Hey Mom, I’m Alive! First Days in Greece
- Posted by on May 24th, 2017 filed in Uncategorized
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We arrived in Athens on Sunday, after a nine hour flight from JFK. We enjoyed a day of free time and rest. Many of us explored the area around our hotel, called the Plaka, which has many shops and restaurants and is a few minutes walk from the Parthenon. We got our first taste of Greek food for lunch at local restaurants. Many of us ate gyros and souvlaki. For dinner, the hotel served us a buffet-style dinner. This involved more souvlaki as well as Greek salad, rice, potatoes, and fresh bread.
On Monday, after a delicious buffet breakfast in the hotel, we began our official touring with Tutku Tours. Our first excursion was to the Acropolis Museum, a quick 3 minute walk from our hotel. Here, we learned about artifacts from the Acropolis as well as a detailed history of the Acropolis and the many changes it has undergone. After the museum, we made our way onto the Acropolis. We got up close and personal to the temple of Nike, the Parthenon, and the Erechtheion. From the height of the Acropolis, we also viewed the Odeon and the theatre of Dionyssos. The Acropolis was a great vantage point to get a full 360 degree angle of the surrounding city. From here, we also got our first look at the Aegean Sea.
Close to the Acropolis stands Mars Hill. The hill is a steep and rocky area that also site high above the rest of the city. This is the site of Acts 17, where Paul once gave a sermon referencing the unknown god.
We split up to have lunch in a busy square in Monastiraki. Afterwards we roamed the shops in small groups. We bought souvenirs, talked to locals, and ate gelato.
After this, our official tours were done for the day. We returned to the hotel to take a break and get ready for dinner. We enjoyed our dinner at a beautiful rooftop restaurant with a view of the Acropolis close by. We were accompanied by a student group from Furman. This meal had many courses, and many of us were stuffed before the main entree even made an appearance. These included Spanakopita, meatballs, eggplant, salad, pasta, and bakklava. A few of us explored a bit more after dinner before retiring back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
So far our trip has been full of excitement and new experiences. The weather has been great, and we expect that these few days foreshadow a great trip.
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