What better day to arrive in Athens, the capital of Greece, than March 25 - Greek's Independence Day. After hundreds of years of Turkish rule, Greece won its independence in 1822.
We arrived at our hotel early and headed right out to the city's center to watch the Independence Day Parade. We were fortunate to have our EuroAdventures tour guide, Shaun, take us around, for even with maps it was hard to understand the directions - all the street signs were in Greek, an alphabet that few of us were familiar with. We made it to the parade before the actual start, but apparently crowds lined up hours before to get the best "seats" in the house. Gabriella and I squeezed and maneuvered our way closer to the main street of Athens, one that runs past the Parliament Building of Greece, and enjoyed a few glimpses of every branch of the Greek armed forces that marched by - army, air force, national guard, and even the scuba divers of their navy! Though squeezed by hundreds of people, we still managed to get a great view of one of these branches - the Greek Air Force; its airplanes and helicopters soared the skies above, pridefully displaying their country's aviation prowess. The Independence Day procession was truly a magnificent one.
Following the parade, Gabriella and I took the sightseeing bus tour all around Athens to get a better idea of the best spots to explore the following day. We tuned our headphones to channel 4, the Italian channel, and enjoyed the guide's detailed descriptions of architecture, museums, important buildings, statues and ancient ruins. Later that evening the whole EuroAdventures group, about 100 people, rented out a small Greek restaurant and enjoyed a family-style Greek meal with unlimited food and wines, as well as the traditional Greek yogurt and honey dessert. We finished the night off dancing at a little disco nearby.
Thursday was our last full day in Greece, and we dedicated it to sightseeing. Our first destination was the world-famous Acropolis of Athens. It is hard, if not impossible, to describe the feeling one gets upon entering these ancient ruins - quite frankly, I do not think there are words in any language to describe the rush of emotion upon approaching these crumbling remains that once served as temples of the Gods. The Parthenon, the Old Temple of Athena, Propylaea, Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, the Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus, all these landmarks, thousands of years old, magnificent with their timelessness and filled with spirit of the past. I put my hand on the cold stone and closed my eyes - my mind traveled in time to 450BC, the Golden Age of Athens; I could almost hear the voices of the ancients, feel their presence around me...
A picture is worth a thousand words, but no picture in any history textbook can compare to an actual visit. People can spend months if not years studying ancient Greek history, but their journey will never be complete until they experience the places where it all began firsthand. I believe that it was there, at the Acropolis Ruins, that I finally realized how important, if not vital, studying abroad truly is. Whether you are a business major looking to start your own business or a history major planning to teach elementary school, you need to go; you need to leave your comfort zone, your bubble, and travel. Travel to enjoy yourself, travel to explore, travel to learn other cultures and customs, travel to have your questions answered, travel to learn about your past. Our world, if you allow it, may just become the best teacher you ever had.
We arrived at our hotel early and headed right out to the city's center to watch the Independence Day Parade. We were fortunate to have our EuroAdventures tour guide, Shaun, take us around, for even with maps it was hard to understand the directions - all the street signs were in Greek, an alphabet that few of us were familiar with. We made it to the parade before the actual start, but apparently crowds lined up hours before to get the best "seats" in the house. Gabriella and I squeezed and maneuvered our way closer to the main street of Athens, one that runs past the Parliament Building of Greece, and enjoyed a few glimpses of every branch of the Greek armed forces that marched by - army, air force, national guard, and even the scuba divers of their navy! Though squeezed by hundreds of people, we still managed to get a great view of one of these branches - the Greek Air Force; its airplanes and helicopters soared the skies above, pridefully displaying their country's aviation prowess. The Independence Day procession was truly a magnificent one.
Following the parade, Gabriella and I took the sightseeing bus tour all around Athens to get a better idea of the best spots to explore the following day. We tuned our headphones to channel 4, the Italian channel, and enjoyed the guide's detailed descriptions of architecture, museums, important buildings, statues and ancient ruins. Later that evening the whole EuroAdventures group, about 100 people, rented out a small Greek restaurant and enjoyed a family-style Greek meal with unlimited food and wines, as well as the traditional Greek yogurt and honey dessert. We finished the night off dancing at a little disco nearby.
Thursday was our last full day in Greece, and we dedicated it to sightseeing. Our first destination was the world-famous Acropolis of Athens. It is hard, if not impossible, to describe the feeling one gets upon entering these ancient ruins - quite frankly, I do not think there are words in any language to describe the rush of emotion upon approaching these crumbling remains that once served as temples of the Gods. The Parthenon, the Old Temple of Athena, Propylaea, Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, the Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus, all these landmarks, thousands of years old, magnificent with their timelessness and filled with spirit of the past. I put my hand on the cold stone and closed my eyes - my mind traveled in time to 450BC, the Golden Age of Athens; I could almost hear the voices of the ancients, feel their presence around me...
A picture is worth a thousand words, but no picture in any history textbook can compare to an actual visit. People can spend months if not years studying ancient Greek history, but their journey will never be complete until they experience the places where it all began firsthand. I believe that it was there, at the Acropolis Ruins, that I finally realized how important, if not vital, studying abroad truly is. Whether you are a business major looking to start your own business or a history major planning to teach elementary school, you need to go; you need to leave your comfort zone, your bubble, and travel. Travel to enjoy yourself, travel to explore, travel to learn other cultures and customs, travel to have your questions answered, travel to learn about your past. Our world, if you allow it, may just become the best teacher you ever had.
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