3,241 kilometres from home...
There are two types of trips: those where you have very high expectations, you look forward to them and when you experience them, they are not what you thought they would be, basically because you idealise them too much. And then there are the ones where you don't have any kind of expectations and everything that happens ends up exceeding what you imagined.
The trip I made to Greece at the beginning of February was a 10. As I have already told you, I had no expectations whatsoever. I had a thousand places in mind before setting foot in Athens and from one day to the next, I decided to join a trip with some friends where we ended up choosing the Greek capital. The two of them were travelling from Sofia (Bulgaria) and I from Berlin.
For me Athens was a great surprise. Maybe because I didn't have too many references about it either, maybe because it has that Mediterranean soul that makes us feel at home, I don't know. We found it to be a lively, colourful, chaotic city, and -of course- full of history. Chaotic in the good sense of the word. I recommend following its philosophy of life: instinct and control. Applicable to everything.
We spent the first day seeing the city on our own - it was hot, I felt the sun! It had gone from -2ºC in Berlin to 20ºC in Athens. We were happy to be reunited, for the warmth and for the feeling of being in another country. We were testing the waters, as I say, and we followed some advice from Greek people I know or friends who had been on Erasmus. Honestly, having recommendations from locals (people who have done Erasmus count as locals) is the best thing about travelling. Thanks to everyone who took the time to pass me a list of places or sent me a 5-minute voice note with options that were really worthwhile. The first day, apart from sightseeing, we ate a lot. The second and third day too. Blessed Greek food. Blessed Tzatzikiiiii. By the way, although Sara and Ricardo laughed at me for saying this, for me, Greek is similar to Spanish in the intonation. A feeling like you're going to understand it, you're getting it, but in the end you're not.
Our second day started in a more organised way (apart from the fact that I forgot my camera on the breakfast table at the hotel and almost had a heart attack). We did a 3 hour Free Tour. The funniest Free Tour I have ever done in my life. Everything happened. The guy who gave us the tour was called Dimitri and we loved what he told us and how he transmitted it to us. 100% recommendable to get to know the history and visit the most emblematic places. Also to share a little while with a group of Spaniards and to realise what characters we are... you can see us a mile away.
At the end of the Free Tour, we went quickly to eat something and we took a bus to Cape Sunion to see the Temple of Poseidon. It was 2 hours one way and almost 2 hours back but it was worth it. I recommend it if you have more than two days in Athens.
The third and last day for me was dedicated to... any ideas? Yes, to eat. In the morning we did a bit of sightseeing, walked around a market, went to the National Museum in the Agora and ate on a terrace in the Plaka neighbourhood. Friends, sun, good food, live music - what more could you ask for? Next came the farewells, my return to the airport and the -2ºC of my beloved Berlin.
After giving you a brief summary of my 3 days, I will leave you with a list of things you should do and see for as long as you stay. My biggest advice is to get lost in the streets and don't follow the tourist waves that go like flocks of sheep. And as the guy from the Free Tour told us: "Don't visit anything. When you travel, don't visit anything. Really, don't do it. Don't visit anything. Leave everything for next time.
What I like most about travelling is the way it unites you with the people you share it with. I came back tired physically (and mentally because of these two heavy ones too) but with a super positive energy from the laughs, the experience, and of course, always thinking about the next one. With Sara and Richi, it was all very easy 🙂
And having come this far, I say goodbye until the next one, hopefully very soon. ¡χαλαρά!
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