It's all Greek to me (wonk wonk)

I'm heading to Berlin later today, so I thought I should write a quick post about the end of Istanbul and Athens.

We met up with 3 girls from our SIT program on Sunday and Monday in Istanbul - I was so happy that it worked out that way. It was great to see them again, plus easier to get around in Istanbul as a bigger group, instead of a two American girls. Athens is so peaceful compared to Old Istanbul. I was getting so tired of the "hey lady... hey lady... lady, where you from?" on the street. It's hard to ignore people!!

Hostel Pagration in Athens is great. There are a ton of other American students who have just finished their study-abroad programs here and we had a blast with them. It was much friendler than our rather grim guesthouse in Istanbul, even if it was quite a hike from the sights in Athens.

On Wednesday I found myself at the Acropolis, which was amazing (although it looks a lot bigger in pictures). Crowded with hoards of tourists, even at 9am. From there, I explored the ancient Agora (my favorite!!!!!), the Athenian flea market, and some notable buildings like the Greek Parliament and Presidential Residence. I had some yummy spanakopita (I think that is how you spell it?? The only Greek I know comes from APO) and then went to Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of the Olympian Zeus (also very cool), and the Olympic stadium.

Yesterday I sort of retraced my steps again and went to the Kerameikos, the ancient area where many potters had their workshops and also where a large cemetery was. It was incredible to see a archaeological site that has been under nearly constant excavation for almost 100 years. The site of Kerameikos (and Classical age Athens), is 8 to 9 meters below the surface of present day Athens and one can easily see that change in elevation.

I took the Metro up to the National Archaeological Museum after that. The Metro is so neat. So many remains were discovered during the construction of the Metro, that some stops have curated exhibits of the artifacts found there, so taking the Metro is a museum in and of itself.

The National Museum is overwhelming, I only spent a few hours, but it could take days. It was great to see assemblages of artifacts found at, say, the Acropolis. It is easier to imagine what the temples looked like once I saw all the statues, ceramics, etc. that belonged there.

That's about it... sure there is much more to say, but I have limited time. More from Berlin!!