The Road Less Traveled: "People don't take trips...trips take people." -- John Steinbeck

In Athens, I was the quintessential tourist snapping pictures left and right of all the ancient ruins. We were able to get in free to all of the sites because we go to a university in the European Union, which was a really nice surprise! We began our day at the National Historical Museum, which is acclaimed as being one of the best museums in the world. There, we saw the famed Mask of Agamemnon. Next, we hiked up to the Acropolis to view what Athens is most well known for- the Parthenon. We also saw the Erechtheion, which is the building pictured with the famous sculptures of the six women holding up the building. There are many other ruins along the hike up to the Acropolis. It was truly amazing to see how well preserved these buildings are. However, construction work continues on the Parthenon to restore it to its original beauty. The view of the city is breathtaking from the Acropolis- Athens never seems to end.

Mask of Agamemnon

Then we decided to tour one of the oldest parts of the city- a section they refer to as Plaka. This is a pedestrian only area filled with shops and restaurants. There are also the occasional ruins in the middle of the street. We would sample gelatos on our way through the maze of people. On day two, we were visiting more sites such as Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Zeus, the Greek Parliament building, and Hadrian’s Library. We walked through the Athens Flea Market and visited the port of Athens. During one of our many stops in souvenir shops, we had the funniest encounter with an older Greek woman. My friend Sarah inquired about the price of a particular item and the old woman told her “5 Euro, one. 6 Euro, all.” Then she apologized for her bad English and we hurriedly complimented her efforts. This made her very happy. Once we paid and were on our way out, she grabbed our hands and started leading us back into her shop. We thought there was a problem with our payment. Then she reached into a basket, pulled out little pins, and pinned one on each of our shirts. She then patted them and told us they were for good luck. Feeling that it was such a sweet moment, we allowed her to hug us and kiss our cheeks. On our way out, her son, who was around 45 years old, placed his arms around his mom and hugged her! This was one of the most heartwarming things I’ve ever seen! They were such genuinely sweet people. After this experience and our cultural immersion in Thessaloniki, I can truly say that Greek people are really very special.

On our second night, we ate dinner in Plaka at a restaurant that sits at the bottom of the Acropolis. We were able to watch the sun set over this area and the nearby Agora. The Agora was the city center of Ancient Athens that functioned as the heart and soul of Athens. This is where citizens would come to hear famous men throughout history lecture including Socrates, Aristotle, Paul and others. A flute player played music in the background and this was another of those moments where life seems perfect- if even for a second.