peace of mind that everyone was safe and happy.

And to all of our friends for all the support and positive encouragement.  The outpouring of phone calls, emails and messages was overwhelming.  I found it truly amazing how many people regularly  followed my journey through this blog.


Thank you all.

John

Monday, November 1, 2010

Photos from the Marathon


View of the Panatheneikon Stadium where the runners completed a lap around the stadium to finish the marathon!





P