Week 9: It's All Greek To Me!

Week 9! Holy cow, we are officially more than halfway through our semester abroad. And what better way to celebrate than our first trip outside of Turkey! We've gotta test out those residence permits somehow right...

So we learned how small the world really is when, before even boarding our flight to Athens, we met another passenger from my hometown Marietta (still can't get over the crazy chances of that!). After spending some time in the airport studying the map and getting our bearings, we ventured out to the Acropolis. This, of course, was not before we got yelled at some Athens Metro police/security man for not validating our tickets at the airports even though there were literally no directions outside the entrance to the platform. The weather was not stellar, but we made it just in time to explore the archeological site before the rain poured down and sought refuge in the museum when it was at its worst. 

After our sightseeing, we filled our rumbling tummies with yummy Greek food and, even better, fresh Greek yogurt with various toppings (mine was black cherry and it was probably one of the greatest things I've ever eaten). 

Unfortunately, in this time the rain did not improve and so we found ourselves searching for our apartment in the rain and taking a much longer route than necessary to finally reach it. 

Friday saw hopes for better weather and an island day trip. We hopped on a ferry to Aegina Island (one of the closest islands to Athens and apparently the first capital of Greece). This experience taught me why people vacation in the Greek islands (and not Athens). It was SO beautiful. The weather was better, the water was clear and the picturesque shade of blue you see on postcards. Athens is not glamorous. The ruins are beautiful and the sites are impressive, but in many ways it's just like any other populated city. There are crowded streets, traffic, uncountable buildings both rundown and newly constructed. In fact, it reminded us a lot of İstanbul (though I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate being told that). It wasn't at all what I expected. The island was more the picture of Greece I had always imagined--clear blue water, quiet, quirky but aesthetically pleasing buildings, bicycles and vespas galore. This day was definitely my favorite by far. One of the best parts was the fact that we didn't really have a plan. There was one ruin site that I knew about on the island that we wanted to make our way over to eventually, but that was it. We got off the ferry and just walked around slightly aimlessly, taking in the beautiful weather and sunshine. We did end up coming across this archeological site and museum. It was on a hill on the coast and held some pretty stunning views. 

It was also devoid of mobs of tourists and therefore very zen. Athens versus Aegina is a lot like the contrast I noticed last summer between Teotihuacan and Monte Alban. Teotihuacan and Athens being the very commonly visited and popular tourist sites while Monte Alban and Aegina are the uncovered gems fewer people think about. 

After this site, we had lunch down one of the random side streets before catching a taxi to go to the other side of the island where the Temple of Aphaia is situated. 

We took our taxi back to the port to catch an evening ferry back to the mainland and then got on a metro that would take us back to our apartment. The next day, we had a list of places/monuments that I had found which were supposedly all located fairly close together, and so we embarked on that. When we got out of the metro station at Syntagma we actually ran into the European Space Exposition, and of course we had to check that out because it was a very large metallic dome in the middle of the square directly across from the Parliament building and it had a line out the door. It's a good thing too because they had free drinks and food, which included really yummy desserts like baklava and chocolate things that have no name. Basically, it was an exposition sponsored by the EU that's making its way around Europe to educate citizens on the investments the EU and their countries have been making in space and how they are supposed to benefit everyday life as well. 

After the Space Expo, we walked through the National Gardens where an important Congress event center is and to the stadium of the first modern Olympic Games.

We continued our walking tour to the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch.

After this we headed to what we thought was the Ancient Agora, but turned out to be the Roman Agora (we think). This walk was pretty cool because it was through a lot of side streets with eclectic buildings, cobble-stoned paths, and tons of shops, restaurants, and cafes. It was definitely a bit tourist-y, but it was also one of the busiest areas we had been in.

After the agora, we had lunch at a restaurant in Monastiraki Square. If there's any country to be in while stuck on a bread and yogurt diet, it's Greece. Pita bread + tzaziki sauce? Nothing compares--SO delicious (and cheap!). Of course an evening in Greece is not complete without some fresh or frozen Greek yogurt and toppings, so the end of our late lunch saw a hunt for Fresko (the Greek yogurt place we happened upon our first day). 

After accomplishing that mission, it was still too early to head home, so we walked passed the Acropolis and into the park with Filopappou Hill. In our walk through the park we came across an old Orthodox church and Socrates's Prison (or an old bath--because apparently the cave structure could have been either and they're not quite sure). We finally made it to the top of the hill where the sight that awaited us was breathtaking. We spent almost an hour there, walking around the top and sitting on rocks to enjoy the view of the sun disappearing behind the clouds. Seeing a city from a vantage point like this is always one of my favorite things to do. It's absolutely incredible how large Athens is and how you could see all the way up to the coast from the top of this hill. Sights like these are always so humbling and make you feel so small in the world. It's amazing that being so high up is what makes me feel most grounded. 

Sunday morning was a pretty lazy morning. But we did finally make it to the actual Ancient Agora! With backpacks packed and ready to get on our flights a few hours later, we wandered the paths of the Ancient Agora and visited the Stoa of Attalos and Temple of Hephaestus. We then sat down for a great lunch of appetizers (pita bread, tzaziki sauce, and fries) only made better by the frozen Greek yogurt (with toppings Yogli Mogli style!) we enjoyed afterwards. Why every frozen yogurt in the states isn't frozen Greek yogurt I will never understand. We walked through the Athens Flea Market and checked out the stands vendors set up to sell artisan crafts and jewelry one last time before getting on the metro to head back to the airport. 

Athens was nothing like what I expected it to be. But in the two months I've been abroad, this is where I felt most homesick--both for Atlanta and my new home in Istanbul. I never expected to miss hearing the Turkish language spoken everywhere or to be so excited to come home to our little apartment in Hisarustu or to be so grateful for our tiny little bathtub. It was definitely nice to be back home for the week (despite all the reality of schoolwork that brought with it), but this coming weekend we go to Vienna!