Last Saturday I went on a hike up Mount Pendeli, which is about an hour outside of Athens. The city of Athens is surrounded by mountains (very different from South Bend, IN) and it was fun to see some of the suburbs of the city as we drove away from the busy city center. The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular! It overlooks an outlying suburb of Athens, and area which is known to have been a part of the route of the first marathon (during the Battle of Marathon).
Behind the city you can see the Mediterranean Sea and one of
Greece’s larger islands.
I sat there on the top of the mountain eating the most delicious Greek pastry, soaking up God’s beautiful creation; it was unreal.
The water was just as blue as the pictures I have seen and the landscape of
Greece is so varied. The Acropolis is about a ten minute walk from my school.
This week, a group of friends and I took a walk down to Plaka, which is the neighborhood right around the Acropolis.
It is a really charming area, with narrow streets, cool architecture, and lots of little shops.
Every so often, you come across columns or some type of ruins that has been exposed.
The Acropolis towers over the neighborhood below and for the first time I was really able to get a sense for how big the Acropolis really is.
We climbed a nearby hill that offered an amazing view of
Athens.
In one direction you could see the port, with the boats and the ferries in the
Mediterranean.
Looking the other way you could see the Acropolis, surrounded by the sprawling urban city.
Again I was struck by the diversity of the city as I walked through the different neighborhoods.
On this particular day there was a group of people protesting the working hours.
Protests are common in
Athens and are for the most part, extremely peaceful.
Demonstrating is simply a part of everyday culture for Athenians and it is learned at a very young age (elementary school students are allowed to demonstrate if they don’t like their teacher).
Police were closely following the protest as the people headed towards
Syntagma Square and closing the streets for the protestors to allow them to pass.
As I walked through other parts of the city I saw the guards that march in front of the presidential palace, doing a highly stylized and symbolic march to commemorate Greek independence from Ottoman rule.
Each part of their unique dress is symbolic of something.
For instance they wear clogs that make a particular sound when they march to recreate the sound of horses walking.
I also took Greek dance lessons this week at my school. . . OPA!
Last Saturday I went on a hike up Mount Pendeli, which is about an hour outside of Athens. The city of Athens is surrounded by mountains (very different from South Bend, IN) and it was fun to see some of the suburbs of the city as we drove away from the busy city center. The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular! It overlooks an outlying suburb of Athens, and area which is known to have been a part of the route of the first marathon (during the Battle of Marathon).
Behind the city you can see the Mediterranean Sea and one of 
In one direction you could see the port, with the boats and the ferries in the 
Demonstrating is simply a part of everyday culture for Athenians and it is learned at a very young age (elementary school students are allowed to demonstrate if they don’t like their teacher). Police were closely following the protest as the people headed towards 
I also took Greek dance lessons this week at my school. . . OPA!
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