Days 11-12: Athens

After arriving in Athens, I’ve honestly been feeling quite tired; the Iliad/Odyssey part of this trip was a lot and I’ve needed to take this time to rest before I head back home.

While I took some rest yesterday, I still ventured out to see some of the city and today, with renewed energy, I did far more. Some of the highlights have included: seeing the Acropolis/Parthenon and all of the other ancient sites, going to a thermal hot spring at Lake Vouliagmeni, and getting a cocktail flight at one of the top-20 bars in the world (The Clumsies has maybe the most wholesome menu I’ve ever seen).

The rooftop of my hostel has an amazing view of the Parthenon at night, so I’ve been spending some time there each night. There is something so calming about that routine, the world feels weightless and my life feels free. For a few moments, I catch myself drifting away, feeling a peace unknown to me. Apart from that, I’ve taken a lot of time to just walk around Athens, to explore public transit, and to check out the flea markets and shopping areas around the city. Though I haven’t bought anything, I enjoy gaining a sense of the pace and energy of a city. People generally hate on Athens, but I believe you can find something interesting about any place in this world. So this has given me a lot of time to explore freely but also to reflect on this trip and my life in general. That has all been much-needed and I guess travel doesn’t always need to be something so active or so loudly interesting like kayaking through caves or trekking an active volcano; sometimes, there is wisdom and growth in the quiet moments, too.