Don't Ruin It

Lauren's Greece Essentials Packing List:

• swim suits...check.
• flip flops...check.
• tourist baseball hat...check.
• meat thermometer...check.
• bat shark repellent...dang it.

For someone who typically likes a plan (I am my father's daughter), this was a new kind of trip for me. When we left, I knew where we were landing, where we were sleeping that night, and that we were to catch a boat a few days later. That was about it. Luckily, I at least had an extensive knowledge about Greece...well, I mean I've seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding more than any one person should and I downloaded the Mamma Mia soundtrack before we left. So, perhaps I could've prepared a little bit more, for example by learning some basic Greek words rather than accidentally speaking Spanish as if that's the universal "on a trip" language. I got spoiled with Addy and Victoria since we visited mostly Spanish speaking countries. I was also fortunate that Victoria would do most of the talking in other languages, because to this day the only thing I can say in French is "no burrrrrr." Some say it's because she's kind and wonderful; others say it's because I'm an embarrassment to the language...I digress. All I know is that once we finally landed in Athens, dropped off my big suitcase in the airport, took a bus, found the hotel, and practically ran to the closest restaurant, I could not produce a useful syllable of Greek that wasn't a food item or a goddess. But, luckily, we were not the first tourists to wonder into one of the most popular areas in Athens, and somehow they always know to speak English to us...weird, I know. Anyways, those first gyros were even more delicious than we could have hoped, and felt like the official start to what would be an unforgettable Greek adventure. First stop: ancient history.

     

To me, Athens was a swirl ice cream cone when it first comes out of the magical ice cream machine. There were countless cobblestone roads of brightly colored shops, food stands, musicians, and visitors walking about, that interlaced with 4-lane roads with tall grey buildings and people briskly walking to work. You could cross a single street and the atmosphere was entirely different. There was also more graffiti on the buildings than in any city I've ever seen - both the intentionally artistic type and the less so; I'll choose to think of it as the ice cream sprinkles.

Overall, the city was awesome. Just knowing that it had been there for thousands of years was wild. There were remnants of the ancient past all over town, with the most substantial obviously being the Acropolis. Never have I wanted to be wearing a toga so badly. The Parthenon and other structures there were just as you'd imagine, yet even more impressive in person. There were lots of signs up about the reconstruction efforts over recent years and it was very cool to see the before and after pictures of the progress. The whole time we were there, there was only one painfully Texan accent to be heard who couldn't see over the "fie-nce" - I don't mean to be rude, but when there's a gate three feet away, you're making us all look bad. So, I did what any helpful observer does - I ran away before I could be made an accomplice.

          

        

We walked all over town - from the ruins to the main square to the gardens to the hipsters, we would go until we got hungry, get a snack, and start wondering again. One of my favorite places was Psirri Square - it was somewhere between the hipsters and the tourists, but it had a large outdoor seating area encircled by restaurants. When you're hot and tired and looking for a beer, a place called "beertime" is a dream come true. We also saw the world's smallest garbage truck there - now I know what I want if my car ever pitters out (which won't happen because she's the best car ever).

Though we were only in Athens for two days, I'm very glad we were able to see as much as we did. I'm also glad we did it at the start of the trip, because once we left Athens for the coastal town of Lefkada, a new standard of beauty was set and just kept getting higher each day. But, more on that later. For now, efcharistó (thank you, the only word I actually figured out) for reading, back with more soon!