KALEE SPERA JOSH!!!!
Let me just tell you--I am loving this trip. If you ever get the chance to hitchhike to Europe, take it. Especially if that offer is actually a first class plane ticket. You can even settle for a study abroad trip that uses economy class seating (yes, the pillows and food suck--but it's an intense battle of who gets the armrest. Riveting).
I was last able to shoot you a letter while heading to Athens, and when I got there I must say that my initial reaction was a bit of disappointment mixed with hunger. We pulled up to the hotel and there was graffiti everywhere, broken down cars and trash littering the streets, and it smelled like sewage. Boy, I sure missed gorgeous, quaint, mountain flower scented Delphi. I plopped down on the hotel room's cot/a-couple-of-those-airport-pillows-glued-to-some-PVC-pipe and decided to buy some spray paint so I could join in on the city's favorite pastime later that evening. However, once we headed down the street, mastered the metro system, and came out in a dinner place I realized there are actually some cute places and Athens. So, I dropped the spray paint idea and enjoyed a pretty decent meal from a cute Greek restaurant named Vyzantino. We got this delicious layered eggplant/potatoes/other random stuff casserole-looking thing called Moussaka, a delicious super fresh salad (BEST TOMATOES HERE EVER), really great fresh bread, some 'eh' meat/rice/french fries, and the grossest mushy dessert cake ever. Overall, tasty :)
The next day I wandered down to breakfast with a backup Poptart hanging out in my bag (just in case), but this hotel in Athens actually has freshly baked crusty bread every morning. So fresh that you cut it yourself. They just have a huge basket of different types of bread loaves, a cutting board, and a knife. I just took half of a loaf to go. Someone said something about the Les Mis stealing bread thing... I didn't go to Greek prison for forever though! Besides, if I had been sent to prison, at least I would have had the Poptart!
Then we hopped on the bus for a tour of Athens. I may have slept through a tiny part of the tour, but in my defense we had to get up super duper early. I did get to see the tomb of the unknown solider and several important monuments, though. The bus dropped us off near the Acropolis and after checking out our tour guide Fay's family gift shop (maybe? she had several grandchildren running around the store--so, I assume it was hers) we headed to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. Personally, I was really pumped about the Parthenon after seeing the one in Nashville so many times. I was actually kind of surprised though--it's really not what I thought it would look like. A lot of it has fallen down, there was scaffolding everywhere, and that huge Athena statue is nowhere to be found. It's not even in the museum! The view from the top of the Acropolis (the hill that the Parthenon sits on top of) was phenomenal though. Pretty much the view from anywhere high is pretty good looking, but this was a 360 view of beauty. After pretty much falling down the Acropolis, I finally made it back to un-rocky ground where we stopped for lunch at a sit down restaurant where I got chicken souvlaki (basically a chicken kabob) and fried cheese (pretty good, not as good as the other restaurant).
Then it was the Acropolis museum for more history, more great views, and some pretty interesting information. First of all, this museum was built on top of some ancient ruins and instead of just covering them up (like most greek and italian buildings have done) they built windows in the floor so you can look down on the old house ruins and pipes and everything. It is super cool. I also went and watched this nerdy video about the Parthenon that almost everyone else was avoiding. I thought it was interesting though! The Parthenon is actually 16,500 pieces and they just joined them all perfectly together, it has been 25 centuries since its construction, it took nine years to build it, the building is the only building throughout the ages that was built without straight lines (it's curved so you can see all of the columns) and it has 378 figures throughout the entire structure. Can you say nerd alert!?
The rest of the day we had free time where I went shopping and to dinner with Molly, Haley, and Kyser. While we were shopping Kyser disappeared for a little bit and when he got back I can't really remember what he said, but basically he produced a can of...drum roll please...DR. PEPPER. I pretty much freaked out--may have teared up from overexcitement. I'm pretty sure he found the only place that has it in all of Greece and Italy and it was delicious. Definitely a great way to start the night off! Then we headed off to find dinner and somehow wound up at a place called Topika which was one of the best places I've eaten in Greece thus far. I had a gyro and we just sat and talked for about three hours. It was super relaxing.
Finally, we took a cab home (Haley had never been in one, so we had to try it out! Plus, they are super cheap here) instead of trying to maneuver the metro system. After we got back I went to sleep which brings us to today!
Side Note: Sorry for the monsterous posts when I don't have time to send anything one day!
This morning we woke up at 6:30 (which means I am super tired now) and headed out to take a one day cruise through the Aegean Sea to some of Greece's smaller islands. We were supposed to hit Hydra, Aegina, and Poros; however, the sea was absolutely nuts today because of storms, so we only made it to Aegina and Poros. The wind and rain didn't stop the majority of the group (the non seasick ones) from having a kickbutt time though. The boat was a medium-sized boat with three levels and an inside cabin. About 7-8 of us sat at a table in the cabin and played a bajillion rounds of card games while traveling from island to island. The first island we went to had a bell tower that I climbed to in the crazy freezing rain. The view and the chance to see a ton of cute little greek houses made it worth it. Plus, we got hot chocolate before hopping back on the boat to go to Aegina where we took a bus to a Pistachio farm. Also, I bought some DELICIOUS BEST EVER kiwi from a little fruit stand.
We got back to the big city around 7:00 and a group of eight of us MAY or may not have headed to McDonalds where they MAY or may not have had something called a Greek Mac (A Gyro fast food style) that MAY or may not have been delicious. Not saying I went to McDonalds, but I do approve of trying out the McDonalds' in different countries because they each have unique items! Pretty dang cool.
As you can tell, my initial opinion of Athens has changed. Although the street our hotel is on is still pretty disgusting, the giant city is still pretty fun and interesting. In fact, the city has this really cool thing with stray dogs and cats. They are everywhere and they are super clean and friendly. The thing is, the city picks them up and gives them health shots, fixes them, and then lets them go again. From there, they just love on people all over the city, run around and play, and basically get fed by everyone. They really like big groups, so they'll herd our group around like sheep and bark at strangers that get too close. It's pretty hilarious. I think the system is interesting, and although I don't like animals that much I appreciate the good life the city is providing for those slobbery, hair-filled, peeing on my bedroom carpet things.
Alright! I'm going to head out and try and enjoy as much of the last couple of days as I can!!! I'll be seeing you soon (half frown face, half happy face).
Love,
Greek Maddie
Let me just tell you--I am loving this trip. If you ever get the chance to hitchhike to Europe, take it. Especially if that offer is actually a first class plane ticket. You can even settle for a study abroad trip that uses economy class seating (yes, the pillows and food suck--but it's an intense battle of who gets the armrest. Riveting).
I was last able to shoot you a letter while heading to Athens, and when I got there I must say that my initial reaction was a bit of disappointment mixed with hunger. We pulled up to the hotel and there was graffiti everywhere, broken down cars and trash littering the streets, and it smelled like sewage. Boy, I sure missed gorgeous, quaint, mountain flower scented Delphi. I plopped down on the hotel room's cot/a-couple-of-those-airport-pillows-glued-to-some-PVC-pipe and decided to buy some spray paint so I could join in on the city's favorite pastime later that evening. However, once we headed down the street, mastered the metro system, and came out in a dinner place I realized there are actually some cute places and Athens. So, I dropped the spray paint idea and enjoyed a pretty decent meal from a cute Greek restaurant named Vyzantino. We got this delicious layered eggplant/potatoes/other random stuff casserole-looking thing called Moussaka, a delicious super fresh salad (BEST TOMATOES HERE EVER), really great fresh bread, some 'eh' meat/rice/french fries, and the grossest mushy dessert cake ever. Overall, tasty :)
The next day I wandered down to breakfast with a backup Poptart hanging out in my bag (just in case), but this hotel in Athens actually has freshly baked crusty bread every morning. So fresh that you cut it yourself. They just have a huge basket of different types of bread loaves, a cutting board, and a knife. I just took half of a loaf to go. Someone said something about the Les Mis stealing bread thing... I didn't go to Greek prison for forever though! Besides, if I had been sent to prison, at least I would have had the Poptart!
Then we hopped on the bus for a tour of Athens. I may have slept through a tiny part of the tour, but in my defense we had to get up super duper early. I did get to see the tomb of the unknown solider and several important monuments, though. The bus dropped us off near the Acropolis and after checking out our tour guide Fay's family gift shop (maybe? she had several grandchildren running around the store--so, I assume it was hers) we headed to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. Personally, I was really pumped about the Parthenon after seeing the one in Nashville so many times. I was actually kind of surprised though--it's really not what I thought it would look like. A lot of it has fallen down, there was scaffolding everywhere, and that huge Athena statue is nowhere to be found. It's not even in the museum! The view from the top of the Acropolis (the hill that the Parthenon sits on top of) was phenomenal though. Pretty much the view from anywhere high is pretty good looking, but this was a 360 view of beauty. After pretty much falling down the Acropolis, I finally made it back to un-rocky ground where we stopped for lunch at a sit down restaurant where I got chicken souvlaki (basically a chicken kabob) and fried cheese (pretty good, not as good as the other restaurant).
Then it was the Acropolis museum for more history, more great views, and some pretty interesting information. First of all, this museum was built on top of some ancient ruins and instead of just covering them up (like most greek and italian buildings have done) they built windows in the floor so you can look down on the old house ruins and pipes and everything. It is super cool. I also went and watched this nerdy video about the Parthenon that almost everyone else was avoiding. I thought it was interesting though! The Parthenon is actually 16,500 pieces and they just joined them all perfectly together, it has been 25 centuries since its construction, it took nine years to build it, the building is the only building throughout the ages that was built without straight lines (it's curved so you can see all of the columns) and it has 378 figures throughout the entire structure. Can you say nerd alert!?
The rest of the day we had free time where I went shopping and to dinner with Molly, Haley, and Kyser. While we were shopping Kyser disappeared for a little bit and when he got back I can't really remember what he said, but basically he produced a can of...drum roll please...DR. PEPPER. I pretty much freaked out--may have teared up from overexcitement. I'm pretty sure he found the only place that has it in all of Greece and Italy and it was delicious. Definitely a great way to start the night off! Then we headed off to find dinner and somehow wound up at a place called Topika which was one of the best places I've eaten in Greece thus far. I had a gyro and we just sat and talked for about three hours. It was super relaxing.
Finally, we took a cab home (Haley had never been in one, so we had to try it out! Plus, they are super cheap here) instead of trying to maneuver the metro system. After we got back I went to sleep which brings us to today!
Side Note: Sorry for the monsterous posts when I don't have time to send anything one day!
This morning we woke up at 6:30 (which means I am super tired now) and headed out to take a one day cruise through the Aegean Sea to some of Greece's smaller islands. We were supposed to hit Hydra, Aegina, and Poros; however, the sea was absolutely nuts today because of storms, so we only made it to Aegina and Poros. The wind and rain didn't stop the majority of the group (the non seasick ones) from having a kickbutt time though. The boat was a medium-sized boat with three levels and an inside cabin. About 7-8 of us sat at a table in the cabin and played a bajillion rounds of card games while traveling from island to island. The first island we went to had a bell tower that I climbed to in the crazy freezing rain. The view and the chance to see a ton of cute little greek houses made it worth it. Plus, we got hot chocolate before hopping back on the boat to go to Aegina where we took a bus to a Pistachio farm. Also, I bought some DELICIOUS BEST EVER kiwi from a little fruit stand.
We got back to the big city around 7:00 and a group of eight of us MAY or may not have headed to McDonalds where they MAY or may not have had something called a Greek Mac (A Gyro fast food style) that MAY or may not have been delicious. Not saying I went to McDonalds, but I do approve of trying out the McDonalds' in different countries because they each have unique items! Pretty dang cool.
As you can tell, my initial opinion of Athens has changed. Although the street our hotel is on is still pretty disgusting, the giant city is still pretty fun and interesting. In fact, the city has this really cool thing with stray dogs and cats. They are everywhere and they are super clean and friendly. The thing is, the city picks them up and gives them health shots, fixes them, and then lets them go again. From there, they just love on people all over the city, run around and play, and basically get fed by everyone. They really like big groups, so they'll herd our group around like sheep and bark at strangers that get too close. It's pretty hilarious. I think the system is interesting, and although I don't like animals that much I appreciate the good life the city is providing for those slobbery, hair-filled, peeing on my bedroom carpet things.
Alright! I'm going to head out and try and enjoy as much of the last couple of days as I can!!! I'll be seeing you soon (half frown face, half happy face).
Love,
Greek Maddie
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