Greece: Ancient History, Island Hopping and Gyros

I debarked the ferry from Mykonos and immediately noticed a cloudy haze surrounding the port of Athens. The sun was about thirty minutes from falling below the horizon, but the soft, sunset glow remained absent from the sky. Rather, a muted mixture halfway between blue and grey hung over the city. As the crowds of people descended on the port, about 80 percent of the passengers knew their exact destinations: anxiously awaiting family members, taxis, their own cars. Because I was one of the first off the ship, I scanned the warehouses hoping for some sort of recognizable image. I did not see any familiar pictures, so I approached a police officer who kindly directed me to the Metro.  

I exited the train at the designated stop and ascended the stairway toward the street. When I walked through the open doors, I was bombarded with activity (I found out later that I was standing in Athens’ version of Time Square). There were children screaming, young adults mingling, street vendors hassling and tourists struggling to make sense of the immense commotion. As my eyes quickly scampered left to right to left to right (both to gather and process as much information as quickly as possible and to combat potential pickpocketers that can camouflage themselves in the chaos), I saw a soft, golden glow in the top right corner of my right eye. The Acropolis! Towering over the city, illuminated by lights strategically placed throughout the rocks, it looked like a majestic beacon overlooking the crowded city. The iconic image was as awe-inspiring in the chaotic town square as it was in the textbooks from grade school.

One unfortunate takeaway from Athens is the plague of graffiti littering the streets. Markings (a local Greek shared that most of them serve zero purpose) are present on every sliver of real estate at or near ground level. These defacing marks nearly ruin walking around the city.

The view from the terrace at the hostel.

The Parthenon at Night

The Parthenon during the day.

Overlooking a portion of Athens from the Acropolis

Typical Athens street... graffiti everywhere.

$2.50 Gyro. Terrible picture... I couldn't hold it and take a photo.