3 Weeks in Greece

Greece has it all, from the snowy peak of Mount Olympus to the dazzling beaches of the south coast—there’s something for everyone. Not only do they have amazing views and phenomenal cuisine, but they have ancient archeological sites and tons of museums as well.
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The time I spent in Greece was very special, not only because of the good food and cool weather but because my Grandma got to come with us for a very short 2 weeks. Athens was fine; it was a little dirty and old, but most of the cities in Europe were. While we were in Athens, we explored many neighborhoods around town since we stayed there for 2 weeks. My favorite part of Athens had to be the Plaka neighborhood, the old town. I enjoyed Plaka because there weren't many tourists there since we visited during November which is during the low tourist season.  Despite being the “old town”, it was actually clean and tidy. The old town also had lots of places that served traditional Greek yogurt which you could top with various fruits, candies, and nuts. This was delicious!

 When walking around the Athens area, you won't be surprised to find hundreds of excavated areas sprinkled around the city with ancient ruins inside. At every turn, there is something to see and read, which is very cool and way better than learning about this at my desk at school. 
Our first meal in Athens really surprised me. I always thought I knew what Greek food tasted like, but eating it in Greece was a whole different experience. The flavors seemed fresher, and the ingredients tasted so much better—probably because everything is local. Some dishes were a little different from what I was used to, like the tzatziki being thicker and the souvlaki being shaved meat/chicken instead of chunks of meat/chicken. Even the feta cheese tasted stronger and thick slabs were served with the Greek salads. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it was just as good—maybe even better!


While in Athens, we got to see the Parthenon and the Acropolis, which was definitely a highlight. The Parthenon is this massive ancient temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. It was built over 2,000 years ago, which is crazy to think about!
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What’s really cool is that even though it’s super old and has been through wars, earthquakes, and weather damage, it’s still standing. The builders even designed the columns with a slight curve to make them look perfectly straight—pretty amazing for something built so long ago. Also, it wasn’t always just plain white marble; it used to be covered in colorful paintings and statues.

After our time in Athens, we took a 5-hour train to Thessaloniki. Once we arrived in Thessaloniki, we took a very overcrowded bus from the train station over to our Airbnb, where we stayed for the remainder of our time in Thessaloniki. When we were in Thessaloniki, we enjoyed local Greek life instead of going to tons of museums and monuments. I was glad for the break! We had fun exploring the city, shopping, eating, relaxing, and spending time with Grandma. On our 3rd day there, we celebrated my 14th birthday at a nice Asian restaurant close to our Airbnb where they served us a delicious soufflé chocolate cake and sushi. 


Our time in Greece was some of the best few weeks of the trip so far, and I was so happy to see one of my Grandma after so long. Greece was one of my favorite locations so far, and I would go back.