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Published: September 20th 2011
Hello!
After a day of flying, I was finally able to land in Athens at approximately 9 am. It was crazy to leave at 4 pm one day and show up somewhere else at 9 am the next day, with a loss of 7 hours. Also, jet lag is terrible. Every time I sit for more than 10 minutes, I start to doze off...that's not very polite to do during an instructional lecture in a foreign city whose native language sounds like gibberish. My survival Greek classes are later this week, but hopefully I pick up some manners beforehand, so I can at least be polite about my American ignorance.
The sights, sounds, and smells of Athens are typical of any major city--some are pleasant, some are questionable, and others make you want to walk with haste. Athens is very ascetically pleasing, especially if one is obsessed with antiquities/artifacts/old stuff. Every street corner is layered with historical significance, but also serve many contemporary purposes (embassies/ government buildings/ museums). I also found it fascinating that most of the sidewalks are marble slabs...ritzy, right?
Being in the heart of the city definitely has its advantages! The first Greek meal I ate at a restaurant was absolutely wonderful, (and was also enough for about 4 people to eat) with the added bonus of the Acropolis as a backdrop. It was hard to stay focused on eating/conversation with so much to absorb. I am definitely going to need the entire 3 months to experience this dynamic culture, but am excited for every minute of it!
More to come (with pictures!)...I'm going on a detailed Acropolis tour of some antiquities on Friday! I'm so excited! :D
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Marcy
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Enjoying ur blog!! :)
I am so enjoying ur blog, Toni...so interesting to read about another place and I just read and can actually envision being there!! Keep the blogs coming for us!! Eri reads them too! :)