Semester at Sea | Athens, Greece

As you can tell by my location, I’m a little behind on my posts – two ports to be exact 😉 But Spain was just AMAZING and I didn’t want to waste any time blogging when I could be exploring. I’m regretting it a little now since this Wi-Fi signal in Starbucks in Morocco is the worst ever, but I’ll get caught up eventually!

I’ve had a weird fascination with Greece ever since I did a country report project about it in elementary school. Something about being in the same place as the greatest minds in history along with the beaches and beautiful blue and white houses (knowledge courtesy of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) in Santorini have kept me longing to see it for myself. When we found out our Voyage itinerary changed from Ghana to Greece I was FREAKING out – it was so exciting! Visiting Greece is the number one thing on my bucket list and I’m so happy I now got to cross it off. 🙂

To be honest, Greece was nothing like I thought it was going to be. Because we were only going to be there for a few days, Nathan and I decided to stay in Athens instead of venturing off to one of the islands like so many of our friends. We thought there would be a lot to see and do in Athens and we would rather spend the entire duration there and go back to visit one of the islands later in life instead of try to split the time and only see a little of Athens and an island. Athens has some really interesting things to see and do but it’s really dirty and smelly and you can certainly tell the effects of the recession and the refugee crisis. We still had a good time though and got to see everything we wanted/everything I’ve wanted to see since elementary school. 🙂

Our first day in Greece was spent settling in at our hotel and taking advantage of the Wi-Fi to FaceTime with our families. If you didn’t see my Facebook post about getting to talk with my Great-Grandpa, know that was one of my favorite things – I miss him so much!

After we spent some time talking to our families we decided to have dinner on the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. It was so nice to see the city from there and we had the BEST food! Greek salad, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, fresh pita, grilled veggies, and chocolate ice cream for dessert. It was a great way to start our time in Greece!

The next day we decided to see the Acropolis and all of the ancient history types of things. We figured out the metro system really easily, but the route to the Acropolis was a little rough once we got off. We knew we had to go up but every street we tried to go up led to a different street that went over so it took us a while to make it! After we made it to the entrance to the Acropolis we hiked up and up and up to the tippy top! Along the way we saw so many ancient artifacts including two theatres. The second is a massive pavilion that is still used for performances today. It was enormous! The views of the city on the way up weren’t bad either 😉

Like nearly every other tourist destination we visited, the Acropolis and all of its components were under construction, but this time I didn’t mind. I actually enjoyed watching them work so carefully to polish the marble and each and every crevice of every piece. There were also a few sites where they were still digging things up which was really interesting to watch! Standing on the structure that used to be the center of Ancient Greece and the birthplace of Democracy was such a weird feeling. Socrates, Plato, and so many other amazing minds used to walk those same paths and wander through the city center where we stood. The Parthenon and Temple of Athena are absolutely jaw-dropping and I felt so puny standing next to them.

When we left the Acropolis we went around the main street where we saw a train driving tourists around that looks a lot like the one we ride at the zoo at home so that was pretty strange! We also saw a turtle who was quite far away from a water source. Also strange! Our destination after the Acropolis was Socrates’ prison and the Agora. Both are incredible sites and very well-preserved. The Agora was phenomenal and it’s very easy to see why so many philosophers found their greatest peace and inspiration there. They’ve kept it a wooded area with many artifacts seemingly left where they were found and seating added for tourists that blends in quite well. We enjoyed resting there after the long hike to and from the Acropolis!

n our way back to the port in Piraeus we stopped at a Greek flea market and I wanted to bring home ALL the old cameras and furniture! There were so many great treasures I could have collected if only I had enough room to get them home! 😉 We also passed by a beautiful Greek Orthodox Church and many ornate buildings. Europe is so unique with its “Old Towns” in every city combined with modern and classic architecture.

The next day we spent resting, shopping, and eating the best food in town! We ordered a combination plate of three different meats, pita, veggies, and three sauces. The menu said it was enough food for two and I wasn’t all that hungry so Nathan and I figured it would be plenty for the two of us. When the plate came we nearly fell off our chairs. The plate was gigantic! Never in my life have I seen so much meat on one plate. We only finished about 2/3 of the plate and really could have used the help of a few family members to finish it off. We think everyone should come to Greece and order that – it was so good!

Our last full day in Greece was spent at the beach. The shoreline was pretty rocky and busy and not quite the view or crystal clear water as in Croatia, but the water was warm and it was nice to be outside for the day. 🙂 There was an old couple playing what looked like oversized ping pong without nets and they were really getting in to it! I was a little worried because when you started to walk into the water to sank down into the sand quite far so I was just waiting for one of them to have to chase they ball into the water and get hurt. Thankfully, no one was injured and they were a great source of entertainment. 🙂

After the beach we went out to dinner at a Greek/Irish pub that had a great atmosphere and great food! Nathan ordered a burger that he had to eat with a knife and fork because it was so huge and I ordered fish and chips. We again could have used a little help finishing our food and Nathan asked me how Greek people aren’t morbidly obese because their portions are outrageous. I’m not exactly sure what the answer is, but he was definitely right – we could have shared every single meal!

I’m so happy that I finally got to fulfill my dream of seeing Greece, even if it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I think we’ve already decided that next time we go we will go island hopping. 😉 And what would an All That Sparkles Photography blog post be without a few portraits? I think my favorite might be this one of the two little Chinese boys. They kept trying to take pictures of each other jumping in the air and it was hysterical! Reminded me again of a few little boys I know and miss at home!

I can’t wait to blog about Spain – it might have been my favorite port so far! So great that I fell pretty behind on my posts, but hopefully I’ll get that one up while we are in Africa too. We’ll see how cooperative the Internet is. I also have a portrait session to share of my friend Erin, shot on the beach in Valencia! She’s absolutely stunning and we had so much fun shooting on the beautiful beach. Can’t wait for you all to hear about my Spanish adventures next!