Athens!

September 17, 2010

Thursday

This was the first day of our ten days in Europe.  We arrived in Athens in the morning and drove to our hotel.  Immediately, I spotted the differences.  Here, they drive on the correct side of the road.  In Cyprus they do not because it is a British colony, and they also used to use pounds rather than euros.  The scenery is very different, too.  There is a lot more foliage here and mountains-it’s beautiful.  The city itself is huge and bustling.  The driving is still pretty crazy and scary at times, but definitely something I will get used to.  After we arrived we walked around the shopping distract, Plaka.  I felt like the quintessential tourist, going in every store and buying postcards and trinkets.  It is strange to say, but it feels much more greek in this city, as opposed to Cyprus.  I’m really enjoying it here.  At night we attempted to make a trip to the temple of Poseidon, using the metro and public bus.  Unfortunately we missed the last bus, but it was nice to get around the city and see things we might have missed.  We went out to dinner in the Plaka on a street with a lot of romantic restaurants.  It was beautiful and had a very European feel.  We even watched street vendors being chased by the police!  Only in Europe. 

Friday

Today was an early morning.  We ate breakfast on the top floor of our hotel where you could look over the entire city of Athens.  It was the most beautiful thing I have seen thus far.  Our program took us to a Greek mythology and history museum that I found very interesting.  It reflected a lot of the things I learned in my Classics course.  After that we went to the Acropolis!  It was beautiful, despite the many stairs we had to walk up.  The view was even more amazing than breakfast.  I really enjoy learning about the history and mythology of this culture.  Afterwards we walked around for awhile.  We even met a man who was very interested in us being American and proceeded to take a picture with me to show his friends that people who have pale skin and red hair truly exist….very bizarre.  But all in all it was a great day.  Walking around Greece is so fascinating.  Tomorrow we’re headed to one of the islands or a beach to relax and enjoy the gorgeous scenery!

View of Athens from the Acropolis