August 24th, 2018
One ten-hour flight later, and I’m walking around the heart of Ancient Greece as the sun rolls over the hills above me. It’s so surreal to watch the day-to-day hustle and bustle of a modern city against the backdrop of an ancient world. The fact that the people who live here get to walk past ruins and monuments on their commute to work is unreal to me. Apartment buildings and local stores are built right into the same mountainous terrain as historical landmarks, and the locals just walk around me without a second look — because, of course, this is their normal.
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| The Temple of Zeus (feat. Me) |
August 26th, 2018
Standing under ancient ruins that are centuries old makes me feel so small. You'll be strolling along a cobbled street, peering into store windows and hiding from the sun, when you stumble upon these marble columns that tower over you with their decadence. You take a step closer to admire the finer details - the smooth curves, the intricate designs, the personal inscriptions carved into hidden corners. It's hard to imagine that these places were real once.
August 27th, 2018
People keep telling us that Athens is experiencing a cool summer, but it does not feel like it. While I hide under the hat I bought at a local marketplace, the heat is unrelenting - beating down on our faces, arms, legs, and giving me a tan I haven't had in a while. Once in a while a cool breeze will grant us some relief, but in a few seconds it's gone and the sun will pull us back into its sleepy haze. Then, when I crawl into bed at the end of the night, anticipating sleep, I feel more awake than ever and unable to rest until a ridiculous hour in the morning. Oh, the joys of timezones.
August 27th, 2018
We hiked up the Acropolis this morning, and all of a sudden it was like we were in a different world. With the rest of Athens down below, we could wander around and pretend that this is all there is. There's something special about being able to walk where the ancients once walked and marvel at the same magnificent sights.
August 28th, 2018
We visited the archeological site of Aristotle's Lykeion this morning, allowing ourselves to wander the grounds and examine the excavation sites, and in the afternoon we spent an hour or so travelling to the Temple of Poseidon. The temple sits atop a mountain and has been weathered away by time and by the sea. A tour guide within earshot mentions that Lord Byron himself carved his own name on the side of the temple, graffiti leftover from another world.
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