One of the most rewarding aspects of studying off-campus in Venice is the ability to explore to other parts of Europe as well. Traveling to Athens, Greece this past weekend gave me an opportunity to connect with the lives of people who lived many centuries before me. I touched the pillars that they touched and walked on the stones on which they walked. I saw many relics in and out of their original contexts (on ancient sites and in museums). In my archeology class, we recently discussed the influence Greece had on Italy. Classroom to real life connections became tangible this weekend!
All of that was great, but what really tugged on my heartstrings was the plethora of children who played accordions in the streets and on trains for small change from passersby. I did some research when I returned to find out who these children are and why this is part of their daily lives. I felt motivating indignation as I learned about child-trafficking among families who migrate to Greece; many of these children are from Albania.
When I read about crises like these I am glad that I am an International Relations major because I'm taking courses at Colgate that equip me with tools to help alter the course of these children's lives and those who will come after them. This past weekend I had the opportunity to help individuals; however, that's not satisfactory for me. I would like to take advantage of the education and opportunities with which I have been blessed to influence structural change that can have long-term positive impacts in peoples' lives.
In the midst of this discontent, I still enjoyed the interesting history and beauty that Athens presented. Here's a synopsis of the fun that my travel buddy and I had in Greece (I have a bunch of photos from this trip)!
All of that was great, but what really tugged on my heartstrings was the plethora of children who played accordions in the streets and on trains for small change from passersby. I did some research when I returned to find out who these children are and why this is part of their daily lives. I felt motivating indignation as I learned about child-trafficking among families who migrate to Greece; many of these children are from Albania.
When I read about crises like these I am glad that I am an International Relations major because I'm taking courses at Colgate that equip me with tools to help alter the course of these children's lives and those who will come after them. This past weekend I had the opportunity to help individuals; however, that's not satisfactory for me. I would like to take advantage of the education and opportunities with which I have been blessed to influence structural change that can have long-term positive impacts in peoples' lives.
In the midst of this discontent, I still enjoyed the interesting history and beauty that Athens presented. Here's a synopsis of the fun that my travel buddy and I had in Greece (I have a bunch of photos from this trip)!
We started off super early in the morning! We took the 4:35 AM bus to the Airport for our 6:45 AM flight to Rome and then connected from Rome to Athens.
On the bus ride from the airport to our hotel, I noticed some aspects of Athens that were similar to the U.S.! I saw a huge IKEA (founded in Sweden), yellow taxis (though driven in a different model car), T.G.I. Fridays (<--that seemed kind of random), and of course, McDonald's.
We checked-in at our hotel, freshened up, then set out to see Athens!
We checked-in at our hotel, freshened up, then set out to see Athens!
I enjoyed a delicious mediterranean sandwich from this restaurant, Meliartos. The staff there were also very friendly.
Our first ancient stop: The Acropolis, which means "the highest point of the town." There we saw the Parthenon, the temple that Ancient Greeks dedicated to their goddess Athena. Ottomans later converted the space into a mosque and Venetians partially destroyed the buildings on the Acropolis in 1687 in an attempt to attack the Ottomans.
Our first ancient stop: The Acropolis, which means "the highest point of the town." There we saw the Parthenon, the temple that Ancient Greeks dedicated to their goddess Athena. Ottomans later converted the space into a mosque and Venetians partially destroyed the buildings on the Acropolis in 1687 in an attempt to attack the Ottomans.
For dinner we tried Greek salad! There was no lettuce! Just sliced fresh tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber, and red onions topped with feta cheese, olives, and dried oregano. Scrumptious!
Before we arrived in Greece, we discovered (online) that there was a popular bagel place near our hotel! I haven't seen one bagel since coming to Venice, so on Saturday morning, we had bagels for breakfast! I tried the olive bagel with cream cheese. There were few olive bits in the bread, so the flavor was subtle yet tasty. Bagels were a good choice, and they left us with room for a big lunch!
Here are a few more photos from the city:
Here are a few more photos from the city:
Next we visited the Ancient Agora sites and museum before climbing up to Mars Hill where Paul the Apostle spread the Gospel to Greeks as written in Acts 17 of the Bible!
These are the stairs to the top of Mars Hill where Paul the Apostle spoke before the Aeropagus council! It felt incredible to stand on these stones.
The view from the peak of the hill seemed like it was in High Definition (HD). The colors of the city's buildings were vivid whites and off-whites, and the hills were bright and deep greens. The scene changed suddenly when the clouds turned grey, and the weather went downhill from there. Very soon it started to pour, and we found shelter with many other tourists at the Acropolis Museum.
After a couple of hours, the sky cleared up, so we went out for a late lunch. We had street food from a place called Falafellas. I ordered a medium spicy falafel pocket. SO good!
After lunch we checked out some shops and finished up sight seeing at the National Archeological Museum. There was a musical performance happening inside!
For dinner we tried more traditional Greek Cuisine. We had souvlaki which was a meat kabob served with potato fries, bread, and lime. It was also good! After dinner I sampled Baklava drizzled in chocolate and kataifi, traditional Greek desserts. Prices in Greek were much less expensive than in Italy! Bottles of water cost 50 cents and each of our meals cost less than 6 Euro!
For breakfast on Sunday morning, I tried spanakopita which tasted like pizza inside! On our way to catch the train to the airport we passed through Sytagma Square where the Greek parliament is located. There we saw the guards in traditional attire! We also saw an army of mostly women and some men in matching shirts with pink lettering. Once I got closer, I saw that their shirts were for a Race for the Cure for breast cancer. It's touching to personally see efforts toward curing cancer on an international level.
Finally, we set out for home. I felt relief when I walked onto the plane and the flight attendant greeted me with "buongiorno" (good morning/day). Greek differs in many ways from most Romance Languages. Even the alphabet is different. It was nice to hear a (more) familiar language again!
Coming up next week: We're planning to see our second opera, La Traviata, tonight! I'm looking forward to the spontaneous moments of excitement/interest this week!
I hope that you find a reason to smile this week. :-)
J McKoy
I hope that you find a reason to smile this week. :-)
J McKoy