On March 9th I boarded the plane to make my second international journey since arriving in Rome. I was traveling to Athens where I planned to meet my dad and his girlfriend, Maryanne. After arriving in the airport, I surprised myself by figuring the public transportation and way to my hotel on my own...a challenge that I do not successfully meet on a regular basis. I made my way through "the hood" as we came to call our area to the lovely little Art Hotel where I was served tea and pound cake upon my arrival...already off to a good start. I spent the next few hours relaxing and indulging in the "cultural experience" of the jacuzzi bath in my hotel room (one of the benefits that comes along with traveling with parents) until my dad and Maryanne arrived.
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| Arriving in Aegina |
That night we enjoyed an elegant dinner at the top of a hill in the middle of the city, looking down with a gorgeous view from all sides. Little did we know that this delicious feast was only the beginning of the incredible food we were about to enjoy over the course of the weekend. With full bellies, we headed back down the hill in a gondola and back to our hotel.
The next morning we got an early start and headed for the island of Aegina, which our lovely concierge Zoe assured us would be much nicer than Athens. After a quick ride on the Flying Dolphin hydrofoil we arrived on the island. The dock was cluttered with little tiny fishing boats and their owners, admiring the catch of the day and cleaning their boats. From the moment we stepped foot on the island, we knew we had chosen the right place to spend the day. Unlike the people of Athens, the inhabitants of Aegina were friendly, happy to have tourists, and proud of the history of their island, as the first capital of Greece. We spent our first hour or so wandering the streets near the water, admiring the shops, and grimacing at some which had whole lambs and rabbits, eyes and all hanging in the windows. We also discovered several stands selling pistachios which were grown right on the island.
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| Pistachios |
Our first stop was to find the Temple of Aphaia, as Zoe had recommended. Upon first sight, I couldn't help but think of the Parthenon (which I had not yet seen). Although much of the temple had been destroyed, I was surprised at the amount that had been left intact. Looking at the huge marble columns and walls, one cannot help but wonder just how this temple was built. It must have taken true dedication and a lot of manpower.
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| The beach in Aegina |
From the temple of Aphai, we headed onwards to find one of the famous Greek beaches. On the way there our cab driver point out to us a hill covered in at least 30 little tiny churches and explained to us that when the weather was nice, you could climb the hill and visit each of them. But with the weather not in our favor and only a day on the island, we decided to continue onwards. Soon we arrived in an almost abandoned little beach town. It seemed that in March, which is definitely not the peak of tourist season in Greece, the entire town closed down. The beach itself was littered with trash and cigarette butts. Despite the need for a little bit of clean-up, the beach's beauty still radiated throughout the area and I could tell that in the summer time, it must be incredible. But without good weather, we weren't tempted to stay long and decided to head back near the docks to find some lunch.
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| Greek Salad |
Off of one of the side streets we found an empty little place and wondered if it was empty for a good reason. We decided to try our luck and stay for lunch...which turned out to be amazing. First came the Greek salad with one of the creamiest and most delicious feta cheeses I have ever tried and incredible, fresh vegetables. Next came the meat, chicken and pork with roasted potatoes on the side and to top it off, stuffed bell peppers. What a meal! We spent the next hour or so wandering the shops where we found baklava to take home for later and then it was time to head back on the hydrofoil.
Back in Athens that night we decided to explore the town's night life. After a light dinner of small gyro appetizers, we wandered in and out of several different bars and restaurants, all crowded with Greek people and loud, Greek music. What a wonderful way to experience the Greek culture!
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| The Parthenon |
Sunday morning item number one on the agenda was to see the Parthenon. We hiked uphill where it was situated and were surprised to see several stray dogs lying around. After a little research I learned that the city of Athens gives the dogs their vaccinations and fixes them and then turns them loose again in the city. The dogs tend to congregate around the Parthenon because it's a peaceful area with no cars or other major disturbances. Hiking up the hill to the temple itself, it was easy to see why this hill had been chosen: we were given an incredible view of the city below.
Upon reaching the top, this structure was even larger than I had pictured and definitely more impressive than the Temple of Aphaia that I had
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| View of Athens from the Parthenon |
seen the day before. As I wandered the ruins, I was captivated by the sheer size of everything. Next to the main temple I was also surprised to see the caryatids, columns made in the shape of women,
supporting the roof on the front porch of the smaller temple, which I had forgotten were there. I would later learn that these were not the originals but would see the originals in the museum of the Parthenon. After wandering the area for a bit longer, we were chased out by oncoming of rain and found cover inside the Parthenon museum where we saw originals of many of the statues that were once inside the structure. These were incredible to see as many had been so well preserved.
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| The Caryatids |
Although I had only spent two days in Greece, I realized the breadth of wonders that I was able to experience. I had seen an island with beaches and eaten incredible food. I had eaten at the top of the mountain and grabbed traditional gyros off the street. I had seen the Greek night life and heard Greek music. And to top it all off I had seen the Parthenon...one of the oldest structures in history. And to make it even better, I had spent the trip with family, a much needed comfort after a few months away from home.
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