Yia sas! I've been here for almost
six weeks. And we've only just made it to the Parthenon.
TIP: Though the night life in Athens is typically very late, check the hours for tourist sites and grocery stores. They aren't open as late as you'd think! Markets tend to close at 9 pm and the tourist sites vary. A simple tip that I'm still somehow figuring out. However, one of the plus sides of Athens is that there's always an ancient ruin somewhere to be admired from afar.
Some of the adventures and events of this past week:
October 3rd. Our roommate Steph got hit by a car while she was out running in preparation for the Marathon. (You know, like the MARATHON Marathon - whoa.) This affirms the craziness of traffic conditions here. Narrow roads, little traffic enforcement, and most sidewalks are often blocked from pedestrians by
planted trees, parked cars and dumpsters. There is even a
group here in Athens trying to fight for pedestrian rights.
Pedestrian rights.... something I've always taken advantage of, I guess!
Send out your prayers and positive thoughts to this super sweet trooper!
October 4th. Cheered on the Deree women's soccer team. Our cheers were so inspiring that our friend
Carissa actually knocked one of the opponents out!
October 5th. Anna, Jess and I checked out the
National Archeological Museum here in Athens
(€3 with student ID). It was beeeeauuutiful. The museum is near the area in Athens known as
Exarchia and next door to Athens Polytechnic (aka the National Technical University of Athens). Exarchia is a popular area for college students, anarchists and demonstrations with many cool shops, restaurants and clubs. When we arrived in the area, there was a peaceful demonstration beginning across the street from the metro - its the first one I have seen during my stay in Athens. The area is very eclectic in appearance and is covered entirely in very
artistic graffiti (while most of Athens is covered in very boring, gross, sad, and inartistic graffiti). At night time, in Exarchia Square, it is apparently common to see many people doing drugs out in the open. Needless to say, it is a unique community and made the sparkling beautiful building and grounds of the museum very easy to find.
The exhibits were crazy cool. Pieces were from the
Archaic and Classical Periods, Bronze Age, Byzantine Empire, Egypt, and even a shipwreck (though don't quote me on the details here). However, many of the statues and monuments were taken from people's gravestones. They were of course very cool and artistic all the same, but it was still weird... I dunno how I would feel if I knew someone took the monument marking my grave to display in a museum somewhere. However, we did also see a few mummies and skeletons, so I guess all's fair in love, war, and historical preservation! Side note, all the statues of
Greek gods had totally hot bods. Here's a couple (non-naked statue) pictures from our adventure:
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| Check out the detail on his arms - you can see his VEINS. |
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| Anna and Jess. And Mr. Dead Guy. |
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| Zeus' arm. And a statue of an arm. |
Later that night, some of my Greek friends from class took Carissa and I out for a night on the town; specifically, in the
Gazi District. This area is also a very cool collegiate area with many cool looking clubs, bars, coffee shops and stores. We relaxed and talked for a while and then they took us dancing (to prove that Greeks DO dance)!
TIP: If you plan on going to a club on the weekend in Athens,
arrive relatively "early" - maybe around 11 pm, before the place packs up and the lines start.
After about 2 am, you can't really go into any other places because of the lines. The club played everything from
Britney Spears to the Rocky theme to Gangsta's Paradise. The dancing here is more subdued then back in the States though. As in,
you don't really see people grinding - which is definitely cool by me. :) We called it an early night at 3 am - after the metro had closed at 2 am - and our friends continued to prove Greek hospitality by giving us a ride all the way back to our dorm. However,
TIP:
Do not ask a Greek boy what hair product he uses for his stylish and gravity-defiant hairstyles. According to them, they do not use product. But then again, that does go along with
Anna's theory that
all Greeks have beautiful hair.
October 11th. We finally made it out to the Acropolis (which is the name of a mountain, not a monument)! (€6 with USF student ID.) Atop this mountain sits the Parthenon and a couple other temples for the worship of Athena, the Goddess of War and protector of Athens. We were in total awe of these monuments. Can you imagine building such structures? And climbing a mountain every day to do it?
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| The Parthenon |
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| My favorite - The Theater of Dionysus |
Afterward, we explored the
Acropolis Museum (free with Greek student ID)- a beautiful building dedicated to the archeological discoveries of the Acropolis. I feel so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so much history! When I get home, I am definitely going to
take better advantage of the museums in Sioux Falls. However, something I have found most interesting historically is Greece's more modern history. I feel like I am not alone when I say that, really, the only modern European history I've studied in America involves WWII. I'm not proud to say that I was even pretty ignorant of the Greek Revolution before my Modern Greek History class. You see, contrary to popular belief, modern Greece isn't the "Classical Greece" of theater and philosophy and science that one might expect before coming here. Some Greek historians actually go so far to describe their
Classical inheritance as a burden. Much has happened and changed in this country since Aristotle's time - the religion, the boundaries, the language, the government, and the people. Which makes Greece's culture all the more
rich, dynamic and fascinating to be a part of this semester!
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