Athens, Greece

Greece is somewhere I've always dreamt of visiting. I had visions of the picturesque beaches, and perfectly blue waters and couldn't wait to make these illusions a reality. Athens, Greece was the first stop on our spring break excursion and while some aspects of Greece and its beauty lived up to my expectations, other features left me feeling uneasy and completely out of place.

I planned my trip to Athens without any further knowledge regarding the city beyond the Parthenon being located there. Upon entering Greece, I was immediately struck by the desolate appearance of the city and its buildings and the looks of despair among many city-goers faces. It wasn’t until after my arrival that I came to understand that Greece was in the middle of a huge economic decline due to political and economic corruption. The past two years have left many citizens of Greece unemployed and the affects were notable throughout the city.

When I stepped off the metro and onto the streets of Greece I was dumbfounded. Where were the happy, smiling people I saw in Mama Mia and where were those picturesque beaches that I so longed to see? Graffiti and garbage littered the streets of Athens. Beggars and bleak street stand owners hassled us every step of the way to our hotel. On our first excursion out to the bars at night, we stumbled through eerily abandoned streets in an unsuccessful attempt to find the night scene we had heard so much about. Upon our first encounter with someone else on these streets, he appeared to be shooting up heroine so we quickly scurried away and on with our quest for the bars. Finally, we found a taxi driver who rescued us from the sketchy streets and safely delivered us to a small bar with Greek music blasting from within.

We were immediately struck by how friendly the people inside the bar were. These happy, friendly faces were in great opposition to the despair I witnessed on the streets just moments before. They chatted with us and helped us figure out where this mysterious night life really was located in Greece and even let my friend assist the DJ in the night’s music selections. This night lifted our spirits and gave us new hope in what Athens had to offer. The next day, after passing through the poverty driven streets, we reached a beautiful square in which we could see the Parthenon perched atop a massive mountain. After dining on the best Greek salad I’ve had in my life, we began our hike up the mountain.

This day where we climbed and explored the beauty of Greece was by far one of my favorites throughout my entire break. Gone was the despair and sadness that rang throughout the city. The view from the top of the mountain was completely breathtaking. We could see the entire city beneath us, along with the mountains and enticing blue sea in the distance. We explored the mountain for hours, never tiring of the beautiful views. Even after we discovered that we arrived a half hour too late and that the Parthenon was in fact closed, we kept our spirits high and opted to return again the next day.

That night we returned to our new favorite Greek restaurant for more delicious gyros and tazaki sauce. The previous night at this restaurant, we were treated like royalty and received endless baskets of bread along with heaping portions of gyros and fresh plates of fruit for dessert. The friendly service at this establishment led us to return to the same place for all but one meal during our stay. The next day we returned to the great Parthenon and were entirely satisfied with what we saw. After this we went to the Greek island of Aegina, where I was able to witness the great beaches and waters I had been longing for.

My stay in Greece has left me with mixed feelings. I now understand to not judge a city right from the start and also, to watch my belongings much closer while riding the metro, a realization that I obtained after my wallet was stolen from me. Even though the city is a bit scary and poverty ridden, the people are generous and friendly. Athens may be overrun by graffiti, bit there is still great beauty to be found, you just need to look for it.