I've said this before, but if there are any places in Europe that I could actually settle down and live in for a few years, they would be 1) Berlin and 2) Athens.
I have traveled to nearly a dozen countries around Europe in the past few years now, and I still feel most "at home" (or most comfortable) in Germany and Greece. Germany is probably the easiest place for me to work and have a professional life, and Greece is most definitely my favorite vacation spot so far.
This morning, I woke up early and headed out to Schönefeld Airport to meet up with Brandon for our flight to Athens. We got there sort of early and made it through security with no problems at all. When we finished, we decided to have a beer before our flight. Good stuff.
I was pretty tired still from not getting much sleep the last few days, so I slept the entire two and a half hours on the plane. My first experience on EasyJet was actually not bad.
We arrived in Athens around 3:30 pm local time, and we headed straight for the Metro stop at the Acropolis to meet with my friend, Doros, whose house Brandon and I are staying at. It's really great to be back, and it really doesn't feel like a year since I've been here.
Doros was nice enough to let us have his whole apartment, while he stays at his girlfriend's place. Talk about great friends...seriously, the Greek people have one of the most welcoming philosophies toward guests in the entire world. Amazing. Philoxenia.
After settling in, we walked around the neighborhood, and we're frankly not even that far from where I used to do all my interviews for research. As we walked out there, we ran into some of the folks I'd interviewed in the past two years, and they recognized me. I assured them I was not back for more interviews this year. :)
I headed there though so we could go visit my friend, Thanasis, who owns a store that sells specialities from Crete. It's a brilliant place, and everyone in the neighborhood knows it. He's a very young entrepreneur, and he was recently featured in Athens News.
He was surprised to see me, but only because he didn't know when to expect me. I'd written to him earlier this month telling him I was coming, but he hadn't had time to respond. In any case, I'm excited because we're going camping this weekend!
We spent a good few hours chilling with him and our friend, Jenny, who lives across the street. I had interviewed her last year too, so it was great to see her again. Brandon and I had planned to pick up some graviera cheese from Thanasis's shop (my favorite Greek cheese, or as he would correct me, "cheese from Crete") and eat it with some bread for dinner.
Thanasis would have none of that. He broke out a gigantic platter of cheeses and meats and gave us tons of snacks to eat. Unbelievable. We also had coffee (yes, I actually drank coffee) and another bottle of beer. Our snack turned into dinner. And with great friends.
After that, we headed up the street and spent another hour or so sitting at the corner cafe and chatting while drinking a few more beers. The rain (unexpected) had passed already, so we sat outside and enjoyed the fresh air.
Doros and his girlfriend had invited us to a free rock concert in Gazi (party district) tonight, so we told our friends that we needed to head out there. Jenny offered to drive us, so we ended up not having to take the Metro. Seriously, having friends in other cities is amazing, and I hope they will come visit me in the States, so I can repay them for their generous hospitality. I'm glad I brought them all Ritter Sport from Berlin. :)
The concert itself was interesting, mainly because I don't really like rock music. But Doros is a friend of one of the musicians, so we went in support of his friends. He actually plays too in his own band. Pretty awesome.
We stayed for a while and chatted with Doros and his girlfriend, Anna. I had interviewed her last year too (I seem to have met all my friends in Athens through my interviews), so we spent the evening chatting about Greece, Europe, and the future of the economy. Clearly, it's been on people's minds.
All is well here though, and we feel perfectly safe. Honestly, you worry less when your local friends aren't exactly worried either. They know where it's safe and where it's not. They said we have nothing to worry about. Still, we're being cautious, and we're having fun.
Tomorrow morning, I'll wake up early to go back to the airport to pick up my friend, Nancy, and two of her classmates. Since they've never been before, I figured it might be nice to have someone guide them to their hotel. I remember first arriving in a new city, and it's difficult to navigate when you have no point of reference.
Our plan tomorrow is to also hit up the National Archaeology Museum of Athens, which is another of my favorite museums in the world. Other than that, we'll be eating some good food and partying it up with my friends. Looking forward to it!
Toodles!
Sam
I have traveled to nearly a dozen countries around Europe in the past few years now, and I still feel most "at home" (or most comfortable) in Germany and Greece. Germany is probably the easiest place for me to work and have a professional life, and Greece is most definitely my favorite vacation spot so far.
This morning, I woke up early and headed out to Schönefeld Airport to meet up with Brandon for our flight to Athens. We got there sort of early and made it through security with no problems at all. When we finished, we decided to have a beer before our flight. Good stuff.
I was pretty tired still from not getting much sleep the last few days, so I slept the entire two and a half hours on the plane. My first experience on EasyJet was actually not bad.
We arrived in Athens around 3:30 pm local time, and we headed straight for the Metro stop at the Acropolis to meet with my friend, Doros, whose house Brandon and I are staying at. It's really great to be back, and it really doesn't feel like a year since I've been here.
Doros was nice enough to let us have his whole apartment, while he stays at his girlfriend's place. Talk about great friends...seriously, the Greek people have one of the most welcoming philosophies toward guests in the entire world. Amazing. Philoxenia.
After settling in, we walked around the neighborhood, and we're frankly not even that far from where I used to do all my interviews for research. As we walked out there, we ran into some of the folks I'd interviewed in the past two years, and they recognized me. I assured them I was not back for more interviews this year. :)
I headed there though so we could go visit my friend, Thanasis, who owns a store that sells specialities from Crete. It's a brilliant place, and everyone in the neighborhood knows it. He's a very young entrepreneur, and he was recently featured in Athens News.
He was surprised to see me, but only because he didn't know when to expect me. I'd written to him earlier this month telling him I was coming, but he hadn't had time to respond. In any case, I'm excited because we're going camping this weekend!
We spent a good few hours chilling with him and our friend, Jenny, who lives across the street. I had interviewed her last year too, so it was great to see her again. Brandon and I had planned to pick up some graviera cheese from Thanasis's shop (my favorite Greek cheese, or as he would correct me, "cheese from Crete") and eat it with some bread for dinner.
Thanasis would have none of that. He broke out a gigantic platter of cheeses and meats and gave us tons of snacks to eat. Unbelievable. We also had coffee (yes, I actually drank coffee) and another bottle of beer. Our snack turned into dinner. And with great friends.
After that, we headed up the street and spent another hour or so sitting at the corner cafe and chatting while drinking a few more beers. The rain (unexpected) had passed already, so we sat outside and enjoyed the fresh air.
Doros and his girlfriend had invited us to a free rock concert in Gazi (party district) tonight, so we told our friends that we needed to head out there. Jenny offered to drive us, so we ended up not having to take the Metro. Seriously, having friends in other cities is amazing, and I hope they will come visit me in the States, so I can repay them for their generous hospitality. I'm glad I brought them all Ritter Sport from Berlin. :)
The concert itself was interesting, mainly because I don't really like rock music. But Doros is a friend of one of the musicians, so we went in support of his friends. He actually plays too in his own band. Pretty awesome.
We stayed for a while and chatted with Doros and his girlfriend, Anna. I had interviewed her last year too (I seem to have met all my friends in Athens through my interviews), so we spent the evening chatting about Greece, Europe, and the future of the economy. Clearly, it's been on people's minds.
All is well here though, and we feel perfectly safe. Honestly, you worry less when your local friends aren't exactly worried either. They know where it's safe and where it's not. They said we have nothing to worry about. Still, we're being cautious, and we're having fun.
Tomorrow morning, I'll wake up early to go back to the airport to pick up my friend, Nancy, and two of her classmates. Since they've never been before, I figured it might be nice to have someone guide them to their hotel. I remember first arriving in a new city, and it's difficult to navigate when you have no point of reference.
Our plan tomorrow is to also hit up the National Archaeology Museum of Athens, which is another of my favorite museums in the world. Other than that, we'll be eating some good food and partying it up with my friends. Looking forward to it!
Toodles!
Sam
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