A City On Top Of A Hill

I must say after all the talk that Athens was not that great, I was by far pleasantly surprise. Between the cities historical structures, friendly people and Mediterranean vibe this cities mixture of modern and historical sites is to die for. The first day we got there we just did a walking tour of the city and with our hotel in an amazing location with a roof top view of the Acropolis, life was good. That night we ventured down the cobblestone streets to a strip of traditional Greek restaurant after restaurant. Although many of the owners were screaming to come into their restaurant, we finally selected a little authentic restaurant and must I say the food was AMAZING. I finally had my traditional Greek salad (which may I add has no lettuce) along with Moussake (layers of eggplant, meats and a creamy sauce) YUM. After that we then made our way down to Gize, which is the hot spot for Athens nightlife!

The next day we were heading to the highlight of the trip; THE ACROPOLIS. This was by far one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. This amazing structure can be literally seen from every point in the city, which is why acropolis means “city on a hill.” After spending a good hour climbing to the top I was amazed at the view overlooking Athens as well as the Parthenon itself, which was just huge. It was amazing to think that it was standing so strong after hundreds of years. I really would say this was the best part of my trip and if I had the choice I would have spent my entire time up there. This is where I certainly got that I’m in Greece feeling. 

Again bright an early we wasted no time going to soak up more sights at  lovely 8am. After having breakfast looking over the Acropolis, we went to the first Olympic stadium, which was awesome. We spent a good hour just running around and climbing through all the stands, sitting exactly where the first Olympics were once held. In addition, we made our way to Zues’s temple, which is basically only a few ruins but if gives you an idea of just how big it was!

I must say I absolutely feel in love with Greece within these three days and I am so excited to continue on to Mykonos Island next week!! 

αντίο xo,


Lindsey 

Back To The Motherland: Ireland

So I just made it back from my first weekend of independent travel! Although our program brings us so many places, the UK was not on the agenda. Therefore, when a long weekend approached a few of us decided last minute to splurge and travel to Dublin and Galway, Ireland. However, between our cab crashing into our car on the way there, a shady night spent in Charleroi Belgium, almost missing buses and having ridiculously high unexpected expenses it almost seemed like this could turn out to be the trip from hell!

However, once we had finally arrived at our first destination, Dublin, all these obstacles seemed like a wasted of thought. With Ireland's cool breeze, beautiful buildings, friendly people and lots of Guinness, I felt right at home. During our first day we did a hop on and off bus, which brought us all around the city. From seeing the real Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the Long Room Library at Trinity College (which felt like a scene out of Beauty and the Beast) to the Book of Kells exhibit, taking in all these famous sights was to good to be true. However my favorite of the day was of course The Guinness Factory, which Dublin is known for producing. After going through the entire process of how it is made, you venture to the top of the factory where you can see a view of the entire city. It was absolutely awesome! Later on that night we ventured to the famous Temple Bar area, where bar after bar was filled with happy Irish folks embracing in dance, music and drinks. Here is where it finally hit me: I am in Ireland.

The next day we would proceed on a long journey to Galway, where we booked a tour to see the Cliffs of Moher. Which 100% made our trip the real Ireland experience. We started by driving a few hours along the countryside, with nothing but cattle, bright green grass and beautiful hills that went on for miles. We would then stop in village after village on the way to the cliffs, where we had traditional shepard’s pie, potatoes and veggies YUM. Being able to see the real Ireland outside the city really made me appreciate the country. However, nothing would prepare me for what I would experience at the Cliffs of Moher. For once in my life, I was actually left speechless (which as you known does not happen very often). Trying to describe it to you would just not do justice, but let’s just say it has been claimed on of the new seven natural wonders of the world. However, to really get the experience you must venture past the danger zone and over to where it is your feet and the edge of the cliff.

That night however we ventured back to Dublin, where the next day we partook in my favorite activity; shopping! However, there was once BIG problem. In order to not empty out my bank account we had to book our flight with Rynair, where you were allowed ONE small bag that could fit in the overhead and could not go over 10 kg. Therefore, I was already wearing about five layers of shits getting on the plane, so I could only allow myself an item or two. Later on that night we would venture on a pub-crawl with two authentic Irish musicians. I must admit at first I pictured a pub-crawl as fitting in as many bars as possible in the time span. However, this was not the case we only went to two bars where we sat and listening to them play for an hour or so each time. I must say this was WAY better then what I was expecting and really showed what Irish culture is all about. As I sipped my Guinness and sang along to the Irish beats, I really appreciate my roots and the way the Irish view life. Overall, all the obstacles to this weekend was well worth it and I am hoping I have brought a little luck of the Irish back with me, which I am sure I will need on my trip this week to Greece and Italy!

Slán Leat xo,

Lindsey