What I Learned in Athens, Greece
I learned a lot while I was in Athens. Now, I’m going to tell you all about it so that if you’re going to Athens, you’ll be prepared.
Traveling to different places gives you a lot of great experiences, including experiences you never planned to have and never expected. In other words, I learned a lot of things in Athens that I pretty much learned accidentally. There are some interesting things about this city that I noticed and it’s likely that you will notice them, too.
That's a Lot of Churches
First off, Greece is surprisingly conservative. There are a ton of churches here and the churches have a dress code. You’re not really supposed to walk into a church with bare shoulders or showing a lot of skin. The general rule is to cover your knees and your shoulders.
Service Is Slow. Really Slow
Another thing you will absolutely notice in Greece is that food is enjoyed quite slowly. The servers are not in a rush. You won’t have plates cleared quickly and you won’t get that feeling like you sometimes get in America like the restaurants just really want you to get out the door.
People will sit here for hours and hours during a meal. No one is in a hurry. To the point that it can feel a little uncomfortable and if you're trying to keep a tight schedule, you can forget about that.
To Americans, the service can feel very slow and it can almost get to the point of aggravating. Just remember that things are slower here and that’s totally okay. Go ahead and relax. Enjoy. Take your time and savor. That’s what life in Greece is all about, so go ahead and embrace it. Don’t go to Greece to be American. Go to enjoy life like a Greek.
But Also Great
Another thing about eating in Greece, they might bring you a free dessert. This happened to me twice in Greece and they’ll typically bring it after they bring the bill, so you know it’s on the house. This is part of Greek hospitality, which they are famous for, and it’s a really nice little extra treat when it happens because I totally love dessert, so I’m here for it.
There Are Cats Everywhere. Everywhere.
Something that you can't help but notice in Athens is the cats. There are stray cats everywhere in Athens. I mean everywhere. They’re walking all over all the historic sites, they're hanging out on the street, they’re eyeballing you from literally every angle. They’re everywhere.
These cats are pretty well acclimated to humans being around, so they’re going to just keep on doing their thing and they may get pretty close to you. But I just let them be and they let me be and they’re just there. Its just a particular quirk of Athens. There are a whole lot of cats hanging around.
Smokers Welcome
There’s also a lot of cigarette smoking. Many people in Athens seem to smoke. You can smoke in a lot of places in Athens, including the airport, which I have actually never seen before. It’s not like in America, so don’t be surprised by it and don’t give people nasty looks for doing it because they’re actually allowed to.
Smoking seems to be allowed in a great many places here, so it's not considered to be rude here. If you don’t like it, just try to move away from it. It’s not a big deal.
About the Bathrooms...
And now, okay, this topic is a bit…it’s not super pleasant. You can go ahead and skip to the end because this is the last thing we’re going to talk about, if you don't want to hear about a more uncomfortable topic.
But here’s the thing, okay. Athens is a super old city. There are a lot of historic places. The plumbing in the city is old, too. So…in a lot of places you will go and probably even in your accommodations, you’re not supposed to flush toilet paper.
I know. I’m sorry. It’s gross. It’s very difficult for any American, I’m sure. It’s. I can’t say anything more about it. This is how it is. You’re supposed to put it in the trash can instead of flushing it. Let’s not even talk about it anymore. I’m just trying to prepare you because no one prepared me, so there you have it.
All About Athens, Greece
Athens, It’s a really beautiful city. I had a really amazing time here and actually, it was truly wonderful. There are plenty of little quirks and oddities in the city, lots of things that are somewhat different, but it’s all part of the experience and it’s all amazing. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Try the food, see the sights, just enjoy yourself and look past all the little oddities.
Consider it all to just be part of the experience. I find that if I just go ahead and embrace whatever happens and decide to enjoy it even when it’s sort of strange or whatever, it’s a good time. So it’s weird. So it’s different. That’s okay. Let’s get weird and different together in Athens and in cities all over the world.
After lounging around on the beach in Athens and missing the pink beach in Crete, I decided to go to a place full of beaches. I wanted tropical weather. I wanted it to be hot. I wanted to just lay around on the sand and relax after spending my last two trips running all over ruins and going to all the museums and cramming my brain full of amazing history. I decided it was time to lay on the beach.
So, stay turned because soon, y’all, we’re going to Bali! We’ll be taking an amazing trip to Indonesia where we will be spending time in the jungle. We’re going to go surfing, we're going to relax on the beach and we’re going to have a great time, so join me in the tropics!
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