The European adventure has officially begun.
It started off with a 3 hour plane ride from London to Athens, which was quite an experience on its own. Heathrow lived up to its reputation as the most intimidating airport in the word! I caught elevators several times, escalators galore and even took an underground transit train before I even got to my gate. But it was all worth it, because at the end of the journey I could finally be reunited with my Harry. After an anxious one hour wait, I finally saw his face coming through the arrivals gate and the smile hasn't left mine since.
Athens is everything I expected it to be and so much more, of course the ruins are what Greece is known for but there is something special about the buzz of the city, its crazy drivers, its winding alley ways upon alley ways filled with something different around each bend, whether it be an ancient ruin, a market street, a mass of graffiti, or a group of old Greek men having a catch up and a ciggy on a corner. It is a city where you feel like you have been taken back in time but somehow dumped in the present. The population is huge making Greece a concrete creation of mazes. The only trees left are the ones that cannot be reached or those surrounding the ruins that evoke a magical, spine tingling, goose bump sense of what once was.
Impressive as Athens is, my experience here has been made even more meaningful and culturally significant with the assistance of my own Greek translator and tour guide. Yes Harry is Greek. There is something really wonderful about being able to be involved and witness a huge part of someones life in a totally authentic way and I am loving every moment of it. The family's Greek conversations, the kisses on both cheeks, the laughter and just the real beauty of family, which I have missed a lot, even more than I first recognised over the past six months.
Yesterday involved becoming acquainted with our apartment, which is small, but absolutely charming, with a massive courtyard that looks out onto Athens and up to the Acropolis (which is even more spectacular at night with its glowing lights).
Our first full day involved a train ride down to Piraeus, Athens main port where we collected our Sea Jet tickets for our journey to Mykonos on Thursday. After a Greek frappe (similar to an ice coffee but a zillion times better) and some spinach pie it was time to head into the city and explore the bustling shopping and market district. A quick stop by Parliament house to check out the sweating guards (the poor things even have to have their faces wiped off from all the sweat, but still stand there all day in full uniform, long everything and a hat included). Before taking on the Acropolis, we needed some sustenance which was found at Thanasis the ultimate Greek restaurant, after a deconstructed kebab (best way I can describe it), the most delicious Greek salad with amazing feta and the bees knees of tomatoes and a few chips for good measure it was time to explore the ancient ruins.
Having studied Ancient Greece since college, and all the way through uni I was a little bit more than excited to see all the sights I had researched for so many years come to life before my eyes. I still couldn't believe it was real (p.s I'm still pinching myself). I don't even know how to begin to describe the amazingness that is the Acropolis, with ruins scattered all over it is a history buffs dream, but the realisation of how HUGE the Acropolis is, really puts things into perspective. The fact that they carried unexplainable amounts of marble up that hill took my appreciation to a whole new level. Half way up we took a detour and headed into a little museum FULL of Greek pottery, art and ancient jewellery, how they managed to create such intricate pieces still amazes me, you go you good things, you go. As we reached the top and saw Athens scattered below us it took my breath away and made me wish that I could have seen the ruins in all there original glory, seriously, mindblown.
After catching my breath, again, we ventured down, taking care as the marble is so worn down under foot that it is incredible slippery, also the paths are not prissy levelled out walkways, they are soldier material ok. At the bottom was the Acropolis museum. Mindblown to a whole new level. Hundreds and hundreds of original carvings and sculptures from the Acropolis are stored in here for safe keeping, and thank goodness they are because you don't appreciate the true beauty of what the Acropolis was until you see all its missing intricate pieces. Not just your average museum, well, if you think a museum built on top of an ancient street with glass panels so that you can see all of the ruins underneath is average, then you are a looser. It really is an inventive and beautiful way for tourists to see original Athens, but also beautiful in the way that those ruins will now be protected for future generations, just as they should be.
Purchase of the day goes to the 5 bottles of water I downed, which made the heat a lot easier and the sweat floooooow. We slowly wandered through the markets of old Athens on our way back to the apartment, before deciding to get a taxi because we had no idea where we were and our feet were ready to give in. With day one almost over, a little tan, and some amazing photos I feel like the luckiest human in the world.
How can I not.
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