Blogs from Attica, Greece, Europe - page 110

So, I'm here in Pangrati, a lovely, grimy little neighborhood in Athens. That's where everyone in the Arcadia Program and I live. I've been up since 6:45. Surprisingly, I slept pretty much the whole night through, even though I'm pretty jet-lagged. Right now, the jet-lag isn't feeling so bad, but when I wake up at 4 AM tomorrow and have trouble falling asleep, then I'll be unhappy. I had to go to Agia Eleni hospital today for a routine chest X-ray in order to apply for my residence permit. It was a long hassle, tons of paperwork and red tape. I guess that having tons of inefficient paperwork is part of the way Greeks do things for whatever reason, or at least that's what I hear, and all my experiences so far have proven that to ... read more

Welcome Elliott! Adam's younger brother has joined us for Greece. He arrived wide-eyed and curious about everything: wandering the streets of Venice, he stopped in every single store. We have enjoyed having a third opponent in Scrabble and an additional friend on the trip. After picking him up in Venice, we traveled to Athens, Greece, where we will soak up the sun for an indefinite amount of time. We have much to attribute to the Greeks: The Olympic games, theatre, philosophy, tales like the Odyssey and the Illiad, and of course democracy. It is thrilling to be in a place with so much history and living culture. Walking around last night, I could feel the vibrancy of young people and pulse of energetic street cafes. Street fires were lit by vendors and live music poured ... read more

Hello everybody, I was lucky enough to visit Greece twice--in September and again in November. One shot is a street scene with the preferred mode of transportation--motor scooters. Also, pictures of the "unofficial" form of pet ownership. People look after dogs and cats, but their don't actually take them home with them. They supply food, water, even collars. The dog was keeping cool on the marble floor of a shopping centre. The cat has it made hanging around the owner of this store. Other pictures you will recognize as the Olympic Stadium in Athens where the opening and closing ceremonies took place. I met a fellow who had been a volunteer at the Olympics and got a "behind the scenes" look. Other pictures are from the Greek Islands. The scenery is breathtaking. Enjoy! Bye for now, ... read more

Long way to go, from home. Europe » Greece » Athens » Athens By iamsoohappyNovember 28th 2006ChristinaAfter 2 days, long hours on planes, crossing oceans, a continent, and hours of restless sleep in the airports, we finally arrive in Greece. Drained physically and mentally, we make our way to the luggage carousel to pick up our baggage. When we exit baggage claim, to our surprise, we do not need to pass customs. I have to admit, I am somewhat dissapointed. I really was anticipating the added stamp to my passport. Overall our trip to Athens was short lived, but sweet. I would return to Greece again, if I ... read more

We arrived safely in Athens after a very long trip here. All our flights were great and on time. Arrived into Athens around 4:10 PM local time on Saturday. Took the metro into the city and found our hotel easily. Took a long overdue nap and headed out for dinner (or lunch, depending on your perspective!). For those of you into Greek food, we had chicken and meat slouvakis and some local brew. First two much better than the latter. Had a good long sleep and then headed out this morning for our big tour today. We tried to get some food from the market, but it wasn't open early enough. So we saw some ancient ruins (Temple of Olympian Zeus) and watched the changing of the guard at the Parliament...quite amusing actually. See pictures. Had ... read more