“When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.”
--Thornton Wilder
I can feel myself planning packing and counting down the time until I go home. I know that I am not as settled here as I once was, which is disappointing. I want to be fully present during my time in Europe. Being back in Athens has reminded me how it feels to not be on the road all of the time, which makes me want to return home (USA) more. Living out of a suitcase and hotels for the past week really cemented how I feel about Athens. Athens really is one of my homes now, and I can’t think of any other word for my apartment than home. The constant reminders of the plans of others for after the class remind me of the fact that I am actually leaving Athens. During the last class, I could discuss the end of the class without lamenting my departure from Athens. Now it is a different story. I love all of Athens, and there is still so much to do and see. I want to experience everything before I leave. I still have two more weeks to soak in Greece, but only a few more busy days in Athens.
A few things that I know I am going to miss about Athens:
· The mix of the old with the new… everywhere. The fact that you can be shopping and just happen upon an old building or archaeological remain
· 2 euro gyros
· Speaking of food, the amazing fruit, Greek salad, feta, Greek yogurt, spanakopita, baklava, bakeries, Motion (a delicious juice for grown-ups), Lacta bars, Nutella (so much better in Europe), etc.
· The Greek language
· Evzones
· Getting lost while walking
· Beaches
· Greek hospitality and generosity
· The beautiful churches on every street corner
· Exploring new parts of the city
· The random cat ladies that you see on the side of the street
· Odd street vendors selling any assortment of goods
· Side shops for knock off purses and sunglasses
· Syntagma and the protests. There is always something to do and see. And it added a lot of excitement
· Being able to drink. I haven’t done anything crazy, but being allowed to have a glass of wine (and some really good wine at that) with my meals has been wonderful. I definitely would love to have the Greek style of social drinking in the States. Not worrying about being caught with alcohol has also been wonderful.
· Greek time. Sitting and eating a meal for at least an hour while enjoying the night and the company.
· Free gifts, like wine with meals
Things that I claim I won’t miss but in all actuality probably will a little:
· Language barriers
· Not flushing toilet paper
· Greek men who walk by and stare. Yes, I see what your eyes are doing. Yes, I hear the creepy pick-up lines you say. No, I don’t think you deserve to be acknowledged.
· The restaurant owners who approach you and try to make you eat at their restaurant, even though they have seen you reject the three restaurants before and all you want to do is walk along the street
· The strange hours of stores
· Everything being closed on Sundays
· Stray dogs and cats everywhere
· Gypsies driving down the streets to collect people’s trash
· Tourist groups crowding the streets and the museums
· The children out at all hours of the night trying to collect money. It is so heart-crushing to see children who should be sleeping begging or selling goods for money.
· Having less control over my own schedule. It makes planning things a little complicated
· Early mornings
Writing the last few lists, there is so much more that I could add to both lists. There is just so much here that is different from the States!
Related to my recent musings on returning home, I now have everything planned for the remainder of my time in Europe (I think) in terms of transportation and travel and hostels. We are planning on returning to Athens for a few days, so I can postpone my final farewell to the city for just a little while longer.
That being said, my current travel plans are:
Friday, July 22: fly to Rome
Tuesday, July 26: train from Rome to Venice
Wednesday, July 27: train from Venice to Milan, night train from Milan to Barcelona
Saturday, July 30: night train from Barcelona to Paris
Monday, August 1: train from Paris to Frankfurt to Dresden to Prague
Thursday, August 4: flight from Prague to Athens
Saturday, August 6: flight from Athens to London
Tuesday, August 9: flight from London to Dublin
Thursday, August 11: flight from Dublin to USA
It will be a crazy three weeks filled with tons of travel, but I know that I am going to have a great time and see so much!
No comments:
Post a Comment