first look / athens

" Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts and eloquence."

brilliance by john milton

I just returned from a 10 day holiday : the only time this semester where I went two consecutive days without doing homework. Five friends and I chose to spend it in Greece, specifically Athens & Santorini. We had the best of times. Walking amongst life in the various neighborhoods of Greece, learning culture from those who are fiercely loyal to their country, & stepping into as many pastry shops as possible...there's so much to tell you!

Athens is at its prime in the winter months (namely December), when the stifling heat and over-crowded streets are not a factor. I found it to be a welcoming city. Full of young internationals and a good number of English-speaking residents, Athens was a delightful mix of mythological history and present-day pop culture. We were blessed with perfect autumn weather and the physical health to walk miles and miles every day (thanks to a semester of hiking around Israel). I am excited to share with you some of what we saw & experienced, but it's so hard to decide which images speak the loudest from hundreds of photos!

Here's what I saw my first day in Athens //

[caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="lykavittos hill . striking lookout"]