I can't believe I'm in Athens Greece!

Yassou! So, it really did happen. I awoke early . . we are talking like 5 am to walk to the bus station from our hotel (it is very close by) to catch a bus to Madrid, to then take 2 lines on the Metro to the airport in Madrid, to then take a flight from Madrid to Athens Greece and then 2 lines on the Metro in Athens to get to my hotel! Does Jodi speak Spanish? Nope . .except for a few words. Does Jodi speak Greek? Nope, even fewer words. Does Jodi know public transportation? Nope, except for the one time Prof Raleigh showed her the ropes in Madrid. Did the news reports on TV show that protesting was going on in Greece over the economy? Yes! Does everyone think this was a crazy plan? Maybe? Well, is everyone proud that I made is safely to Athens??? Everyone together say what the Greeks would say, "BRAVO JODI!"  Ok, if you can't already tell, I'm very proud of myself, I must say!

So, let me back up a bit. I did quite a bit of research on Trip Advisor to learn about traveling in Athens and good hotels in Athens because I was going to be by myself. The night before I left El Escorial, I was speaking with Isabel (who is well-traveled) about my anxiety about traveling alone to Athens. I wasn't worried about going to Zakynthos because Cindy already had someone picking me up at the airport, had already booked my hotel for me, and had made plans for my stay there. Gracias, Cindy! or should I say ευχαριστώ (that's thank you in Greek) (sounds something like efalisto) I was only nervous about navigating Athens by myself. So, Isabel and I were talking, and she told me not to worry. She said it is amazing and cool how many people you meet when you are traveling alone (foreshadowing!). She said "things are typically safe (safer than the states), just be aware, and you will be fine". So, let me start the story of Athens. I must say that the entire trip to Greece seemed blessed.

First, on the flight from Madrid to Athens, I sat beside a nice couple. At one point, I asked the woman beside me, "Habla Ingles?" And, she said  "English?" and I laughed and said, "oh, you are American?" And, she said yes, we are from Chicago! That made me laugh because I was on an Iberian flight so I just assumed they were Spanish. Oops! Why would I assume that? I was traveling on Iberian too!

They were going to Athens and then to one of the Greek Islands to stay for a couple of months. They traveled to Greece often. She was very helpful, and told me that I should take the metro to my hotel because cabs are so expensive form the airport. She said the metro was safe and nice. So, when I arrived at the airport (I couldn't believe I was in Athens!!! I was even excited in the airport!), I went to the metro station (right there at the aiport), it looked straightforward . .just stay on the same line and then switch at Syntagma Square) so I decided to go for it.

The metro itself was interesting (as it also is in Madrid). The airport in Athens is far away from the center of town so it was a long ride. There were 3 young women beside me . .traveling together . .at first I thought they were models .. a brunette, redhead, and blonde, but then they had huge backpacks (not what I think models would carry . . yes, I know students . .that is a stereotype :)! I think they were just 3 college women traveling together . . not sure of their language . maybe they were from Switzerland or Sweden? I've learned not only do I not speak other languages, I can't even recognize them! Also, while on the metro, a little boy playing an accordion approached people on the metro wanting money . . I was clearly the American tourist . . even the students say I look American (I still haven't figured out why.) so he approached me, of course. He was really skinny and he said "Please" in English so I gave him a euro although I knew I probably wasn't supposed to. I would see many more of these children on my stay in Greece and I learned that they are gypsy children (and I learned that some of them are not very sweet . . but of course, I imagine they are living a very tough life).

The metro got very full as we got into the center of Athens. Interestingly, I noticed that almost everyone here in Athens speaks English really well. When I had to change lines on the metro, I double checked with a woman who was also waiting, and she told me I was going the correct way. She was very helpful, and asked where I was from. I think the first sentence in English that everyone in Athens learns is "where are you from?" Everyone I met in Athens asked me that in perfect English (even if they couldn't say a lot more), and I have to say that they respond positively to people from the US in Athens. In Spain, when I told people I was from the US, they didn't seem to respond negatively or positively . . .just sort of neutral (however, even though I didn't speak their language in Spain, they were always very gracious about it and very helpful). But, in Athens, when I say I'm from the United States, people seem to respond very positively. (They usually smile!)

As I get close to my stop, the metro is really crowded, but a young Greek woman helped me get my suitcase off the metro when it was my stop. But, Andrea, you should know that I packed very light for this trip. I was very proud of myself. I have learned that everyone who told me to pack light was SO RIGHT! You don't want to lug a ton of luggage around. So, Judi, Mary . . all of you, you were soooo right! I think I did a good job, so those of you looking at my pictures, forgive me for wearing the same clothes and of course the same shoes over and over! Who knew those black flip-flops we bought in Knoxville (b/c Ginger and Heather hated the shoes I was wearing) would be so important on this trip!??? 

First, I took the metro to the Acropolis station near my hotel. When I left the metro station, I was looking around for my hotel when all of a sudden, a slight, elderly man who was watering flowers, said hello and asked what street I was looking for in perfect English. I had been trying to look confident and as if I knew where I was going . .. you know that idea of walking quickly with your sunglasses on purposefully headed somewhere!)  (so much for that!! I'm clearly a horrible actor.) I was a bit wary just because I was clearly a tourist with my carry on bag, but it was the middle of the day so I told him the street I was looking for and he said "Ah . great . .your street is close, and it is safe here". Then, he said . ."my name is George, and you are near the Acropolis. This is a good area, but be careful with your money around the metro station, ok? People try to steal." (I had read that on Trip Advisor so I was already being careful, but I thought it was so nice for him to tell me that.) He also said, "while you are here, you must have slovaki . chicken, beef or lamb . but slovaki you must have." "And, remember to keep a close eye on your money" I thanked him; he was really so nice. As I walked off, he said, "Enjoy Athens. I hope to see you again." He seemed like an Athens angel to me, watering flowers, making me feel comfortable, but also warning me to keep an eye on my money around the metro. So, thanks George, whoever you are, for welcoming me to Greece.

I walked the short distance to my hotel and found the Philippos Hotel. I walked in and immediately liked it. The man at the front desk was so welcoming and kind. He told me my room was #507. He said, "it's a little small, but I think you will like the view." I also asked him to recommend a restaurant for dinner that evening, and he recommended a place called, Vitro's. So, I headed upstairs to check out my room, and I LOVED IT! Was it small? I guess you could say so, but it was just me . .so how big did I need it to be? But, the view . . oh . .the view . . .wow . . amazing . .you will see because I took probably 40 pictures from the balcony (no exaggeration!) If you travel to Athens, I highly recommend this hotel and this room because the view is UNBELIEVABLE. See for yourself below!

Yes, that is the view from my balcony. Yes, you are seeing the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis from my balcony! This was my view! I couldn't get over how many people throughout history have looked at this same view. It took my breath away!

Below is another view of the buildings around my hotel with the Parthenon in the background.

Although my room was small, I could have had a party on my balcony! Seriously!  Below is a pic of my balcony.

I was so excited about the view and my room that I had to lie down for a minute . . just a minute . .  and just like that I was out! I took a nap; it had been a long travel day, and when I woke up, it was dark outside. So, once again, I went out on the balcony and the view at night was as powerful as the view during the day. Once again, the view took my breath away!

So, I got ready quickly so that I could go grab dinner. On the way out of the hotel, I thanked the man at the front desk for the room and told him that I loved the view. He gave me a map to help me get to the restaurant. On the way, I walked past the Acropolis so, of course, I had to take another picture. See below.

The restaurant wasn't far away, but of course with my horrible sense of direction, I was having trouble finding it. I'm not too proud to stop and ask someone for help so I stopped in a gelato shop and asked a very cute Greek guy if he knew where the restaurant was. He was very helpful, spoke English, and pointed me in the right direction. I'm telling you these details because the timing is important.

Remember, I fell asleep for a while, then got a little lost, stopped for directions, and then finally found the place. There was a menu on a stand in front of the restaurant, and at the exact moment when I arrived, there was a woman looking at the menu. (The timing had to be perfect!) I approached the menu, took a quick glance at it, and then asked the woman if she spoke English? She said, "Yes, are you American?" And, I said, "Yes!" I told her that my hotel had recommended the place. So, I went in to sit down, and she was still looking at the menu, so I asked her if she wanted to join me for dinner? She said, yes! And, that is how I found my great Athens travel companion, Sarah!

As we talked, I found out that she was orginally from Denver, and now lived in New York. She is an attorney, and interestingly, she was traveling in Athens alone like me for the exact amount of time as me! We had both arrived that day, had the entire next day in Athens, and then we both were leaving early the next morning for a Greek island (her, Santorini, me Zakynthos). We also learned that we were the same age! I know! Crazy! We even ordered the same meal for dinner. :) True! We had  a great dinner; it was as if I had known her for a long time. We decided during dinner that we should meet up the next day and see Athens together. So, we planned to meet up at the restaurant the next morning (the location was between our hotels) to explore Athens. Below is a picture of the restaurant.

Below is a picture of my Athens travel companion, Sarah! It was such a fun dinner. Absolute serendipity (a fortunate accident or was it an accident?) Doesn't she look nice? She was very nice and fun!

We ordered the same food: the mixed Greek plate. We wanted to really experience Greek food. You can see lots of typical Greek food on the plate, grape leaves, a sausage, olives, spinach pie, fried cheese, a pepper, tzatziki sauce (which I love!). Isn't the plate beautiful? And, we split baklava for dessert, of course!

And, so that was my first day in Athens, Greece! Adio for now! (Drop the s on Adios! and you have goodbye in Greek).