Spring Break 2011 - Athens

February 26-28

After waking up early to catch our flight, we arrived in Athens at 7:30pm took an hour bus ride into the city and then walked to our hostel. Our hostel was located in a part of Athens which is called the Plaka. It is a pedestrian area packed with little shops and restaurants. Once we checked in, we walked around the Plaka and stopped for dinner and gelato. 

The next morning we woke up and had Greek yogurt before heading out for a day of sightseeing. Since we were in Athens on the last Sunday of the month, everything was FREE! We went to the Acropolis first and hiked up to the top stopping along the way to look out at the city and take in the ruins which surround the Acropolis. Once we got to the top we were able to look out at the entire city, which was breathtaking. When we took the bus into the city it was dark so I did not get a chance to see how big the city of Athens is! 

After the Acropolis, we walked to the Temple of Zeus and walked through the ruins which surround the temple. From there, we walked to the original Olympic Stadium and had an audio guide as we walked around. I ran around the track and climbed to the top of the stands and was able to look down at the entire stadium and see the city as well. It was such a surreal experience  to be in a city with so much history and to think about everything that has happened in the city. 

After the Olympic Stadium, I had my first gyro before walking to the government building where we watched the changing of the guard. The guards where dressed in these white dresses with tights and had big fluff balls on the top of their shoes. 

The next morning we woke up and walked to the Agora which again was free because we had international student ID cards which waved the fee. The most fascinating thing about the Agora is that all the buildings are reduced to just a stone foundation, but there are no other stones, everything has deteriorated over time. 

After walking around the Agora, we took the bus to the beach. While we were waiting though, these dogs were basically circling us and then started to fight each other and when cars would drive by, they would jump out into the street and chase after the cars. They even chased a boy into oncoming traffic, luckily he was not hit by a car. It was a very frightening experience and something I would be fine never experiencing again. 

The beach was fun, but when you are there on a cold, overcast day, there is not much to do, so we just sat down and were fascinated by the few people that were actually swimming in the ocean. After the beach, we took the bus back into downtown Athens, went shopping for a little and then grabbed dinner before packing and getting ready for Roma! 

Greek Yogurt

Acropolis/Parthenon

Zesus Temple

Olympic Stadium

View from our balcony at the hostel

Agora

The Beach