Submitted by Erin Ricciardi on the 2016 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of English…
A Hike to the Acropolis
We woke up early this Wednesday morning to head out on a “hike” of some sorts toward the Acropolis. Since we arrived a few days ago, the beautiful temple has been staring at me through the back porch of my apartment building doors. It is lit at night with spotlights and sits upon one of the taller hills within the city of Athens, almost like the city’s cake-topper. I was eager to see the temple up close, to get a feel for the real-life version of what I had seen in my history textbooks so many times before. Upon our arrival to the top of the hill, I was blown away by the natural beauty of the temples. The history and beauty of this city is simply indescribable, what I was able to see up close and in person today was something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
A Fishy Situation in Plaka
After touring the temples upon Athen’s Acropolis, my two friends and I found ourselves “lost” within the small streets of Plaka, the Old City of Greece. We wandered the windy roads, avoiding the passing cars and Vespas (we were told specifically to understand that “pedestrians have the right away” is NOT strictly enforced in this country, if at all). I am so grateful for the location of my study abroad, the central location that we are in gives us the ability to explore a lot in little time! As we admired the different shops along our made-up route, we stumbled upon a store by the name of “Dr. Fish,” which would bring us our first spontaneous adventure within our time here. For only 10 euros, we had a “fish pedicure” which apparently is not an uncommon activity in the Mediterranean. It was so much fun! My friends and I went right in and paid for ten minutes for these fish to clean our feet, thinking it was the most hilarious and obscure activity we had seen so far in Greece. Today, we took a leap into a small bit of the culture that comprises Athens. I’m excited to see what we find ourselves in next, fish and all!
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Respectfully,
Erin Ricciardi