FGCU Adventure Abroad 2019: June 3 - 4 Athens, Greece (by Amalie B. and Gabby K.)

 Day 4: Flying to Athens

If I'm being honest, I couldn't quite tell you when day 3 ended and day 4 began. It all occurred while we were on the Flight That Never Ends™ from JFK to Athens. The flight itself was only about 9 hours long, but it went on for what seemed like eons during our cycles of sleeping, waking, and eating. Finally, 3 naps, two meals, and a movie later, we landed in Athens, Greece.

The view from my tiny seat on our giant airplane.

As we stepped out of the airport we were greeted by blue skies, a warm breeze, mountains (!) and our driver Spiros. Everything we saw on our drive from the airport to our hostel was incredibly picturesque like something out of a movie. Most of the roads were lined with colorful flower-bearing shrubs and mountain peaks kissed the sky in every direction I looked.

It was beautiful.

So beautiful I fell asleep.

I woke to sights that seemed more like they belonged in America than in Greece. The streets were narrow and covered in graffiti and everything looked so....urban. 

The street outside of our hostel

Our view of the Acropolis from the restaurant

I finally got a glimpse of the Athens I had been dreaming about when we went on our walking tour of the city that afternoon. Our tour guide, Alexandros, walked us through the history of Athens as we walked through Plaka and Monastiraki before leaving us at a restaurant with an incredible view of the Acropolis.

                 

                     Monstiraki

                 Day 5: Visiting the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis Hill

This day was perhaps the most anticipated day of the trip for many of us. We started our day bright and early at 7 AM and started our trek to the Acropolis Museum. 
The Acropolis Museum was full of incredible statues and artifacts from the Acropolis and all over Athens. We marveled at the detail of the artifacts and the fact that they were able to survive all this time. 
                                           

One of the artifacts from the Museum

After the Museum we had some much needed free time for lunch and a nap before meeting up again to climb the Acropolis.

The hike up the Acropolis hill was grueling. The air was dry, dusty, and hot and the slick pathway did not make climbing up the slope any easier.

On our way up we stopped at the Theatre of Dionysus, which is often referred to as the birthplace of Drama. 

The theatre was breathtaking and incredibly well preserved. We were actually able to sit in the seats as if we were watching a performance. 

As soon as we all filed in and sat down, a serene silence fell over us and we all tried to soak up our surroundings and the thousands of years of history that stood there with us. 

The experience proved overwhelming for many, as some were overcome with emotion to the point of speechlessness and even tears. 

While we sat, Gerritt recalled the tale of Prometheus Bound to us as we all tried to imagine it on the stage in front of us. 

It was like we had stepped back in time.

Our moment in the theatre was magnificent and I'm sure we could've stayed there all day just imagining all of the history that happened in that very place but we still had to make it to the top of the hill before it closed. 

At the top of the hill sat the Parthenon in all of its glory. It was a temple built as a gift to the goddess Athena, who Athens was named for. The view was astounding, there were mountains that danced along the horizon and the setting sun cast a golden glow across everything in its path. From the top it seemed as if you could see all of Athens. 

Again, many of us were overcome with emotion at these incredible sights. The Acropolis looks amazing in pictures but there is something about being there that just renders you speechless. It's like you can feel the history around you. 

I sat perched on a rock staring up at the Parthenon and imagined how many people had come to the temple to pray or offer a sacrifice to Athena and ask for her guidance or protection. I imagined how many people had sat in the same place I did, dumbfounded by the sights before them. 

There are not enough adjectives to accurately describe the experience of being at the top of the Acropolis, but I can definitely say it was life changing.