Greece: The Beginning

Hey friends and family! Life has been a bit touch and go lately due to travel. I’ve officially been in Greece for a little over a day, but I’ve been busy sightseeing and it’s been really hard to find free wi-fi anywhere. There’s a nice café right around the corner from my hotel with free internet which works great with my caffeine addiction! This afternoon my roommate and I walked down there, grabbed some traditional European espresso and sat on the internet for a while to get in touch with our families.

So far, it’s been a great trip! I landed in Athens at about 6pm local time (10am central) and met up with my roommate Roddy who had been waiting for me in the airport since noon. We hit the metro, which was really cheap and easy, and found our hotel by 7pm with the help of some restaurant owners. Roddy and I didn’t have hotel reservations until the next morning, so we dropped off our luggage with some friends at the hotel and went back to the restaurant where we met the locals who helped us find our way to the hotel. We had some amazing food, drank some ουζο (a Greek 80 proof sipping liquor that tastes like black licorice), and enjoyed some time with the waiter and owner.

After dinner we basically toured Athens at night on foot. It was an amazing experience! We saw the Parthenon and some other amazing ruins, went through the streets and saw the markets (which we revisited in the light today), and got lost only to find ourselves again…IN ATHENS!!! Athens is gargantuan, by the way. I've heard that something like 80% of all modern Greeks live here. There was a point last night when Roddy and I climbed to the top of Καραμείκος, which is some gorgeous ruins on a hill even taller than the Acropolis, and we got a glimpse of the city, which went on for as far as the eye can see. It was gorgeous. Imagine this in every direction going on forever:

There have been some really noticeable differences while in Greece aside from the language barrier. First of all, EVERYONE smokes, and they do it inside. At all of the restaurants and cafes we’ve been to, people just light up inside. When we’re walking down the street, all the locals have cigarettes in hand all the time. Whatever. Local culture, I suppose. I kinda like the smell of smoke anyway, so it’s not really a bad thing.

Secondly, everyone is really, really friendly. I think this might have something to do with the fact that they all know I’m from America and it’s the tourist off-season, but I’ll take it however I can get it. When people see us staring at a map or looking for something, immediately five locals come to our aide and ask if they can help. All the store and restaurant owners stand outside their shops and ask us if they might be of any help. They show us their local deals and tell us they’d love to have us sit down and relax with them. Tonight, for example, we found an amazing restaurant with a really hospitable owner. We got great service and amazing food with a free bottle of wine, free deserts, and a free extra glass of wine at the end of the meal. The meal was only 8 euro for amazing food and drink, and we ended up sitting down for about two hours. Wow. What a place!

The program actually starts tomorrow. I’ll be sure to write about it with lots of pictures and keep everyone updated. Rest assured family: I’m safe, I’m happy, and I’m having the time of my life! I promise to put up more pictures when I get time soon. I hope everyone back home is alright! I hope to hear from you all soon!