Wednesday
-If you recall, we checked out of our hotel at 11, but our flight wasn't until 10 that night. Josh and I sat around in the lobby for about three hours to kill time, then went to a park bench for a few more hours to do the same. The day was not exciting at all, just counting down hours until the next big thing.
-We took the train to the airport early. We both almost got pick pocketed on the train. It was crowded, and a young man was standing right next to both of us. I wasn't really paying attention, but I noticed my pocket move slightly and then I saw the man's thumb slide into it. So I put my hands in my pockets and we shared an awkward look. He got off on the next stop. In hindsight I should have just let him rob me, all I had in my pocket was a worn out Paris map.
-Got to the airport early and waited around until we could board our plane. We flew Aegean Airlines and it went really smooth. We even got a decent in-flight meal. Finally touched down in Athens around 2 in the morning.
-We weren't allowed to check into our apartment at school until around nine, so we had seven more hours to kill. We spent the first hour waiting at the baggage claim, until a security guard told us to move along. Then we went to a waiting area in another room. It was a long night and neither of us slept.
Thursday
-We took a bus to get into the city. Unfortunately we got off two stops too early, with no way to get back on. We also had no map. Josh was a little frustrated and wanted to take a cab. I remained positive. I looked at where the sun was, decided that was east, and walked in the opposite direction. We trudged all our luggage through the hot Greek sun for over an hour, but we eventually found the school.
-After checking in at school, we got to our apartment and crashed. We had been up for about 30 straight hours.
-In the late afternoon we explored our surrounding area an bought groceries for dinner. I then met up with a lot of people from our program and we went out to a Greek restaurant.
Friday
-Friday began our orientation at the college. We went on a neighborhood tour with staff to show us the best places to eat. We had a brief welcome and information session by CYA administrators.
-The main part of the day and night was spent on a field trip to Sounion, the southernmost tip of the Attican peninsula and about a hour and a half drive.
-We left the city around 2:00 on a bus. The drive there was beautiful, lots of mountains and coastline.
-We stopped about halfway there at a beach and spent the whole afternoon swimming. It was a nice break from all the hustle of the previous days. The water was extra clear and very warm. Spent a few hours swimming and then walked around the shoreline to check out the fishing docks.
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| Swimming along the Greek Coast. With Josh, Aaron, Carl, and Sean |
-We then headed Sounion and got there around seven. On the top of the hill is the ancient temple of
Poseidon looking out over the sea. We spent a few hours exploring the ruins and watching the sunset from on top of the mountain.
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| The Temple of Poseidon |
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| Looking out over the coast. |
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| Sunset from Sounion |
-After the sun went down we stayed on the mountain to enjoy the Blue Moon music festival. We sat on the hill and listened to authentic Greek music. The festival was packed with people. Even when we left around 11, there were still people trying to get in.
Saturday
-We spent all Saturday afternoon on a scavenger hunt throughout Athens. I was in a group of five people, and we had a lot of fun going around the famous areas of the city. We checked out some cool markets and met some really nice Greek people. Our favorite was a 90 year old woman who sat outside a shop and loved us. She made us take a bunch of pictures with her.
-Found a really good cheap place to get gyros. Will definitely be going back.
-The whole group hung out Saturday night and eventually went out downtown. We had a really fun time dancing at a Greek club.
Sunday
-Had a lazy Sunday. Got back with my scavenger hunt group to finish off a few items. We ended up spending the whole afternoon in a coffee shop just talking. Eventually made it back to the apartment.
-Getting ready for my first day of classes tomorrow.
Stray Athens Observations:
-Our apartment in Athens is very nice. Not too big, not too small. I'll be putting up a video of the whole place so you can see it.
-The area of Athens we are in is called Pangrati. It's definitely not the nicest part of town, and you can tell the recent crisis has really hit the area hard. However, the people here are really great.
-Our neighborhood sits in the shadow of Kalimarmaro, the giant marble stadium from the first modern Olympics in 1896.
-There are stray cats and dogs everywhere in the city. Some of them are cuter than others.
-So far haven't seen any riots. Not that I'm looking for them....
-Classes start tomorrow. I'm taking Greek History, Greek Language, Art History, Eastern Church Theology, and a Seminar on Music.
-So far the group has been getting along really well. We were all happy to see that the Johnnies beat Northwestern on Saturday.
-I'm putting together a Youtube channel for my trip. I took some videos in London and Paris that I'll post, as well as any future videos. I'll put up the link as soon as I have it.
Until next time,
Dan
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