Hey everyone! Callie Christensen here. Sorry it’s been a couple days since our arrival and I haven’t gotten the chance to update you on our exciting and eventful trip. It’s been a bit frustrating over here in Greece trying to find a handful of free time to sit down at the internet cafe to write and when the opportunity arises the internet loves to move like a snail! Let me enlighten you about the our first few days in Europe.
After an adventurous and exhausting 10 hour flight we finally made it to Athens. Unlike all of the Greeks who were anxiously awaiting a cigarette, I was thankful to get off of the plane to be able to walk around and stretch out my legs. Immediately after our landing we grabbed our baggage and hopped on a bus to our first destination-Titania hotel. Once we became familiar with our rooms and completed a nice 2 hour nap, the group met in the dining room of the hotel for a delicious buffet dinner. From the famous Greek salad all the way to unique cheese pie, eating was a bit overwhelming with the variety of choices, but of course we all tried a sample of everything. Once finished with our meal we hit the town to wonder the streets before heading to bed.
A 7:30 am wake up call was not exactly the way we wished to start our next day in Athens, but we had a lot to do and see. Still exhausted from the flight and experiencing a bit of jet lag, we ate a gourmet breakfast before meeting our tour guide, Marisa. Our first stop Marisa took us too was the 2004 Olympic Games Complex. Holding 71,000 spectators, a field made of natural grass, and taking only 10 minutes to evacuate, the stadium gives you goose bumps the minute you walk through its doors. To this day, Greece is the smallest country to host the Olympic Games. After the taking hundreds of pictures in the soccer complex we continued our day through the viewing of the basketball, tennis, and swimming complexes. Getting the opportunity to visit such an awesome place makes me want to be able to be a spectator at the games some day. Later in the night we went to a play 39 Steps. To our surprise, the entire performance was in Greek. Despite not being able to understand a single word of Greek, the actors and actresses were funny and entertaining.
Since our arrival in Athens we have visited the Olympic Complex, watched the changing of the guards, saw 39 Steps, walked through 2 National Archaeological Museums, toured the Acropolis and Parthenon, eaten an abundance of Gyros, watched a Greek Mens soccer match, and attempted to shop through the chaotic streets.
Today we departed from Athens and traveled through the city of Thebes to arrive in Delphi. Both the Men and Women’s soccer teams have our first matches tomorrow, send us some luck! I wish I could share more about our experience and the opportunities we’ve been having, but unfortunately my time at the internet cafe is up. I don’t know when I will be able to update you next but I will try and keep you posted and inform you more about my thoughts and first impressions on the Greek culture.