Amazing Athens

Visiting the City of Athens has definitely been a highlight of my Greece travels. I have done so much in the last five days that there is just not enough room to talk about all the adventures and experiences. Athens is a hip and trendy international European city; like Istanbul, its where modern meets the past andwhere history truly comes alive. From the trendy cafes to the breathtaking archeo

logical sites – Athens is a “must see” for everyone’s travel list.

 Highlights of my time in Athens:

 The Changing of the Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of  the Parliament building. I had literally just arrived in downtown Athens from the airport and saw a large crowd gathering with security all around. I was just in time to watch the formal event, complete with a marching band, marching soldiers and lots of photographers. The change only takes place on Sunday between 10am – 12noon and it’s a neat event to watch.

A stroll through the National Gardens. The National Gardens is like the Central Park of Athens. It was a lovely experience to walk through the grounds during fall. All the trees were so beautiful in all their fall colors and the weather was crisp

and cool. Very relaxingafter a long travel day.

Visiting the Acropolis. I was the fifth person there in the morning as soon as the gates opened so I could have the place to myself and get some great “unobstructed” photos. By the time I was leaving all the tour groups were streaming in and that’s when I knew it was time to leave. The Acropolis is the symbol of Athens. It is a huge rock in the middle of the city and the monuments on it date back to the prehistoric era and antiquity. The grandeur and beauty of the Parthenon (the most famous and largest monument on the Acropolis and the monument featured in all the pictures of the Acropolis) is unlike anything I have ever experienced. The Parthenon is a temple that was built for the Godess Athena. The Acropolis gives you a 360 degree view of the city of Athens. Visiting this site is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

The National Archeological Museum. This museum ranks among the leading archeological museums in the world and is a great opportunity to explore Greece’s history. I saw many interesting exhibits and statues including a cute one named “The Thinker” from 3300 BC. Also interesting was the exhibit of housewares from 2300 BC….they incl

uded tweezers, a huge safety pin and frying pans. I remember these artifacts because they are exactly the things we still use today. It interesting to know that the things these people invented are still used today in the same way and for the same purpose.

Day trip to Cape Suinion. For a new adventure outside if the city, I hopped a bus and rode it for two hours all along the beautiful coastline of the Saronic Gulf  lining Attica. Attica is the name of the greater mainland area of Greece; Athens is located in Attica. Suinion is the southern most tip of Attica where the famous Temple of Poseidon is located. The temple is on a cliff overlooking the Saronic Gulf in the Mediterranean. The day I went there the weather was about 70 degrees and sunny. I enjoyed the views for a while, contemplated life and laughed at the natural beauty of the world. It was simply spectacular.

 My timing for events at the Parliament building was very good. One day I was strolling around the city during morning rush hour when again I noticed large crowds in front of the Parliament. I arrived just in time to see the Chinese President Hu Jin Tao (sp?) arriving to meet with the Greek Presid

ent. There was massive security everywhere but  I tried my best to get some photos of the action. I saw Hu but I don’t know if he saw me. In any case it was neat to see the meeting of two heads of state.

 I was very sad to hear about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. I was in that exact location during my trip to India this last spring and I feel very fortunate to have had such a safe and successful trip there given that Mumbai (and all of India) continues to be a target of extremely horrible terrorist attacks.

 Ok, now its off to Helsinki! But first I have an all day layover in Budapest. I did some research on Budapest while in Athens and my plan is to figure out how to take public transportation to downtown Pest, go on a 3.5hr walking tour around Pest and Buda and then take public transportation back to the airport. Hungary does not use the Euro and is one hour ahead of Greece and Finland time, so amongst all the other logistics of the day I have to keep the time difference in mind, change just enough Euros into Forints for the day and learn some quick Hungarian asap. I read that hardly anyone speaks English, no signs are in English and was also highly advised not to take a cab because they are complete scams. I survived almost three months in Turkey so I think I could handle one day in Budapest. Wow, too much traveling as I’m starting to confuse time zones, flight time departures and arrivals, currencies and languages! (I kept accidentally speaking Turkish words my first two days in Greece.)