Crossin' Seas

After gathering outside of Beeghly Gynasium, our group of seven began our Mediterranean trek. This day was spent on airplanes, flying from the Pittsburgh International Airport to Paris de Gaulles Airport, then a connecting flight from there to Athens International Airport. Ryan met Sidney Crosby at the Paris Airport; he was a personable fellow as he shared his travel plans to Spain and his disappointment over the early Penguins playoff exit. 

Upon claiming our luggage in Athens, we met Roberto, our EF Tour Guide. From the beginning and throughout the entirety of our time in Greece, Roberto was friendly and informative. Our luggage arrived on time, and we met up with the Arkansas group to make our way to Hotel Paradise. We had a brief chance to rest and settle in before we were off on foot to explore the old city, in the shadows of the Acropolis. . We made efficient use of our walk to dinner, with a walking tour of the Plaka district and the Roman Agora, built during the Roman occupation of Greece, where was one of the main market and gathering places of the city. Much of the Plaka district has a lovely environment with charming side-street buildings and apartments, similar to Amsterdam with the stone alley way streets and cozy architecture.

A particular structure we saw was the Tower of the Winds, a Roman tower with an aqueduct leading up to it that which in ancient times had a water-operated clock to tell the time of day. We also the ruins of the old latrines the Romans had built, public restrooms with long rows of seats. From there we continued our exploration of the big city until we reached our restaurant, where we were serve traditional Greek moussaka which is similar to lasagna with eggplant in it; the dish had mixed receptions, but the desert was appetizing to few. After a bit of post-dinner pleasantries, we headed back, very fatigued from "jet-lag," for a much need sleep before an early "wakey wakey" to come in the morning.