Sorry in advance for the length of this post- but come on! I was in Greece for a week!
SPRING BREAK WOOHOO! Early (5:55am!) on Saturday March 30th I got on a bus to the Hauptbahnhof, a train to Mannheim, a train to Frankfurt Flughafen, to a flugzeug all the way to Athens. PHEW! I arrived in Athens at 1:30pm local time (12:30pm my time) and was surprisingly awake. Maybe it was the plane breakfast that helped energize me? Well from there I got on another piece of public transportation- a one hour subway ride into the center of Athens proper. After being impressed with myself for figuring out the correct subway stop, I then used my EXCELLENT sense of direction to get to my hotel. The fact that this morning went off without a hitch was a small miracle, and a huge confidence boost that my travel senses were beginning to become trustworthy. Second hump to get over: I am in a foreign city alone for the first time! Not only did I just travel thousands of miles alone, but I also have no one to go sightseeing with me until my sister and J got there later that evening.
What I learned: traveling alone is actually quite fun! I was able to let my mind go blank and not feel rushed, pressure to enjoy myself, or have any set plan for the afternoon. It was thrilling walking around without a purpose- only to see everything that I possibly could! Rather than hitting the big touristy sites that I knew I would see with my family, I decided to go into my first Greek Orthodox church, stumbled upon some great views of the Parthenon up in residential hills, and found a hidden creek complete with it's own church tucked away from the bustling city.
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| Restaurant Stairs- a cute outdoor seating environment |
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| Hadrian's arch- same guy who made a wall in Northern England! |
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| Zeus' Temple |
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| Theater on the way to the Parthenon |
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| D+J and the Erectheon! |
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| THE PARTHENON! |
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| View of Athens and the Temple of Dionysus |
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| Acropolis- Temple of Hephaestus |
After Athens, we all piled into a rented Toyota Prius and drove North to Meteora. The drive along the Greek countryside might have been the prettiest drive I have ever been on. Lush mountains with blue sky and puffy white clouds- it was honestly breath taking. But not quite as breathtaking as Meteora. This site was definitely my favorite place in Greece that we visited- it differed from many of the other sites in its natural wonder, rather than historical and architectural amazement. Meteora is filled with Hoodoos (
a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, weathered by erosion -Dictionary.com). A top these already magnificent rock formations are Byzantine Monasteries still being used today.
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| Not only were there Hoodoos- but also gorgeous mountain ranges |
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| Kalambaka with the Hoodoo backdrop |
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| Sunset |
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| Varlaam Monastery |
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| In the monasteries all women had to wear modest, provided skirts |
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| Agios Stephanos Nunnery |
