Late Nights and Ancient Ruins: Athens Take Two

Athens is a bustling metropolis all grown up around a series of ancient ruins that date back to the glory days of the Greek Empire.  There is a lot to do here, both ancient ruins and bustling nightlife, and I had very little time to do it in.  Leah and I got started on our quest to see it all as soon as we were off the ferry from Santorini.  We went straight to our cooking class with SAS, which turned out to be less than amazing but at least gave us a lift into the city and a taste of Greek cuisine.  From there we toured the amazing Acropolis Museum and climbed to the top of the Pantheon.  Here were the best views of the city, and we took more pictures than I care to admit. 

As fun as ancient Athens is, the nightlife that evening was equally impressive.  After asking around, a group of my ship friends ended up in a very hip area of Athens called Gazi that is a bit like Austin’s 6th street times 10 (not that I would actually know what 6th street is like at night, since I’ve only driven by, but I’m guessing here).  It made for great people watching, great fun, and we stayed out past 5 a.m.  We were, I believe, among the first to leave this area.  I could tell that everywhere we went was authentic because my friend Kara and I were always the only blondes in the entire bar.  That’s our new litmus test:  count the blondes for authenticity.

The last day in Athens I got a bit of a late start, but ended up in a very chic side of town with a very dear friend from the ship named Maegan.  We shopped street vendors and talked over coffee at a day bar on a stylish row of restaurants.  This was a Sunday afternoon in Athens:  everyone out with friends drinking coffee or cocktails and playing the board games that these day bars provided.   The U.S. might be the leader of the world in economic terms, but we could learn a lesson from the Greeks about relaxation.  Sure, our diet sucks and prevents us from living longer, but I’m convinced this Mediterranean secret to long life lies in cheap wine and no stress.  Maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

Now I am headed for Turkey and I’m getting a very strong feeling that I’m not in Kansas anymore.  I’m thrilled to be going to such an exotic, different place, but I’m also a little nervous.  Really, I just can’t wait to dock and see this Asian/European city whose population is greater than the entire country of Greece and which shares a boarder with Iraq.  Don’t worry mom, I’m not gonna try to cross over.