Athens

Day 1

We got up very early due to a major effect of jetlag, going to sleep at 2 and waking up at 6 doesn’t give you much energy through the day let me tell you. We had to wait until 8 for attractions to open up so during that time we relaxed a little and got ready to start a full day ahead of us. Our first landmark was the Acropolis’s Theatre of Dionysus. We bought our ticket and then climbed the mighty hill observing other ruins along the way. Desperate for a drink to quench my thirst we stopped by a small local cafe where my dad discovered his love for greek frappe.

By now we were starting to feel the effects of the jetlag, a 10 hour time difference really does a number on you. We walked backed to the hotel to take a quick nap, worked on some of my word search puzzles, and scrambled to find our bathing suits to got take a dip in the pool. There was barely anyone there so it was nice peace and quiet.

After taking a nice warm shower and rinsing ourselves of chlorine we put on our nice clothes and headed out to find a nice restaurant to eat dinner at. We stumbled upon a place with music and delicious meat so of course we had to take a seat, getting a surprise visit from a nice stray cat was also a delight. Towards the end of our stay they gave me a plate to break on the ground which is very traditional hear in Greece. We payed, danced to some music, grabbed some ice cream and then headed back for a good night’s sleep. I can’t wait for tomorrow!

-Alexandra Sandu

Day 2

Today we managed to get a better sleep then yesterday so we were set out to have a full day of adventures. Our first mission was to visit the famous flea market of Monastiraki. We stopped along the way to grab a quick drink and cool off from the blistering heat. When we arrived we took a glance around almost every corner you could possibly visit until I found the perfect item, a purple skirt with white flowers from H & M.

After finishing up we grabbed a cab for a 30 minute ride to bolivar beach bar where we spent a couple hours cooling off in the warm sea water. The water was crystal clear and full of rocks and little fish. To feed our hunger we had some onion rings and a nice fresh pina colada. It was very warm today so the water felt amazing. A little inward of the shore was a inflatable obstacle course in the water with slides, trampolines and much more for kids to play on.

We then proceeded to head back to the hotel where found ourselves resting and even taking a nap. We got our fancy clothes on, called a taxi and headed to one of Athens best restaurants , Matsuhita. The food is based around Japanese with their amazing sushi, dumplings, and steak. The view was absolutely gorgeous, we got right in time to take some pictures with the end of the sunset. Overall we had 3 appetizers, 3 main courses and 2 desserts. We left at around 9:45 to go home so my dad could do his meetings. Overall I say that today was an amazing day with many different things explored!

-Alexandra Sandu

Day 3

Today was our last full day so we decided to save the best for last…we went to the Pantheon! Although it was a very long hot walk up to the top of the mountain it was definitely worth it. You could see the entire athens in just one look from any direction. The structure itself was also extremely impressive, the towering columns falling above really put into perspective on how they build it that long time ago. We took some pictures for the gram and then headed down to the shade trying to escape the blistering heat. Thankfully we found a nice cool refreshing frozen lemonade that took the heat off and tasted delicious.

We then went back to the hotel to take a quick nap so we were ready to go to the beach and have a great time in just a couple of hours. When we arrived to the beach for the second time this trip we quickly took of our clothes, applied our sunscreen, and ordered drinks to go take a nice dip in the clear waters of bolivar beach. We made sure to grab our goggles this time so we could take a closer look at the fish that swarmed the coral near the shore. We grabbed a nice pepperoni pizza and then left so my dad could finish his work for the day at a couple conference calls.

Once we made it back to the hotel and took a shower we put on our fancy clothes grabbed our shoes and headed out we grabbed a taxi to the Piraeus harbor where we found a nice restaurant to eat at for our last night in athens.I grabbed some pizza rolls and my dad grabbed a nice steak burger. We watched the sun go down and then took a taxi back home for a good night sleep. I’m so sad that we leave tomorrow but I leave gladly knowing that I had a wonderful time.

-Alexandra Sandu