Athens in the Rear View Mirror

By: Kelly McKenna

After a long three days we are repacking our bags to head out of our Athens hotel in the morning. After heading out of Nashville on Wednesday afternoon, our group had a short layover in Atlanta before our 6-hour overnight trip to France. When we landed in France many people in our group were tired and disoriented from the time difference. Though we didn’t get as much sleep as we had wanted on the overnight flight, most people made up for it on our final flight to Athens.  Upon arriving in Athens, we were greeted with a tour of the city.

A long nights sleep reenergized us for the today’s visit to the Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum. Both museums had many artifacts from ancient times. The Acropolis Museum focused on pieces from the Acropolis and surrounding areas and the Archaeological Museum had different items from around the country. After an enjoyable lunch, we headed up the hill to visit the Acropolis itself. Many photos were taken of both the Parthenon and also the surrounding areas of Athens with buildings going on for miles. Athens is unique with the tallest building at only 28 floors and most buildings are about 5 or 6 stories tall.

Instead of coming back to the hotel and relaxing after a long day of walking, we decided to go out as a group and shop in the commercial part of Athens. Many different things were bought before returning for a late dinner around 8:30. We are expanding our horizons by trying new foods and learning some short phrases to help us speak to locals. One of the favorites has been Greek yogurt with honey, eaten by many as dessert last night and also breakfast this morning. Tomorrow morning we will be traveling to Meteora to visit the different monasteries that seem to be suspended in the air by sitting on top of rock pillars. With such an exciting start to the trip, we can’t wait to see what the rest of Greece brings us.