Ελλάδα! Home of YUMMY Feta cheese ;)

And here we are in the land of philosophy. Once I went out of the port, I found myself automatically comparing Athens to home. Long buildings, advertisements everywhere and many companies. My friends and I took the metro to the Acropolis, and we bought the day pass for 4 euros. A ride is for 1.2 euros, so a day pass was a better deal. We walked around the shopping areas and the alleyways. 

Oh God, things in Greece are sooo cheap!! Athens reminded me so much of Alexandria and Portsaid. Alex buildings style and architecture are similar to that of Athens. What a coincidence right?! "Alexander"ia is similar to Athens :D It reminded me of Portsaid because of the so many street vendors and shops that sell almost everything you can and can't think of.

We then came back and bought the student tickets for the Acropolis and 5 other major sites for 6 euros. We watched sun set at the Acropolis and stayed there for a while because the view of Athens from the Acropolis is so pleasant. You see the trees, the greenery, the buildings and the sea all at once! What a breathtaking view! There were also some soldiers, and they all looked so smart in their military suits.

Nhi at the Acropolis

The following day, we took an hour and 30 minute ferry ride to Aegina Island. Aegina Island is so different from Athens. Athens is more of buildings and ancient sites full of tourists. Aegina, on the other hand, is a small island where no one was there because the season was more or less over. It mainly consists of small houses, home-style restaurants and hantours "horse ridden cabs."

                   

The water is so clear, the people are so cheerful and friendly and the weather is nice, sunny but not hot. It also kinda reminded me of Venice because of its size. This island is also famous for pistachios. They were really good. We ran into Anushri, an Indian friend, and we all went to a monastery on the island. We were told it is the 2^nd biggest in the Balkans. We also went to the temple of Euphie, and we then took the ferry back to Athens. When my friends paid the restaurant lady in Aegina, she was very appreciative that she had customers and kissed all of us. The same happened with the taxi driver; he wanted us to come back so he can have more customers. The situation is pretty hard in Greece!

Don't forget to ask for student discounts, we paid almost half price. On the ferry, we ran into two Greeks who of course thought I was from India, but once they knew I am from Egypt they started telling me about their trip to Cairo and Alexandria. They told me I could be a Greek as well, lol never hurts to have an International face :P In Athens and Aegina, there were many mini churches, meaning one small room that looks like a church and can't accommodate more than 20 people inside. Maybe fewer. I always saw them either empty or with 1 person praying inside.

Third day, I went with semester at sea on an exchange program to the American college of Greece. I thought I would meet Greek students and get to know more about them and their culture. However, we ended up having a tour in the university and a lecture about a Greek island, I forgot its name. I really appreciated their time and effort dedicated to preparing the presentation and tour, but I wanted to interact with the Greek students. It was not bad because, after all we had a free lunch and a bus tour of Athens.

The uni's theatre

The fourth day, I decided to go and explore Athens on my own. I went to the rest of major sites like the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Roman Agora. This is going to sound ignorant, but they all looked the same to me! Same building structure of pillars with Greek style and a bunch of ruins. Forgive me Aliki please :D I loved Greece so much, but as an Egyptian, I was born in a country where history is a big deal. I have seen so many ruins, monuments and sites that I was expecting something WOW in Greece, but they all looked the same to me.

                 

I took the metro to another site and got lost. Also, the Greeks there don't speak English, so it was hard to communicate, but they really wanted to help. After walking for 30 minutes, I decided to leave that place. Ironically, I found the site on my way to the metro station. So at least I got to see it. I went to the flea market and found even cheaper stuff! I ran into Haimeng and Ecco, Chinese friends, and we ate pomegranate together while enjoying the busy square.

I was going to meet Aliki, my Greek friend that I met in Malaysia, so we walked to Syntagma Square where the parliament is, and on our way, we of course had to stop by the shops. We reached the square which is a very vibrant place. Ecco and another Chinese joined us, and then Aliki arrived. We had a very delicious and cheap Greek dinner, and it was great to catch up with her and ask about her views on the Greek crisis. It is always good to hear from a citizen not an economist or a politician. Syntagma Square is the Greek version of Champ Elysees or Times Square.

Syntagma Square

Athens was full of refugees and homeless people and the beggars and vendors were so pushy. The vendors would force what they sell onto you, flowers, bracelets… so be careful and say NO. Street musicians won't play their instruments unless you pay and they would even ask you to pay which is very unlike Italy or France.

  

Things I noticed: Alexandria is very famous in Greece, once you say Egypt they start talking about Alex. Although there is an economic crisis, shops take their time to open!

P.S. When in Greece, don't forget to eat Gyros, grilled feta cheese and frozen yoghurt. Grilled feta cheese is what I miss the most about Greece. So delicious!