Greek overdose? Never in a million years



View from our house for the weekend in Thessaloniki

 I have spent the past two weekends in Greece. Am I complaining? Not one little bit. Yet, they were two completely different experiences, which made it even more exciting.



Emily and Courtney enjoying some sun and outstanding views



The first weekend was spent in the city of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece only about a four hour bus ride from my home city of Blagoevgrad. As we crossed the border from Bulgaria to Greece, I noticed a few things that put a smile on my face as I was staring out the bus window. Solar panels and windmills everywhere. Now one may wonder why this made me smile, but I am, for lack of a better way to say it, an environmental freak, and solar panels and windmills are one way of our future if we want to continue living on this planet. So anyway, it was a pretty sight for my eyes, to say the least. This trip, we were lucky as we were able to avoid having to stay in a hostel. My friend Erin has connections through her older brother, and we decided to make use of them. Boy, did we luck out. This was a weekend where we got the chance to completely submerge ourselves in the culture of Greece. We were welcomed in the late afternoon on Friday by Ioannis, our host and his father, an adorable older Greek man, headed out to spend the weekend with his wife. While Ioannis went off to work (the Greeks and their weird working hours), the five of us girls were left in a beautiful apartment overlooking the city and the Aegean Sea. We relaxed on the deck for a bit, enjoying the gorgeous view and listening to Erin serenade us with the guitar (she freaks out every time she sees one here, so excited to get the opportunity to play). After a while, we decided it was dinner time, so we gathered all the ingredients we’d brought from Bulgaria (where the value of the American dollar goes much further) and cooked up a storm in Ioannis’s kitchen. When Ioannis arrived home from work, we were given a special Greek welcome with a little disco party and some card games. Wigs were brought out, some Abba, and some traditional Greek dancing. We were loving Greece so far, to say the least.



Emily and I with our Starbucks in front of some ruins



Beautiful Thessaloniki from our harbor cruise

 The following day, we spent exploring the city. The weather was beyond beautiful, so after we again made use of having a kitchen at our hands and whipping up some scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, we dressed and walked till we dropped. We saw the minimal historical sights the city has, but mainly enjoyed the beautiful walk along the Aegean. We grabbed a Starbucks, another small aspect we’ve been missing about home, and just walked. We took a half hour boat cruise on the harbor. It felt amazing to just be out on the water again, the sun shining everywhere. After some great shopping and a cheap lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, we headed back to our home for the weekend because we knew we had to meet Ioannis soon, as he was taking us out to a traditional Greek dinner. Greeks apparently do not eat dinner until around 9 or 10pm, so when we arrived at the restaurant at 8:30, we were the first ones there. Ioannis saw we were a little shocked, and he explained the Greek time schedule. We were given only one menu, which is all was needed because we allowed Ioannis to do all the ordering for us and props to him. We must have had at least 12 dishes for the six of us, all traditional Greek food and all simply delicious, ranging from vegetable pie to fried zucchini, grilled pork, shopska salad with feta cheese, calamari, octopus, salty fish, fresh pita bread, and more. Dessert was on the house per Greek tradition and it was unlike anything I’ve ever had. Describing it in words seems nearly impossible to me, so I’ll just have to keep that memory as my own, and you all will just have to go to Greece to experience it for yourselves. Sorry!



Sunset from our deck

 Sunday morning, we were planning on catching the 8am bus back home to Blago, but that didn’t exactly work out the way we had imagined, but I think it may have worked out for the best. We got to spend the day with Ioannis, lounging around his place, soaking up some rays on the deck. He even cooked us a delicious lunch of beans, carrots, onions, feta cheese, and bread, all mixed with a tasty sauce. One observation that my very American friends and I made was when we were all on our second or third helping, Ioannis was still working through his first. And it’s not that he didn’t go back for more, but he simply ate slower, enjoying his food, whereas we, pretty much, shovel it down our throats. This is an observation that I believe can be applied to other areas of life as well. We Americans are so fast-paced, constantly thinking about what we are going to be doing next and not relishing the moment we’re in. It’s a great lesson that experiencing other cultures has taught me. Not only do I get to learn about their lifestyles, but I get little life tips along the way.

It was an amazingly relaxing day which I probably would have spent catching up on work if we had made it back to Blago, but instead I was literally forced to stop and smell the flowers, as the saying goes. We were heading out that evening on the 11pm bus, so unfortunately when Ioannis’s parents showed up that evening and his mom finished up cooking a traditional Greek fish dinner, we were on our way out the door, but we were able to try some. Yes, I actually LOVED the fresh, seasoned sardines and could have eaten them all.



Homecooked Greek dinner by our Greek mama!

 So, as I mentioned before, my two trips to Greece could be categorized on opposite ends of the scale. Thessaloniki was a personal cultural immersion. Athens this past weekend was purely historical.



In the ruins of the Theater of Dionysos



The Erechtheion on the Acropolis



Instead of the five of us traveling, for this trip, it was only my friend Jen and I, due to financial reasons and other school-related obligations. We left on the 8pm bus Thursday evening and drove through the night, arriving in Athens around 6am on Friday morning. Our hostel wasn’t exactly what the website had stated. For one, it didn’t have 24-hour check-in, like it claimed, so when we arrived there around 7am after navigating the metro system, we were a little disappointed, but like everything, it worked out for the best. Friday was a beautiful day, so we got a map, got on the Internet, and planned out our day. We couldn’t check-in until 11am, so we decided to head to the National Archaeological Museum for a few hours of exploring. All of the sights in Athens offer free admission to students that attend universities within the European Union, so heading to Athens before leaving the American University in Bulgaria was a goal for Jen and I. The National Archaeological Museum had some amazing artifacts and was housed in a beautiful building. Once we were done exploring and ooing and ahhing, it was 11am and check-in time. So we headed back, showered and changed, and stopped by a nearby café, which became our go-to place for cheap and yummy food. First stop was the Acropolis. We hiked the hill to the top, stopping along the way at each of the ruins, including the Erechtheion, the Propylea, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the infamous Parthenon. The Acropolis is Athen’s first fortress and the city’s place of religious worship during ancient times. We spent a while, just wandering between the ruins, snapping photos, and enjoying the view of the city and the Aegean Sea in the distance. After our hike down, we stopped at a gelato shop and walked over to a park bench underneath Hadrian’s Arch, which was built to mark the boundaries between the old and new city. Directly adjacent to Hadrian’s Arch is the Temple of Olympiad Zeus, the largest ancient temple in Greece. Needless to say, we felt pretty lucky to be sitting down with delicious gelato in our hands, the sun beaming down, and the beautiful view of ancient ruins right before our eyes.



View of Athens and the Temple of Zeus from the Acropolis



Parthenon



After our little break, we moved on to see the Parliament building, the Roman Angora, and the Library of Hadrian. Along the way, we did some shopping and after one purchase, the store owner, a little old lady, grabs both our hands and pulls us toward her. We were both hesitant at first, not able to understand her Greek, but she stops at the desk, reaches her hand into a little basket filled with homemade Greek pins, puts one on each of us, and kisses us on the cheek. It was the most adorable thing, and put a smile on our faces for the rest of the night, as we couldn’t get over how gosh darn cute she was. Since we hadn’t gotten any real sleep in over 36 hours, we decided to head back to the hostel and call it a night. We were asleep by 9pm and didn’t leave the next morning until noon, but we didn’t mind, as we had had a full day and seen much of what we had wanted to.



Temple of Zeus



I don't get palm trees in Connecticut



Saturday began with us grabbing breakfast, or lunch since it was past noon, at the same little café we had found the previous day, since our hostel had false advertised on their website once again that they offered breakfast. Oh well. We immediately took the metro down to the water and walked around there for a bit mindlessly exploring. To put it simply, the Athens waterside isn’t nearly as picturesque as that of Thessaloniki. It is mainly a port for ferries and cruises to and from the Greek islands. Next, we decided to head to the Plaka district of the city, right below the Acropolis. The Plaka district is the oldest residential area of Athens, overflowing with adorable shops and restaurants with tables out on the stone streets. It is a beautifully picturesque area. We could have wandered those streets for hours, which we did end up doing. We ended up having a delicious meal that evening at a great little restaurant. Our table was in the cobblestone street, alongside the Roman Angora, directly below the Acropolis, with the sun setting through the arches of the ruins. I’m not too sure how the scenery can be much more magical than that.



Athens port



Our view from dinner. Not too shabby



Enjoying some gelato

 We spent Sunday traveling home, and it was a treat to see the countryside of Greece in the daylight. I’m writing this into my Blackberry (about the only thing it’s useful for over here) as we’re driving. One minute we’re surrounded by mountains, the next we spot a crystal blue lake lined with adorable little villages, and a moment later we see green fields for miles with rows of olive trees. It’s truly a beautiful country.

I regret to say that I will not be making it to the Greek Islands before I head for home on May 7^th, but I’m not at all complaining. The Greek Islands deserve a full week or two anyway, and I know I’ll be back. Truth is, I think I could go back to Greece every weekend of my life and it could never feel like an overdose. In fact, I know so.

Some scenic shots...




Acropolis from dinner



Part of the Plaka district