More Greek Yogurt Than One Person Should Consume in a Lifetime (Nov.17-21)

Okay. I'm determined to get every weekend in here before I leave in a week. I think I can do it. So here goes.

For our "Fall Break" (and by this, CIEE really means one extra day off), I traveled to Athens, Greece. I arrived there very late on Thursday, November 17th and upon my arrival to the hotel, passed out immediately.

On Friday I started off the day at the Acropolis. Going to Athens NOT during tourist season was one of the best decisions I've made abroad--there were really very few people up there with me, and it was nice to not be mobbed by tourists. The gov nerd in me absolutely exploded at the Parthenon, and just how much of these buildings still stands will continue to blow my mind.

 I won't bore you all with the history of these amazing buildings, but it really was amazing finally seeing all of these places after reading about them in textbooks my whole life.

After the Acropolis, it was off to lunch, the first of many absolutely unreal meals in Athens. The olive oil, the olives, the feta cheese, OH THE FETA CHEESE. This weekend and last weekend (Rome) clearly beat every weekend foodwise. Absolutely phenomenal. At lunch we tried a selection of Greek dishes: spanekapeta, Greek salad (the first of about 500 this weekend), tzatziki, etc. Everything was sooo good. I could easily move to this country.

After lunch we headed to Plaka, to wander around the streets there. I absolutely LOVED this area of Athens, very cute, small little, tucked away stores. Stopped in a few jewelry stores (of course) along with some other cute shops. Bought a lotion made with olive oil that smelled like heaven (only to have security confiscate it from me at the airport a few days later).

After wandering Plaka we headed up towards Syntagma Square to get to Parliament for the changing of the guards. I have to tell you, I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. The guards in Athens look ABSURD. Here's a pic from the middle of the changing of the guard. Really? You expect us to take these guys seriously?!

Later that night it was off to dinner. We ate at a restaurant with a GORGEOUS view of the Acropolis. We sat on the roof terrace with the Parthenon looking over us, and ate an absolutely scrumptious meal of even more Greek salad (with yummy yummy feta cheese) and other delicious Greek foods. We sat and relaxed for awhile, and then headed back to the hotel for sleeps.

The next day it was off to the Ancient Agora. I have to say, this was substantially better organized than the Roman Forums, and my kindle helped a lot with guiding us through as well. Even though it's a remodeling, it was cool to see this stoa as it once would have looked:
The Agora was fascinating, and huge. There were so many things to look at, and it was really amazing once again to see how much of this stuff is still there. The most impressive in this regards is the Temple of Hephaestus, which stands almost exactly as it did so many years ago. It's absolutely spectacular:





After the Agora we wandered the streets of Plaka and Monastiraki again. There was a flee market going on which was really cool and entirely chaotic. I tried this hot Greek drink (no idea what it was called) on the streets, and I gotta say, it was disgusting.

We then headed to the Ancient Roman Forums. These are by no means as impressive as the ones in Rome, but they're still really cool. Being partial to any kind of library, I really liked Hadrian's Library. It was really cool to stand there and realize that this is where the great thinkers may have once stood and researched and studied various subjects.

Now for the title of this entry. Greek Yogurt. Now, many of you may know my normal love for this food. Absolutely delicious. But here. In Greece. NOTHING LIKE IT. SERIOUSLY, I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH. Ask anyone I was with, this was absurd. Around the corner from our hotel was this Greek Yogurt shop. I loved everything about it. The store, the man who owned the store (I in fact sang a whole song about him), and of course, THE YOGURT. Here are some pictures of my love:












That night we had a fantastic dinner once again. I'm telling you, the food in Greece is phenomenal. Other than Rome, no other food abroad came close.

The next day I head home, after of course enjoying one more delicious yogurt. The trip was phenomenal, and I'll definitely be back to Greece to spend some time on the islands some time in my life.

WHEW. One entry down! 6 days left in Prague...begin the countdown!