36 Hours in Athens

I arrived in Athens late on Friday afternoon. The air was filled with faint levels of cigarette smoke as so many of the airports in Europe are. This was to be my first dealing with the Euro, as my short time in France while journeying across the border from Geneva did not necessitate actually taking out cash. It was also my first time in Greece and for this, I was excited because up to this point, I've just eaten their foods elsewhere.

As the small group I was traveling with boarded the bus, I could tell the airport was far outside the city. In rush hour traffic, it took us an hour to arrive at our hotel. The bus ride was well worth it however, as seeing the activity in Athens on a Friday night was a treat.

Quickly checking into the hotel, our fist and foremost concern was securing food. Greek food. And we did. As I have told folks back home already, the Greek food tastes better in Greece. This is likely true anywhere. But when you love their food as much as I do, it's worth noting.

My full day in Greece was Saturday and with a manageable list of attractions to see, there is little question as to what was on the top of the list: the Acropolis.

Hoards of tourists, many American, were scaling the tiny mountain at the center of Athens trying to reach, feel, see, and understand the structures that in many ways, comprise the first or second chapters of any world history book.

And, after recalling a paper I had written in college for my first-term Art History class, I was struck by the beauty of the temple Athena Nike (and yes, this is likely where we get the sporting goods brand from).

It was also a pleasure to have the obligatory tourist photo taken of me in front of the Parthenon.

Wandering the Plaka and Syntagma neighborhoods of central Athens was interesting in its own right as well. According to the Athenians sitting next to me while I flew in, Athens as a metropolitan area is composed of almost 7 Million people, yet only half of them are Greek ethnically. Albanians, Romanians, Turks, Macedonians, etc. all want a piece of the action in their neighboring first-string European Union country.

And their attitudes were akin to that of Americans when considering Mexicans in the US. But I don't intend to start punching political buttons, suffice it to say, Americans are not the only ones struggling with immigration issues.

I will return someday to Athens. Its charm overwhelming, its food incomparable. But now I must keep moving onward.