Greece!

Time in Greece

Kortnie and I spent a while in Greece.  We were visiting for a full five days!  We did a lot of shopping, a little sightseeing, and a lot of eating! :)  I really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of Greece and I also really enjoyed all the history in the sights.  Its a very strange feeling to be walking by artifacts that you have seen only in books in your past years of history class.  I wish I could describe this feeling.  The feeling itself is a mix of emotions.  Something along the lines of humbling, exciting, and nervous.  

We loved the food in Greece.  All the veggies were super fresh and delicious!  My favorite part of Greek food was the Gyros and the baked feta.  So delicious!  Also, the wine is very cheap.  In some restaurants we got half a litter of wine for 4-5 euro.  We also tried some desserts too!  Kortnie was in love with the gelato and I was in love with the baklava.  There were a few instances where we got free drinks and food!  At one restaurant we got a free “shot” of Ouzo.  Ouzo is the alcohol that goes into making wine.  Our “shot” was half a glass.  I would describe Ouzo as being similar to Vodka but with a black licorice taste.  Ouzo is a very strong beverage and should be consumed with food!  We also managed to get a free plate of Greek yogurt with greek honey and cinnamon! Greek honey is delicious, I would recommend others to try it!  My final recommendation would be to try the Greek coffee.  Now, the Greek coffee is served in a little shot glass like mug.  Its very thick, strong, and black.  It was pretty good; however, Kortnie learned that you only have one glass of Greek coffee a day.  Having more than one, causes twitchiness, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat, and a general fear of others and surroundings.  One cup/shot of Greek coffee is enough to jump start your day.

Some of my favorite things we saw were: the ancient agora, prison of Socrates, Dionysus Theater, Acropolis, acropolis museum, and the temple of olympian Zeus!

Ancient Agora:

The ancient agora used to be the city center of Athens back in the day.  Entry to the ancient agora is free to students from all around the globe!  I would highly recommend taking either a guided tour or walking by yourself through the ancient agora.  There is a path that has you wander between the ruins of some of the most influential buildings in ancient Greece.  By each ruin is a description of either what the building or statue was used for or what it represented.  In a lot of cases, these descriptions were assumptions because no one really knew what they were for.  Its very humbling and beautiful to walk through an ancient ruined city center.  In the middle of the ancient agora is the remains of the alter dedicated to the 12 Olympic gods.  Would I visit the ancient agora again? yes, no doubt.

Prison of Socrates:

By now we should all know who Socrates is.  If you don't know who he is, do a quick google search or something.  Anyways, I am not huge into philosophy so when I saw this, I was much more interested in the architecture of the prison rather than the actual history behind it.  I do have a few friends who would love to see the prison of Socrates though!  If your into philosophy and love history too, this is the perfect spot for you!  Even if you don't like philosophy or history, I would still recommend that you check it out.  The view at the top of the hill is amazing!  Would I visit it again?  Probably not, depends on who I am traveling with.

Dionysus Theater:

The Dionysus Theater is directly to the side of the acropolis.  As you are heading up to the acropolis, you will run into this theater.  Also, as you leave the acropolis, you will run into the ruins of the rest of the theater.  I really enjoyed the Dionysus theater, then again, I love Greek history.  If your not big into Greek history, you will more than likely want to snap a few pictures and then leave.  This is one of those spots where you can sit and stare at the theater for a good hour or more.  I was just picturing everything that used to happen in the theater and how incredible it is that I am able to see it still.  I would definitely recommend that you take the time from seeing the acropolis to be amazed by the theater.  Would I visit it again? Most def.

Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum:

I am lumping these to together because they cover the same ground and are directly across the street from each other.  There is a slight hike up to the acropolis.  We visited Greece in the off season, so there was also construction being done on the acropolis.  The view from the top is outstanding.  You can look down and see all of Athens, and I am told that on a clear day you can even see the ocean.  Kortnie and I went and it was super windy and rainy.  We still managed to take in the beauty of the acropolis and the temple dedicated to Athena.  Everyone will recommend going to the acropolis, but I think you should visit the acropolis after you spend a few hours wandering the acropolis museum.  In the museum, you can see everything that was found in the acropolis area.  The things that were found, and the remarkable state they were preserved in is outstanding.  Also, the museum is slightly divided so that everything of one category is all lumped together.  There are also large signs that give a little bit of history to each artifact.  I recommend you take the time to actually read the signs too.  I really enjoyed the museum.  Would I go to these places again?  Yes, especially since there is a new museum being made as we are speaking!

Temple of Olympian Zeus:
This temple is amazing.  You can see the temple from the top of the acropolis.  I would highly recommend taking the very sort walk to go see it!  You can also walk along the track!  I went and saw this solo.  When I went to visit the gates were closed, so naturally i shoved my camera through the fence, snapped a few pics, and then put my head through the fence and just stared for a while.  It truly is a beautiful sight.  Would I visit again? yes, but next time, I would like to actually walk around through the area rather than sticking my head through a fence.

Kortnie and I also did quite a bit of shopping!  We really shouldn't have, considering we have the rest of the trip ahead of us!  Anyways, I ended up buying a shirt, some earrings, a hair weave, and some postcards!  Kortnie walked away with some postcards, a bag, and a hat!  Oh, and Sephora was also having a half off sale so we bought a bunch of makeup! :D  Anyways, the shopping in Greece was pretty tame for us.  We spent most of our time shopping through the flea market district in Greece!  It was nice just being able to walk from table to table looking at random things people were trying to sell.  

Greece was an amazing experience.  We did get to experience more culture rather than sights.  However, there were a few things I would of loved to see before we had left.  Maybe if I am ever able to go back to Greece, I will be able to see these things!