My Big Fat Greek Vacation
A couple of weeks ago my visa ran out. I was also itching for a vacation. Those 2 forces collided, and I found myself in Athens, Greece for 4 days for some R&R (and to get a new visa).
Before that trip, I had not left my country for 2 and a half years, and I wasn't sure what it would be like to leave for a while. It turned out to be great. During my time in Athens, I didn't see a single mosque, I didn't hear a single call to prayer, and I didn't speak a lick of my second language. I took a break.
I first realized I was in a different land the second I got through customs in Athens. As I passed through security, I saw a water fountain. As in I can stand there freely and drink all the free water I want for free. We don't have water fountains here, the water is not safe to drink, so we have to pay for our water. I was a little taken aback, but I confidently approached and drank the water for like 3 minutes straight. The vacation was off to a good start.
After that, I hopped on the metro and found my hotel pretty easily. I spent the next few days doing 3 things:
1. Eating PORK!
I can't buy pork in my country, so I made sure to feast on it while I was in Athens. When I got into the city, I ordered the first pork thing I could find. I started eating it when a horrible realization came upon me: I didn't like it. I was not enjoying the taste of that pig. I began to fear that the 2.5 years of going without pork had affected my taste buds, that I could no longer enjoy the simple pleasure of cooked pig. Fearing the worst, I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich at a cafe. I took the first bite nervously, wondering if I had been scarred for life, when a peaceful pleasure came over me. That ham and cheese sandwich was stinking good. I was gonna be alright. I thoroughly enjoyed reacquainting myself with the various forms of pork while in Athens.
I love me some pig meat.
Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, and there's plenty of stuff to see and take pictures of. I spent time walking around the Acropolis and the Parthenon, plenty of old temples and lots and lots of old Greek statues. They had stuff from like 1500 B.C. I'll post some more pics later on a picture post.
Athens has a lot of great museums and historical places, but there's only so long I can wander around looking at old stuff until I have to get out and get into something different. So, I made sure to spend time every day enjoying today's Athens. I enjoyed seeing all the church buildings around, and I even got to attend an Orthodox church service.
That, in short, was my Athens vacation. I'm really glad I went, it was fun and relaxing to get out for a while and just enjoy another city and culture.
I can't believe you went that long without leaving the country. You are either hard core or just insane. I never even went that long without leaving America when I lived there.
I would love to hear about your Orthodox church experience.
Posted by
Mandi |
8:33 AM